Watson
Watson is a Sept of Clan Buchanan; associated names include MacWattie, MacQuattie, Watt, Watters and Waters.
The “son of Watt” as a derivation of Walter or Waters etc is found widely and independently across the UK and Germany, but the name Watson is first formally recorded in Edinburgh in 1392.
In the Highlands, the name and derivatives are solely associated with Clan Buchanan; from ancestral lands in Stirlingshire or western Perthshire.
In the Lowlands, the name is associated with Clan Forbes and Watson of Saughton (Edinburgh).
3 origin points of Watsons in Scotland. Click to enlarge
Walter was a son of a Buchanan of Leny (b. 1338), of whom used the form 'MacWattie'. 'Watt' was common in Forbes country, especially in Strathdon where it remains popular. Other forms such as Macouat, MacQuattie, MacWatt, Walters, MacWalters and Watson may derive from either source.
A number of Watsons appear on the muster roll of the Jacobite army of 1745-46, including a John and Thomas Wattson, who served with Kilmarnock’s Horse.
A John Watson, described in the muster roll as an innkeeper and brewer from Arbroath, was with the Duke of Perth’s Regiment and, taken prisoner, was tried and sentenced to penal servitude in the colonies.
Thomas Watson, a merchant from Arbroath was a lieutenant with the 1st Arbroath Company of the Forfarshire (Ogilvy’s) Regiment.
Among other Watsons serving in this regiment were Alexander Watson (from Angus), James Watson (a farmer), and Thomas Watson (a merchant from Kirriemuir). An Alexander Watson (from Banff) served with Lord Lewis Gordon’s Regiment.
Shane Watson has also written an excellent exposé of the Watsons in our April 2023 Buchanan Banner – available for free to any of CBSI Wardens at the Buchanan Banner Index page…
Notable Watsons
Whom may be descended of Watson Sept affiliated of Clan Buchanan
George Watson - Self Portrait - National Galleries of Scotland
George Watson
1767 - 1837
Born on his father's estate in Berwickshire, was a distinguished portrait painter who became first President of the Royal Scottish Academy.
Unknown artist Portrait of John Watson
Sherlocks Dr Watson as played by Martin Freeman
Emma Watson
1990 –
Actress (inc. Harry Potter) and womens Rights Advocate
Thomas Watson
1620 – 1686
English, Nonconformist, Puritan preacher and author
James Watson
1928 –
American molecular biologist, geneticist and zoologist. Noble prize winner for his studies in DNA
James Watt
1736 – 1819
Scottish inventor, mechanical engineer, and chemist. Whose development of the steam engine was fundamental to the Industrial Revolution. And, as Watt developed the concept of horsepower, the SI unit of power, the watt, was named after him.
JJ Watt
1989 –
American Footballer. Considered to be one of the greatest defensive linemen of all time, he received the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award three times in his first five seasons.
Crest: Two hands holding the trunk of an oak tree sprouting and the hands issuing out of clouds
Motto: “Insperata Floruit”: Flourished Unexpectedly
Watson tartan as registered with the Scottish Register of Tartans. Designed 1935
Heatmap of surname Watson, created from the United Kingdom 1881 census and the Griffith Valuation for 1853-1865. By Scaled Innovation. Click to enlarge.
Clan Watson – see below
The Clan Watson Society make the case that James Watson of Saughton was recorded by Lord Lyon in 1818 as "direct male line from Richard Watson of Saughton, to be described as: Chief of the name in Scotland", therefore a clan unto itself. Watson descendents from Saughton, Edinburgh are not associated with Clan Buchanan (the Watts / Watsons / MacWattie families that are part of the Clan Buchanan never tried to be a clan on their own).
In all probability the only way to truely know if you are descended of Watsons of Clan Forbes, Watsons of Clan Buchanan or Watson from Edinburgh is through genealogy research or DNA examinations…
Watts (with a “s”)
The diminutive form Watts (son of Watt), was prevalent in Aberdeen (Clan Forbes). Clan Buchanan used the form Watson, noting the relationship of this name with both the Forbes in Aberdeenshire and the Buchanans. W. Watson Buchanan's book refers to the Septs Watson and Watt but does not reference "Watts."
Further, there appears to very early references to the English genesis of Watts, starting around 1154AD in Worcestershire.
Watson is a very prominent name
Watson is the 19th most common surname in Scotland
In Australia, Watson is the 40th most prominent surname with an estimated 44,799 people
In New Zealand, Watson is ranked the 27th most prominent surname with an estimated 5,777 people
In the United Kingdom, the name Watson is the 35th prominent surname with an estimated 96,302 people
In Canada Watson is the 81st most prominent surname with 31,068 people
In the United States Watson is the 72nd most prominent with 256,161 people
Clan Watson : www.clanwatson.org
Shane Watson with Rebecca King at the Inauguration of The Buchanan.
Many thanks to Shane Watson for pursuing, collating and sharing Watson leads. Please contact him with any feedback.
A group is creating a Clan Watson site, aiming to provide a one-stop resource for all things Watson related. The principal aim is to bring together knowledge on Watson ancestry and on historic Watsons to provide a collaborative environment for those researching their own Watson family trees and, as the initiative grows, to build a sense of community amongst Watsons across the globe.
The Watsons (descended of Saughton) are recognised as an armigerous clan by the Court of the Lord Lyon, with the last registered chief being James Watson of Saughton, whose arms were matriculated in 1818. Although there is no evidence that the Watsons were part of the feudal highland clan system, there is evidence that they were a reasonably influential family that built a successful trading and political empire spanning key towns and cities in Scotland. The Clan Watson Society is currently researching links between historic clusters of Watsons across Scotland and their links to other prominent families, including the Buchanans.
The Watsons are primarily associated with the Buchanans in the west of Scotland around Dunbartonshire and Stirlingshire, although both families were landowners in Midlothian by the 17th century so almost certainly would also have been known to each other in Edinburgh. In the east of Scotland from Fife up to Aberdeenshire, the Watsons are more commonly associated with the Clan Forbes.
The Clan Watson Society is not of sufficient scale to warrant a paying membership structure or to organise a Watson presence at events; as such, they encourage all those with Watson links to join CBSI and/or the Clan Forbes Society to avail of the resources of these more-developed associations.