Robert WATSON
| Town/City | Marayong 2148 |
|---|---|
| First name | Robert |
| Last name | WATSON |
| Country of Origin | England |
| Date of Birth | c1756 |
| Year of Arrival in Australia | 1788 |
| Submitted by | Leslie de Belin |
Story
Robert WATSON was born in England about 1756. He arrived in Australia on 26/1/1788 with The First Fleet, being a Royal Navy Quartermaster aboard “HMS Sirius”. A Quartermaster’s duties included attending to the ships’ compass, signals and navigational apparatuses. It is unknown whether he had a wife in England, however, he fathered a son, Edward, 12 months after arriving. Shortly, after that birth, about 1791, he fathered a daughter, Rebecca. It is presumed the mother was a convict, and though unable to confirm, most likely Sarah DORSET.
Robert WATSON’s seafaring background was to see him become a Port Jackson (Sydney Harbour) pilot, guiding large sailing ships into the harbour. In 1804 he was promised 50 acres of land by Govenor KING, though apparently the grant was never formalised. He was reported to have built a stone house somewhere in the area, and around 1811 this was to become known as Watsons Bay, which is now a Sydney suburb.
In 1791 a beacon was constructed on the cliffs of South Head, to guide sailing ships into Sydney Harbour. Robert WATSON was a signal man for this beacon until Australia’s first properly constructed lighthouse was completed in 1818. This was known as the Macquarie Lighthouse. Robert was to become its first lighthouse keeper when it was first illuminated on 30/11/1818.
Robert was to die, aged 63, on 1/11/1819, with a newspaper article reporting his death, “Monday, at his house on the Rocks. Many years Pilot and Harbour Master”. The service was held at St Phillips Church, Sydney. It appears that his body was later moved to Bunnerong Cemetery as there is this inscription, “Mr Robert WATSON, died 1 November, 1819, aged 63 years, also Edward WATSON, died 19 February, 1820, aged 31 years”. There is a Watson Memorial Seat to be found at the north west end of Robertson Park, Watsons Bay. It was placed there in his honor in 1929. The inscription describes Robert WATSON as a signal man 1791 to 1811, though there may have been a possibility of him being at Norfolk Island until 1793.
Details of the children are recorded with the mother’s(?) information, Sarah DORSET.