John Watt

1. John Watt was the son of James Watt, of Ramelton, County Donegal, and the nephew of Samuel Watt. John Watt arrived in Jamaica on 19 May 1816 aboard the Brig Marathon, and commenced working with his uncle Samuel, who was in partnership with Cramsie and McDowell in Kingston. Samuel left Jamaica to return to Ireland in 1825, and died in 1826. John remained in Kingston to finalise his uncle's affairs, and then joined in partnership with Cramsie and McDowell. After his uncle's death, John Watt was charged with selling his uncle's enslaved people, but ultimately, most of them were transferred to his ownership instead. The career of Samuel Watt is summarised in Nini Rodgers, Ireland, Slavery and Anti-Slavery: 1612-1865 pp. 83-91.

2. Nine enslaved people were registered by John Watt as owner in Kingston in 1826: 'These slaves were reported by me as the executor of the late Samuel Watt in 1826'.

3. The Belfast News-Letter of 25/11/1842 reproduced a report from “Kingston (Jamaica) Paper”, undated, referring to the death on Sunday morning of John Watt, last surviving partner in the late firm of McDowell Cramsie & Watt. This included the passage “In his mercantile character he was honourable, just and liberal. In his private life unassuming kind-hearted and irreproachable - a stranger to pride or political prejudice. In testimony of the general esteem in which he was held by the mercantile body of this city the Union Jack was yesterday displayed half-masted at the Commercial Buildings and his remains were attended to the grave in the afternoon by a numerous body of all classes of our fellow citizens.”

1. Email from Jennifer McLaren 26/01/2017 sourced to Watt family correspondence, Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, MIC135. Detail about John Watt's arrival in Jamaica in letter dated 21 May 1816 from Samuel Watt, Kingston, to James Watt, Ramelton. Detail about transfer of Samuel Watt's slaveholding to John Watt in letter dated 3 December 1827 from John Watt, Kingston to James Watt, Ramelton.

2. T71/111 p. 21.

3. Belfast News-Letter 25/11/1842.

We are grateful to Jennifer McLaren and Paul Hitchings for their assistance with compiling this entry,