Rev John Watson was a local historian and antiquary.
He was born at Prestbury in Cheshire. He was the eldest son of Esther (née Yates) & Legh Watson, of Lancashire. He was educated in Lancashire, and at Brasenose College, Oxford.
He was curate at Runcorn, then at Ardwick where he was ordained [1749].
He was Curate of Halifax [1750] and Curate at Ripponden [1754-1769].
At Ripponden, he rebuilt the curate's house at his own expense, although it was soon badly damaged by fire. Whilst at Ripponden, he became Halifax's first historian.
He travelled widely throughout the district, looking at local sights and listening to the local dialect. These were recorded in his works.
In 1759, he was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in London.
He left Halifax to become Rector of Meningsby in Lincolnshire [1769], and Rector of Stockport in Cheshire [1769]
He published several books of religious tracts and sermons, and several books and pamphlets on local history, including:
See E. Jacobs and William Williams
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Malcolm Bull 2017 /
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