Hewett Watson
Encyclopedia
Hewett Cottrell Watson (1804–81) was a phrenologist, botanist and evolutionary theorist. He was born in Firbeck
, near Rotherham
, Yorkshire
, on 9 May 1804, and died at Thames Ditton
, Surrey
, on 27 July 1881, aged 77.
in Cheshire
, and his wife, Harriet Powell. His mother died when he was fifteen. He had seven older sisters and two younger brothers and his early life was overshadowed by a terrible relationship with his father, a reactionary conservative, whose character Watson himself detailed in later years. While he was a teenager, Watson suffered a serious injury to his knee in a cricket match, and never recovered full movement in the joint again. Watson's mother had attempted to distract him from family tensions by sending him to work with the family's gardener, and it was after her death that his obsession with botany began. While training in the legal profession in Liverpool
, Watson became interested in phrenology
and decided to study medicine and natural history at Edinburgh University (from 1828 to 1832). He was elected a Senior President of the Royal Medical Society
as an undergraduate, but left without taking a degree because of a breakdown in his health. In Edinburgh, he became friendly with the botanist Robert Graham
, who encouraged his interest in biogeography
, and with the phrenologist George Combe
, joining the Edinburgh Phrenological Society
in 1829. Soon afterwards, Watson inherited an estate in Derbyshire
. In 1833, he moved to Thames Ditton
. He travelled to the Azores
in 1842, spending three months collecting botanical specimens from four of the larger islands, while serving at his own expense as ship's botanist for the Styx under the command of Captain Vidal
.
Watson edited the Phrenological Journal from 1837 to 1840 and the London Catalogue of British Plants from 1844 to 1874.
Watson was noted for his intellectual brilliance and for his often difficult and cantankerous personality. He led an isolated and restricted life, never married and travelled only once outside Britain. He applied unsuccessfully - or withdrew his applications - for senior academic positions in London and Dublin and for a senior post at Kew - yet he was a widely acknowledged authority on botanical science and on the distribution of botanical species in the British Isles. Despite his social isolation, Watson showed a remarkable command of the scientific questions of the day, including the importance of statistical methods in scientific enquiry, the asymmetric lateralization of brain function
and the transmutation of species
(evolutionary theory). In 1836, he published a paper in the Phrenological Journal entitled What is the Use of the Double Brain ? in which he speculated about the differential development of the two human cerebral hemispheres. This was eight years before Arthur Ladbroke Wigan published his influential The Duality of Mind (1844). Watson was unusual among the phrenologists in explicitly disavowing phrenology in later life.
In subsequent years, Watson was heavily influenced by the ideas of the evolutionary phrenologist Robert Chambers, and collected evidence for - and defended - the concept of species transmutation. He corresponded with Charles Darwin
, who lived at Downe
, some 20 miles from Thames Ditton, and Darwin drew heavily on Watson's unique understanding of the distribution of British plant species. In 1856, Watson actually declined a personal invitation to discuss evolutionary theory with Darwin and Joseph Hooker
, because he was too busy and did not wish to travel. Nevertheless, in On the Origin of Species, Charles Darwin made generous acknowledgement of Watson as a vitally important source of scientific information and, in turn, on the publication of On the Origin of Species, Watson was one of the first to write to Darwin - on 21st November 1859 - congratulating him on his extraordinary achievement.
Watson's many writings on plant geography included a considerable number of radical innovations. He organised incidence data by county-level aggregations, related environmental circumstances to distribution patterns, differentiated between natural and anthropogenic origins, and made effective use of the concepts of station and habitat. The system of Watsonian vice-counties
used by botanists to this day is one of his enduring contributions to science.
, sometimes thought to be named after him takes its name from William Watson.
His manuscripts are housed at the Natural History Museum
and also at Kew
.
As editor
Firbeck
Firbeck is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, England, on the border with Nottinghamshire. The name is said to derive from "Friebec", meaning a wooded stream. It lies between Maltby and Oldcotes, off the A634 and B6463 roads. The village has a...
, near Rotherham
Rotherham
Rotherham is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Don, at its confluence with the River Rother, between Sheffield and Doncaster. Rotherham, at from Sheffield City Centre, is surrounded by several smaller settlements, which together form the wider Metropolitan Borough of...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, on 9 May 1804, and died at Thames Ditton
Thames Ditton
Thames Ditton is a village in Surrey, England, bordering Greater London. It is situated 12.2 miles south-west of Charing Cross between the towns of Kingston upon Thames, Surbiton, Esher and East Molesey...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, on 27 July 1881, aged 77.
Biography
Watson was the eldest son of Holland Watson, a Justice of the Peace and Mayor of CongletonCongleton
Congleton is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Dane, to the west of the Macclesfield Canal and 21 miles south of Manchester. It has a population of 25,750.-History:The first settlements in...
in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, and his wife, Harriet Powell. His mother died when he was fifteen. He had seven older sisters and two younger brothers and his early life was overshadowed by a terrible relationship with his father, a reactionary conservative, whose character Watson himself detailed in later years. While he was a teenager, Watson suffered a serious injury to his knee in a cricket match, and never recovered full movement in the joint again. Watson's mother had attempted to distract him from family tensions by sending him to work with the family's gardener, and it was after her death that his obsession with botany began. While training in the legal profession in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, Watson became interested in phrenology
Phrenology
Phrenology is a pseudoscience primarily focused on measurements of the human skull, based on the concept that the brain is the organ of the mind, and that certain brain areas have localized, specific functions or modules...
and decided to study medicine and natural history at Edinburgh University (from 1828 to 1832). He was elected a Senior President of the Royal Medical Society
Royal Medical Society
The Royal Medical Society is the oldest medical society in the United Kingdom . Known originally as 'the Medical Society' when it was established in 1737, it was granted a Royal Charter in 1778...
as an undergraduate, but left without taking a degree because of a breakdown in his health. In Edinburgh, he became friendly with the botanist Robert Graham
Robert Graham (botanist)
Robert Graham was a Scottish physician and botanist. He was the inaugural chair of botany at the University of Edinburgh...
, who encouraged his interest in biogeography
Biogeography
Biogeography is the study of the distribution of species , organisms, and ecosystems in space and through geological time. Organisms and biological communities vary in a highly regular fashion along geographic gradients of latitude, elevation, isolation and habitat area...
, and with the phrenologist George Combe
George Combe
George Combe , was a Scottish lawyer and writer on phrenology and education. In later years, he devoted himself to the promotion of phrenology. His major work was The Constitution of Man .-Early life:...
, joining the Edinburgh Phrenological Society
Edinburgh Phrenological Society
The Edinburgh Phrenological Society was established in 1820. Phrenology was then claimed to be a science but is now regarded as a pseudoscience. The central concepts of phrenology were that the brain is the organ of the mind and that human behaviour can be most usefully understood in neurological...
in 1829. Soon afterwards, Watson inherited an estate in Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
. In 1833, he moved to Thames Ditton
Thames Ditton
Thames Ditton is a village in Surrey, England, bordering Greater London. It is situated 12.2 miles south-west of Charing Cross between the towns of Kingston upon Thames, Surbiton, Esher and East Molesey...
. He travelled to the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
in 1842, spending three months collecting botanical specimens from four of the larger islands, while serving at his own expense as ship's botanist for the Styx under the command of Captain Vidal
Alexander Thomas Emeric Vidal
Alexander Thomas Emeric Vidal was an officer of the Royal Navy. He became an accomplished surveyor, and reached the rank of vice-admiral.-Early life:...
.
Watson edited the Phrenological Journal from 1837 to 1840 and the London Catalogue of British Plants from 1844 to 1874.
Watson was noted for his intellectual brilliance and for his often difficult and cantankerous personality. He led an isolated and restricted life, never married and travelled only once outside Britain. He applied unsuccessfully - or withdrew his applications - for senior academic positions in London and Dublin and for a senior post at Kew - yet he was a widely acknowledged authority on botanical science and on the distribution of botanical species in the British Isles. Despite his social isolation, Watson showed a remarkable command of the scientific questions of the day, including the importance of statistical methods in scientific enquiry, the asymmetric lateralization of brain function
Lateralization of brain function
A longitudinal fissure separates the human brain into two distinct cerebral hemispheres, connected by the corpus callosum. The sides resemble each other and each hemisphere's structure is generally mirrored by the other side. Yet despite the strong anatomical similarities, the functions of each...
and the transmutation of species
Transmutation of species
Transmutation of species was a term used by Jean Baptiste Lamarck in 1809 for his theory that described the altering of one species into another, and the term is often used to describe 19th century evolutionary ideas that preceded Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection...
(evolutionary theory). In 1836, he published a paper in the Phrenological Journal entitled What is the Use of the Double Brain ? in which he speculated about the differential development of the two human cerebral hemispheres. This was eight years before Arthur Ladbroke Wigan published his influential The Duality of Mind (1844). Watson was unusual among the phrenologists in explicitly disavowing phrenology in later life.
In subsequent years, Watson was heavily influenced by the ideas of the evolutionary phrenologist Robert Chambers, and collected evidence for - and defended - the concept of species transmutation. He corresponded with Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin
Charles Robert Darwin FRS was an English naturalist. He established that all species of life have descended over time from common ancestry, and proposed the scientific theory that this branching pattern of evolution resulted from a process that he called natural selection.He published his theory...
, who lived at Downe
Downe
Downe is a village in the London Borough of Bromley in London, UK.Downe is south west of Orpington and south east of Charing Cross. Downe lies in a wooded valley, and much of the centre of the village is unchanged; the former village school now acts as the village hall.-Darwin:Charles Darwin...
, some 20 miles from Thames Ditton, and Darwin drew heavily on Watson's unique understanding of the distribution of British plant species. In 1856, Watson actually declined a personal invitation to discuss evolutionary theory with Darwin and Joseph Hooker
Joseph Dalton Hooker
Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker OM, GCSI, CB, MD, FRS was one of the greatest British botanists and explorers of the 19th century. Hooker was a founder of geographical botany, and Charles Darwin's closest friend...
, because he was too busy and did not wish to travel. Nevertheless, in On the Origin of Species, Charles Darwin made generous acknowledgement of Watson as a vitally important source of scientific information and, in turn, on the publication of On the Origin of Species, Watson was one of the first to write to Darwin - on 21st November 1859 - congratulating him on his extraordinary achievement.
Watson's many writings on plant geography included a considerable number of radical innovations. He organised incidence data by county-level aggregations, related environmental circumstances to distribution patterns, differentiated between natural and anthropogenic origins, and made effective use of the concepts of station and habitat. The system of Watsonian vice-counties
Watsonian vice-counties
Vice-counties or biological vice-counties are geographical divisions of the British Isles used for the purposes of biological recording and other scientific data-gathering...
used by botanists to this day is one of his enduring contributions to science.
Legacy
Eleocharis watsonii Bab ('Slender Spike-rush'--now known as Eleocharis uniglumis Schultes) was named after him. However the journal WatsoniaWatsonia (journal)
The botanical journal Watsonia was a publication specializing in research into the native flora of the British Isles. It was named after the nineteenth-century British phytogeographer Hewett Watson. The journal was published by the Botanical Society of the British Isles...
, sometimes thought to be named after him takes its name from William Watson.
His manuscripts are housed at the Natural History Museum
Natural History Museum
The Natural History Museum is one of three large museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London, England . Its main frontage is on Cromwell Road...
and also at Kew
Kew
Kew is a place in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in South West London. Kew is best known for being the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens, now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace...
.
Publications
His many published contributions include several county floras and the following:- 1832: Outlines of Distribution of British Plants
- 1835-1837: New Botany Guide
- 1847-1859: Cybele Britannica 4 vols.
- 1860, 1872: Supplements to the Cybele Britannica. 2 parts
- 1870: A Compendium of the Cybele Britannica
- 1870: the botany section in Godman's Natural History of the Azores
- 1873-1874 Topographical Botany 2 vols. Contents: pt 1st. Ranunculaceae-coniferae - pt. 2nd. Orchidaceae-equisetaceae; Bibliography: pp. 571–575. The 2nd ed. 1883 includes John G. Baker's memoir of Watson; two supplements issued in 1905 and 1929
As editor
- The Phrenological Journal from 1837 to 1840
- The London Catalogue of British Plants from 1844 to 1874
Chronology
- 1821: began law apprenticeship
- 1825: abandoned his law apprenticeship when he came into his first inheritance; turned to studies on botany and phrenology
- 1828-1832: studied medicine in EdinburghEdinburghEdinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
; met and became friendly with George Combe and Professor Robert Graham - 1831-1832: senior president, Royal Medical SocietyRoyal Medical SocietyThe Royal Medical Society is the oldest medical society in the United Kingdom . Known originally as 'the Medical Society' when it was established in 1737, it was granted a Royal Charter in 1778...
of Edinburgh - 1832: began publishing articles and guidebooks on botany
- 1833: bought a house in Thames DittonThames DittonThames Ditton is a village in Surrey, England, bordering Greater London. It is situated 12.2 miles south-west of Charing Cross between the towns of Kingston upon Thames, Surbiton, Esher and East Molesey...
which remained his permanent residence from then on - 1834: elected a fellow of the Linnean Society
- 1835. published his Remarks on the Geographical Distribution of British Plants
- 1836: published his Statistics of Phrenology and What is the Use of the Double Brain ?
- 1837: worked as botany instructor at the Liverpool School of Medicine
- 1837-1840: owner and editor of the Phrenological Journal
- 1842: collected plants in the Azores
- 1844: assisted in the preparation of the London Catalogue of British Plants
- 1845: published articles discussing Robert Chambers' Vestiges of the Natural History of Creation
- 1847-1860: issuance of the volumes of his Cybele Britannica
- 1870: contributed botanical material to Frederick DuCane GodmanFrederick DuCane GodmanFrederick DuCane Godman D.C.L., F.R.S., F.L.S., F.G.S., F.R.G.S., F.E.S., F.Z.S., M.R.I., F.R.H.S., M.B.O.U. was an English lepidopterist, entomologist and ornithologist....
's Natural History of the Azores - 1873-1874: published Topographical Botany in two volumes