5.8.1792 tea at Watts's / 21.7.1794 Watts's at Reveley's / 25.7.1794 at Reveley's adv Banks's & Watts's / 21.9.1794 at Holcroft's adv Ritson, miss Cooper & miss Watts / 22.10.1794 call on Watts / 1.1.1795 W Watts calls / 21.2.1795 at Holcroft's with Richters & Watts's / 1.7.1798 meet Watts / 8.12.1800 again / 28.5.1801 call on Watts / 28.7.1806 Thomas Turner sups; adv Watts, eng / 12.9.1814 Watts calls / 14.3.1815 call on Watts (Sion College) / 22.12.1819 Thomas Turner & Watts call / 18.10.1823 Watts calls / 25.11.1825 at Reynolds's adv Sinclair & 2 Watts / 23.11.1827 at Reynolds's adv Watts / 25.12.1827 Watts calls / 13.10.1828 Wattsat Kenney's / 17.9.1830 Watts at Reynolds' / 12.10.1831 at Reynolds' adv Watts / 28.8.1835 at R Reynolds' 'Watts and another engraver'
Quite likely most of these entries referred to William Watts DNB 1752-1851 engraver & printseller, and/or his family members. In his will PCC 1851 (dated 1837) he mentioned his natural son William and his natural daughter Mary wife of Sharon Turner (DNB - they married on 18.1.1795 so she could have been the Miss Watts at Holcroft's on 21.9.1794 and Turners at Holcroft's 11.6.1795). The will also mentioned John Watts of Stanhope St, St Pancras, organist of South Audley chapel, and John Watts of Drummond St, St Pancras, not stating any relationship to either, but the will PCC 1818 of William's older half-brother James Watts mentioned William W music master, and John W, "sons of my brother William". The 1851 census listed a John Watts annuitant age 91 at 37 Tonbridge St, St Pancras born London, which fits with the birth in 1760 of William's brother John. In the 1841 census William Watts professor of music age 60 was at Cirencester Place and he died at Cranmer Place, Kennington, his will PCC 1854. The brother John born 1760 may have been the printseller and engraver of 34 Red Lion St Holborn 1786 and the John Watts who exhibited at the Society of Artists and the Royal Academy. Note that the fellow guests on 25.7.1794 and 21.2.1795, Banks's and Richters, were also artists.
Amendments to Oxford DNB
WILLIAM WATTS 1753-1851
CURRENT TEXT "later Mrs Turner"
SUGGESTED CHANGE <who married *Sharon Turner* at St Marylebone on 18 January 1795>
NOTES see Sharon Turner ODNB 1768-1837
William Watts was a successful engraver and an enthusiast for the French revolution who invested his money in French stocks and had it confiscated when England and France went to war. In his diary of 1798 Thomas Holcroft mentioned writing to Mrs Jordan on behalf of Watts, and of contacting Salomon and P(erry) to help young Watts get a place in the opera band, (this was probably one of the musical sons of William Watts the engraver) Hazlitt, Works vol 3 pp 170, 174, 195, 196. The 1815 Sion College entry probably referred to the Rev Robert Watts librarian of Sion College who died 19.1.1842 in his 92nd year (was he the Robert Watts born 30.10.1749, half-brother to the engraver William Watts?)
Jan 2015 the DNB has, in different words to mine, noted the connection with Sharon Turner, (which pleases me greatly as I'm fond of these family connections), and they have credited my website in the Sources