Robert Watson (1811-1882)
1866 Robert Watson, Engineer, Black Boy Collieries, Bishop Auckland.[1]
1882 December 15th. Died.[2]
1883 Obituary [3]
ROBERT WATSON was born at Hatton Colliery, in the county of Durham, on 8th January 1811, and served his apprenticeship there under Mr. Stephen Robinson, at that time chief engineer of the Hetton Collieries.
He left Hetton Colliery to undertake the duties of engineer at Thrislington Colliery, and afterwards at Barrington Colliery in Northumberland, where he remained eight years.
He then received the appointment of engineer at the Black Boy Collieries near Bishop Auckland, owned and managed by the late Mr. Nicolas Wood.
During the seventeen years he was there he carried out several important improvements in the general colliery plant and machinery.
On these collieries passing into the hands of Messrs. Bolckow Vaughan and Co, Mr. Watson was appointed engineer at Ferryhill Colliery, in which he had a pecuniary interest. This colliery was ultimately abandoned by the company then in possession of it; and in 1875 Mr. Watson received a similar appointment at the Brereton and Hayes Collieries in Staffordshire.
This he held up to the time of his death, which took place on 15th December 1882, at the age of nearly seventy-two.
He became a Member of the Institution in 1866.