Joseph Watson, 1st Baron Manton

Joseph Watson, 1st Baron Manton (10 February 1873–13 March 1922) was an English businessman and philanthropist.

Watson was the only son of George Watson of Donisthorpe House near Moor Allerton, Yorkshire. He was chairman of Joseph Watson & Sons Ltd, soap manufacturers, of Leeds, which he later sold to Lever Brothers (although he remained chairman), chairman of Olympia Agricultural Co Ltd, and a director of the London and North-Western Railway. During the First World War he organised shell filling factories and funded the Agricultural Research Department at Leamington Spa.

Apart from his business career, Watson was also a prominent racehorse owner and acquired the Manton stables in Manton, Wiltshire.

In January 1922 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Manton, of Compton Verney, in the County of Warwick for his war services. [LondonGazette |issue=32563 |date=30 December 1921 |startpage=10709 |supp=yes] , having bought Compton Verney House and estate in 1921.

Watson married Frances Claire, daughter of Harold Nickols, in 1898. He died in March 1922, aged only 49, after a fall from his horse while hunting, having held his title for less than two months. He was succeeded in the barony by his eldest son, George.

Footnotes

References

*Obituary, "The Times", 14 March 1922
*Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). "Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage" (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990.
* [http://www.angeltowns.com/town/peerage/ Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page]
* [http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/4-15-2004-52965.asp Information on Lord Manton]
* [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/08/14/db1403.xml Daily Telegraph obituary of 3rd Baron Manton]