Isaac Watts (1652 - 1736)

Descendants

Biography

Isaac Watts was born in 1652. He was the son of Thomas Watts, who commanded a ship of war in 1656. Isaac's famous son said of Thomas, "by blowing up of the ship in the Dutch war he was drowned in his youth." Thomas was said to enjoy making music, painting and writing poetry, and to have wrestled with a tiger in the East Indies which followed him into a river, and won! Isaac Watts junior wrote a poem on the death of his grandmother, Thomas' wife, dated 13 July 1693, though it is not entirely clear whether the date was her death date or the date the poem was written. Her initials were M. W.

Isaac married Sarah Taunton in 1673; they had nine children, four boys and five girls. The eldest was Isaac Watts, the famous hymn writer. The second was Richard Watts. The third was Enoch Watts (who lived at Southampton and wrote his brother a letter in 1700). The fifth child was Sarah, who married Mr Brackstone, a draper of Southampton. Isaac's wife Sarah was said in one source to be the daughter of Alderman Taunton^[1], and possibly of Huguenot descent; she was a relative of Alderman Richard Taunton, but not his daughter. Another source describes Alderman Richard Taunton as a cousin of Isaac Watts.^[2] Isaac Watts the hymn-writer in his will (dated 23 Jul 1746) mentions his "good cousin Richard Tanton Esq".^[3]

Children of Isaac Watts and Sarah Taunton, from the records of Above Bar Church, Southampton:^[4]

  Isaac, born 17 Jul 1674

  Richard, born 10 Feb 1675/6

  Enoch, born 11 Mar 1678/9

  Thomas, born 20 Jan 1679/80

  Sarah, born 31 Oct 1681

  Mary, born 13 Feb 1683/4

  Mary, born 10 Apr 1686

  Elizabeth, born 15 Aug 1689, died 11 Nov 1691

  Martha, born 4 Nov 1690, chr. 14 Dec 1690

Isaac was reported by Dr Johnson to be said to have been a shoemaker. However this sounds like hearsay or rumour and may be incorrect.

He was documented as being a cloth factor of 21 French Street, Southampton in legal documents in 1700, and again in 1719.

Isaac ran a boarding-school at 41 French Street, Southampton. He was a Deacon of the Southampton Congregational Church for 48 years (now the Above Bar Congregation Church), and a strict Puritan - he gave his little son corporal punishment once for having his eyes open during prayers.

Isaac was imprisoned twice for his religious views, and also after one of his releases was "forced to leave his family, and live privately in London for two years."

Isaac died 10 Feb 1736. In addition to the Brackstone grandchildren, his will mentions a grandson Thomas Watts, and a granddaughter Mary, wife of John Chaldecott. It also mentions a book of his own poems, which he leaves to his son Isaac, and makes some charitable bequests. His sons Enoch, Isaac and Richard and his daughter Sarah are the only ones of his children mentioned in the will, so it seems likely the others had predeceased him.^[4]

Research Notes

Sarah Taunton

Sarah was still alive on Feb 16 1693, but died before Isaac.

She was the daughter of Alderman Taunton who died on 11 June 1697, and his wife who died on 30 Mar 1700.

1752 Will of Richard Taunton of Southampton, Merchant and one of the Aldermen of Southampton

  mentions his wife Frances

  mentions his kinsman Joseph Brackstone and his three sisters Mary Brackstone, Sarah Brackstone & Martha Brackstone

  mentions Enoch Watts

  mentions his kinsman Thomas Watts of Chichester

  mentions Thomas Watts' sister Mary Caldecut - her eldest son was apprenticed to Thomas Watts at the time the will was written

  mentions Richard's nephew Mr Richard Freeman

  mentions Richard's niece Joanna Freeman - she an heirloom which was her grandfather White's

  mentions Richard's nieces [Mer?]cy Freeman and Anne Freeman, & his brother-in-law William Freeman

  mentions his cousin Mrs Catharine Seers widow & her sister Mary Wal_

  mentions kinsman Andrew Goater Haines son of Jeremiah Haines (who was under age when the will was written)

Reference: PROB 11/794/65

Description: Will of Richard Taunton, Merchant and Alderman of Southampton , Hampshire

Date: 08 April 1752. Accessed 8 Dec 2019 on https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D538668

1722 will of Richard Taunton senior of Southampton Merchant

  mentions his wife Mary Taunton

  mentions his son Richard Taunton

  mentions his daughter Mary Bampton wife of John Bampton of Salisbury, Clerk

  mentions his younger son William Taunton

  Enoch Watts was one of the witnesses.

Reference: PROB 11/588/293

Description: Will of Richard Taunton, Merchant of Southampton , Hampshire

Date: 06 December 1722

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D548555

1757 will of Frances Taunton of Southampton, widow (presumably of Richard Taunton of the 1752 will

  gives a bequest to Thomas Watts of Chichester

  gives a bequest to his sister Mary Caldicut

  these among other bequests totalling £500 were made at her deceased husband's request

Reference: JER/HBY/49/4

Title: Lease and release

Description:

Of piece of meadow or pasture called Rye Close, 7a., p. Carisbrooke, I.W., late occ. Henry :Woodford, butcher, now occ. (1), abbs. n. & e. meadow late of George Searle, deceased, s. :lands late of Richard Major, Esq., deceased. Recites mortgage to late Richard Taunton, 11 :April 1671, JER/HBY/48/4, and, in part, will of Richard Taunton bequething principal and :interest on the mortgage debt of his son in law Andrew Goter to the five children of his :daughter Elizabeth, deceased, Elizabeth Goter, Sarah Goter, Jane Goter, Andrew Goter and :Richard Goter. Consid: £90

(1) Richard Taunton of Southampton, maulster, son and heir and executor of the will of :Richard Taunton, senior, of Southampton, maulster Isaac Watts of Southampton, clothier, :other executor

Andrew Goter of Godshill, yeoman

(2) Edward Hayles of Newport, I.W., scrivener

Date: 8 & 9 September 1697 ^[5]

Based on the above, the Richard Taunton of the 1722 will was also the son (and heir) of a third Richard Taunton who was also a maulster; and Isaac Watts was his other executor. The eldest Richard Taunton was still alive in 1671 but died by 1697. If he were the father of Isaac's wife Sarah Taunton (they married in 1673) everything would fit together - the youngest of the three Richard Tauntons would be the cousin of the younger Isaac Watts (the hymn-writer) as stated by Isaac Watts, since Isaac's mother Sarah and Richard's father would have been brother and sister.

Title Will of Richard Taunton, sen, of Southampton, Hampshire, maltster

Date 1697

Description Husband of Eleanor^[6]

Richard was buried on 14 Jun 1697 in Hampshire.^[7] Another FamilySearch transcription gives the location as St John's, England.

Reference: PROB 11/828/116

Description: Will of Frances Taunton of Southampton, Hampshire

Date: 09 February 1757

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D576348

1697 Lease and Release:

Reference: JER/HBY/49/4

Title: Lease and release

Description:

Of piece of meadow or pasture called Rye Close, 7a., p. Carisbrooke, I.W., late occ. Henry :Woodford, butcher, now occ. (1), abbs. n. & e. meadow late of George Searle, deceased, s. :lands late of Richard Major, Esq., deceased. Recites mortgage to late Richard Taunton, 11 :April 1671, JER/HBY/48/4, and, in part, will of Richard Taunton bequething principal and :interest on the mortgage debt of his son in law Andrew Goter to the five children of his :daughter Elizabeth, deceased, Elizabeth Goter, Sarah Goter, Jane Goter, Andrew Goter and :Richard Goter. Consid: £90

(1) Richard Taunton of Southampton, maulster, son and heir and executor of the will of :Richard Taunton, senior, of Southampton, maulster Isaac Watts of Southampton, clothier, :other executor

Andrew Goter of Godshill, yeoman

(2) Edward Hayles of Newport, I.W., scrivener

https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/86fcc593-d776-42bf-a922-765b543c6c69

Sources

1. ↑ https://archive.org/details/isaacwattsandcon00wriguoft/page/n25?q=%22sarah+taunton%22+watts
2. ↑ https://archive.org/details/dristheb00will/page/36?q=%22richard+taunton%22+southampton
3. ↑ Will transcription Milner, Thomas. The life, times, and correspondence of the Rev. Isaac Watts. (London : Simpkin and Marshall, 1834), p. 729. Accessed 9 Dec 2019 on https://archive.org/details/cu31924029455700/page/n751
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} https://archive.org/details/s12notesqueries02londuoft/page/160?q=%22joseph+brackstone%22
5. ↑ https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/86fcc593-d776-42bf-a922-765b543c6c69
6. ↑ https://calm.hants.gov.uk/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=1697A%2f138&pos=5
7. ↑ "England, Hampshire Parish Registers, 1538-1980," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QRQ2-BQZM : 13 October 2019), Richard Taunton, 14 Jun 1697; citing Burial, , possibly other reference information Lancashire Record Office and Hampshire Record Office, England; FHL microfilm .

• https://www.wholesomewords.org/biography/bwatts7.html

• Wikipedia: Isaac Watts

• https://archive.org/details/isaacwattshislif00hood/page/n13

• https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=VI8_AAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

See also:

• FamilySearch tree entry https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/L15P-1Q5