Charles Watson (Royal Navy officer)

Charles Watson
Born	1714
Died	16 August 1757 Calcutta, India
Allegiance	Kingdom of Great Britain
Service/branch	Royal Navy
Commands held	HMS Garland HMS Plymouth HMS Dragon HMS Princess Louisa Newfoundland and North American station East Indies Station
Battles/wars	War of the Austrian Succession Seven Years' War

Vice Admiral Charles Watson (1714 – 16 August 1757) was an officer of the Royal Navy, who served briefly as colonial governor of Newfoundland, and died at Calcutta, India.

He was the son of John Watson by his wife the sister of Sir Charles Wager (1666-1743), First Lord of the Admiralty. The armorials used by his son the 1st baronet (Argent, on a chevron engrailled azure between three martlets sable as many crescents or) are a differenced version of the arms of the Watson family, Marquess of Rockingham, and thus the family may have been a cadet branch of the latter.

Watson entered the navy as a volunteer per order on HMS Romney in 1728. He was promoted lieutenant in 1734 and promoted captain and given command of HMS Garland in 1738. He transferred to HMS Plymouth in May 1741 and to HMS Dragon in November 1742 which he commanded in the Battle of Toulon.

In 1746 he transferred to HMS Princess Louisa which he commanded at the First Battle of Cape Finisterre in May 1747 and in the Second Battle of Cape Finisterre in October 1747. In January 1748 he was appointed commander-in-chief of the Newfoundland and North American station with his flag in HMS Lion. He became governor of Newfoundland and commander-in-chief of Cape Breton. The position of governor of the colony had temporarily lapsed after the departure of Richard Edwards and therefore his successor, James Douglas, was not a governor of the island but commodore. No commodore nor governor was sent in 1747, but Charles Watson became the governor on arrival in 1748. As governor of Newfoundland he set about deporting Irish and Scots Catholics from the colony.

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