Administrative history
David Watson
was born in
1859
. His
father, David, worked in the boot and shoe trade. David attended Alva Academy,
but left at the age of 12, after the death of his father the previous year, to
become an apprentice in the provision trade. During his apprenticeship he
attended evening classes, and by the time he was16 had developed an interest in
entering the ministery. With the help of his minister, Mr Kelly, Watson began
to learn Greek and Latin, and won a bursary to attend university to study Arts
and Divinity.
Watson started at the
University of Glasgow
,
Scotland
in
1877
. In his
first two years he studied Latin and Greek before going on to study Logic and
Mathematics. In
1880-1881
he studied Moral Philosophy, Physics and
English Literature before going on in the next academic year to study further
mathematics. In
1881-1882
Watson moved from the Arts Faculty to the
Faculty of Theology, having attained the Logan Bursary which was tenable for
four years. He took junior Hebrew lessons, Church History and Divinity classes.
He then went on to take senior classes in Church History, Divinity and Biblical
Criticism and further Divinity classes. During his time at Divinity Hall, he
coached Glasgow High School and other pupils for entrance to the University. He
was also Vice-President of the University Missionary Society, and left the
Glasgow Hall in
March 1884
,
after "seven laborious years".
Once David Watson had been
licenced to practice as a minister, he was appointed assistant to the
Rev A Fyfe Burns
of St George's Parish in
Paisley in preparation for holding his own parish. Watson then moved on to
practice at St Clements, in Brook Street, Mile-end, Glasgow from
1886
. This
particular part of Glasgow was one of the poorest and most deprived areas of
the city.
During his time at St Clements, Rev Watson became increasingly
active in founding clubs and various amenities to help the working people and
children in the area. He welcomed the Glasgow Workmen's Dwellings Company
that improved the housing stock within the city, and was a member of the
Housing Committee of Kyrle Society that managed property within the area. Rev
Watson also formed a Rambling Club as well as the George Court Club which was a
clubroom for men to meet, read, play dominoes and draughts, as well as a venue
for talks, and to provide a Sunday School for the children of George Court. In
1901
he
founded the
Scottish Christian Social Union
, a recognised centre
for Christian influence in social, civic and national life, and opened a club
in the church hall for young men to prevent them from hanging about the street.
It was around this time too that he started the Guild of Play which was set up
for the children of the area.
It was in
1908
that Rev
Watson wrote a text book on "Social Problems and the Church's
Duty" and became involved with the
Scottish Council for Women's Trade
, which he
was later chairman of and worked alongside
Margaret Irwin
of the Glasgow branch. Rev Watson had
an abiding interest in social work and attended relevant conferences. He was
especially concerned with the local housing conditions and served on committees
of the Presbytery of Glasgow investigating conditions in model lodging houses.
His report on housing conditions led to the Glasgow Presbytery Lodging-House
Mission (still in operation today as a day centre, drop-in cafe and church for
Glasgow's homeless, hostel dwelling and resettling communities), and the
Glasgow Corporation insisted on improved management and stricter supervision of
lodging-houses. He also submitted evidence to the Royal Commission on Scottish
Housing in
1913
.
Outside of his St Clements Parish work,
Rev Watson had been asked by
Lord Polworth
and the Prison Commissioners for
Scotland to become the chaplain at Barlinnie Prison in
Glasgow
in
December 1909
after the departure of
Rev Andrew Miller
. He held this position for five
years in conjunction with his regular parish work at St Clements. He also
served on various General Assembly Committees (Home Mission, Life and Work, and
Social Work) and spoke at the General Assembly Church Congresses, representing
the Church at three different conferences:
Liverpool
,
1920
;
Birmingham
,
1924
; and
Stockholm
,
1925
. He was
invited by
Edinburgh University
to deliver the Gunning Lectures
for
1910-11
which were later published as
Social Advance: It's Meaning, Method and
Goal
. He then became an Honorary Graduate of the
University of Glasgow
, having been awarded the degree
of Doctor of Divinity on Commemoration Day on
20 June
1913
. In
1917
, Rev Watson
gave 15 lectures at
Queen's College
in
Belfast
, which were later were published as
The Social Expression of Christianity
. Rev
Watson was also an active member of the Rechabites, Foresters, Ancient Druids,
and identified himself with the Charity Organisation Society during its 50
years of service.
Rev David Watson was married to
Janet Martin
and they were together for 45 years
until her death in
1932
. David
and Janet had two sons, John and David, as well as three daughters. Rev David
Watson died on
5 November
1943
. Source:
Chords of Memory
by David Watson, William
Blackwood & Sons Ltd, Edinburgh and London, 1937.