Christian Watt

Christian Watt
Christian Watt
Born	24 February 1833; Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire
Died	20 June 1923; Aberdeen Royal Asylum

Christian Watt (24 February 1833 – 20 June 1923) was a fisherwoman and memoirist.

Early life

Christian Watt was born in 1833 in Broadsea, in the fishertown of Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire.[1] She was the seventh of eight children of her parents, James Watt (1787–1868), fisherman, and Helen Noble (1788–1860),[2] and their only daughter.[3]

At the age of eight, Watt worked as a domestic servant, and in 1843 she became a maid to Lady Saltoun. In 1849 Watt began work as a domestic servant in London, arranged by the Duchess of Leeds. Five of her seven brothers died in the year 1854, and she traveled to America in 1856 to claim an inheritance from one of their estates;[1] she worked as a tablemaid for a wealthy American family during her stay.[2]

Watt married James Sim (1831–1877), a fisherman, on 2 December 1858 in Broadsea. They had ten children.[2]

Institutionalisation

In 1877, Watt's son, Peter, was drowned at sea,[1] an event to which Watt attributed her being admitted to an asylum.[4] According to the case notes of the Aberdeen Royal Asylum at Cornhill, Watt was first admitted on 15 November 1877 with the diagnosis of "mania". According to both case notes and Watt's memoirs, Watt's mental health crises were characterised by religious delusions and a preoccupation with religious matters. On 29 December 1877 she was discharged as "recovered". However, on 29 January 1879 she was readmitted, again with a diagnosis of "mania". On 25 June 1879 she was discharged "recovered", but was readmitted a final time on 17 September 1879. During her time spent in the asylum, Watt became known as one of the "characters" of the institution.[4] She remained there until she died in 1923 at the age of ninety.[2]

Memoirs

She was a well-educated woman and wrote her memoirs. She was encouraged by two fellow patients, a doctor and a solicitor, at the Royal Aberdeen Asylum. These memoirs tell the story of her own life and the history of her family, which included members of the local minor nobility.[3] They give an insight into the lives of fishing families in the latter half of the 19th century.[2] Her account was written in pencil, in a clear hand. According to her memoirs, patients were not allowed quill pens, for fear they would use them as a weapon or drink the ink.[4]

Her writings were published posthumously as The Christian Watt Papers, edited by her descendant David Fraser, in 1983.[5] An alternative edition was released in 1994, from the original manuscript owned by her granddaughter, Christian Sims.[3] Some scholars have expressed doubt over the authenticity of the published Watt papers, positing that they might have been written by one of her descendants.[6] However, if Watt did not write the memoir herself, it is agreed that what was written was informed by her reminiscences.[1][4]

Adaptations

Her memoirs have since been the subject of a radio drama, Light in a Dark Place (1984),[7] a stage play, Precarious Living (1985),[8] and a drama documentary series, Caorstaidh (Kirsty) (1994).[4] There is a Christian Watt Drive in Fraserburgh.[9]

References

Ewan, Elizabeth L.; Innes, Sue; Reynolds, Sian; Pipes, Rose (27 June 2007). Biographical Dictionary of Scottish Women. Edinburgh University Press. pp. 370–371. ISBN 978-0-7486-2660-1.
"Watt, Christian (1833–1923), fisherwoman and memoirist", The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004, doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/56546
Boos, Florence Saunders (2017). Memoirs of Victorian working-class women : the hard way up. Cham, Switzerland: Springer. ISBN 9783319642154. OCLC 1015215183.
Beveridge, Allan; Watson, Fiona (2006). "The psychiatrist, the historian and The Christian Watt Papers". History of Psychiatry. 17 (2): 205–221. doi:10.1177/0957154x06058949. ISSN 0957-154X. PMID 17146990.
Watt, Christian (2004). The Christian Watt Papers. Birlinn. ISBN 978-1-84158-308-2.
The city and its worlds : aspects of Aberdeen's history since 1794. Brotherstone, Terry., Withrington, Donald J. Glasgow: Cruithne Press. 1996. ISBN 978-1873448120. OCLC 36284118.CS1 maint: others (link)
Arnold-Forster, Val (6 January 1984). "Christian in the Laird's Den". The Guardian. p. 8. Retrieved 18 May 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
Hardie, Amy; Watt, Christian (1985). Precarious living: based on the Christian Watt papers, edited by David Fraser. Edinburgh: Polygon. ISBN 978-0-948275-00-5. OCLC 13125493.
Caldwell, David. "What you need to know about Christian Watt Drive in the town of Fraserburgh". Street List. Retrieved 18 May 2020.