WATTS, Arthur Henry
Arthur Henry Watts was born at Dorset Road, Brighton, Sussex on 14 January 1867, twin son of George William Watts (1843-1887), a pianoforte maker & music seller, and his wife [Maggie] Marguerita née Hinton (c1849-1887), who was born at Edinburgh, and had married at St Michael's Presbyterian Church, Limerick, Ireland. In 1871, Arthur was a 4-year-old, living at Dorset Road, Brighton with his parents, 27-year-old George and 22-year-old Marguerita, with three siblings, George 5, Ernest Leopold 4 and Sidney 3 and by 1881 they had moved to 20 West Street, Brighton. Arthur was educated at Stafford College, Westbourne Road, Lewisham, and he married at St George's Hanover Square, London on 1 July 1890, Clara Annie FitzGerald (1868-18 December 1939) of Brighton. In 1891, a 24-year-old musical instrument dealer of the firm of Pyemont & Watts, living at 5 Dagmar Terrace, Nelson Road, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, with his 22-year-old wife Clara. A member and exhibitor at the Woodpecker Sketch Club, later named the Norfolk & Norwich Art Circle, 1898-1899 from Great Yarmouth, also a member of the Ipswich Art Club 1898-1902, exhibiting two pictures from 256 Southtown, Great Yarmouth in 1898, 'The French Polish' and 'A Portrait of my Wife', eight in 1899 'Resting', 'Portrait of my Wife', 'Port ver Helum', 'Brundall' 'White Wings', 'Throw me a Love Token', 'The Gardener' and 'Acle'. He then moved to 53 Church Road, Gorleston, by then in Norfolk, from where he exhibited seven oils in 1900, 'Strawberries', 'Girl Reading', 'Sweet Seventeen', 'Digging for Rabbits', 'Reflection', 'Portrait of a Lady' and 'Wherries' and in 1901 two works, 'A Suffolk Lane' and 'The Invalid', which seem to have been his last, in all he exhibited at Ipswich some 25 works. In 1901, 'a pianoforte tuner', living at Gorleston with his 30-year-old wife Clara, and a 9-year-old daughter Dorothy Rose. In 1911, they were still living at the same address, a 44-year-old pianoforte tuner & manufacturer, with his 42-year-old wife Clara with 19-year-old daughter Dorothy Rose, an art student, born at Great Yarmouth. Arthur Henry Watts served in the First World War and as Cpl Arthur Henry Watts died of dysentery on 13 May 1916, aged 49, and buried in Plot IV C14, Nairobi South Cemetery, Kenya, East Africa. Arthur's wife, Clara, died at 75 Norton Road, Wembley, Middlesex in 1939 leaving her estate to daughter Dorothy Rose [Curwen].