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In 1792 Mary Watts was born to [her father] David Pike Watts (age 37).
On 29th January 1811 Jesse Watts-Russell (age 24) and Mary Watts (age 19) were married. She the heiress of a welthy wine merchant.
In 1812 [her son] Jesse David Watts-Russll was born to [her husband] Jesse Watts-Russell (age 25) and Mary Watts (age 20). He married 4th June 1835 Mary Nevill Wright.
On 29th July 1816 [her father] David Pike Watts (age 62) died. His daughter Mary Watts (age 24) and her husband [her husband] Jesse Watts-Russell (age 30) inherited Ilam Hall, Staffordshire.
Memorials of Francis Chantrey RA in Hallamshire and Elsewhere Part V London Life and Works. The interest of my visit to the mausoleum containing this affecting piece of sculpture, was considerably enhanced by the appearance of a most exquisite stone cross, which had just been erected in the adjacent village, by the [her husband] benevolent proprietor (age 32) of Ilam, in memory of his wife (age 27), the lady above mentioned, one or two of whose children, with their father, the clergyman of the place, and Mr. Derrick, of Oxford, the architect, were at the moment inspecting the newly-finished work. This out door incident formed a touching commentary on the monument in the church! I have always understood that the elegant residence of Jesse Watts Russell, Esq., owes something of its architectural beauty to the taste of Chantrey (age 37), who certainly designed the Parsonage House adjacent.
Memorials of Francis Chantrey RA in Hallamshire and Elsewhere Part V London Life and Works. To this period belongs the execution of the celebrated monument-one of the largest of its class in England - of David Pike Watts [Map], Esq., now in a chapel erected for its reception in the church [Map] adjoining Ilam Hall, near Dovedale. In this fine work of art, the venerable man is represented "on his bed of death, from which he has raised himself by a final effort of expiring nature, to perform the last solemn act of a long and virtuous life: his only daughter- [ Mrs. Watts Russell (age 27) ] -and her children, all that were dearest to him in life, surround his couch, and bend at his side, as they receive from his lips the benedictions of a dying parent, when the last half-uttered farewell falters upon them."
How did that sculptured group command Our wonder, which hath ravish'd thousand eyes: The kneeling mother, and the soft surprise Of the three little ones that near her stand: ' Than this - thy genius, Chantrey (age 37)! scarce could rise Higher, with trophies fresh from Nature won; Art, how transcendent, when such power is given, To fix expression in the Parian stone, Which turns rapt thought towards holiness and heaven! "
After 21st June 1820 [her father-in-law] Jesse Russell died. During his life he was described as a soap boiler, of Goodman's Yard, Minories, London and Walthamstow, Essex. His son [her husband] Jesse Watts-Russell (age 34) received a half-share of estates in Essex and a third-share of the residue of personalty sworn under £500,000; see PROB 11/1632/437; IR26/836/679. The date 21st June 1820 is based on his son Jesse Watts-Russell taking a fortnight's leave from Parliament on account of his father's illness
Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes
Récits d’un bourgeois de Valenciennes aka The Chronicle of a Bourgeois of Valenciennes is a vivid 14th-century vernacular chronicle written by an anonymous urban chronicler from Valenciennes in the County of Hainaut. It survives in a manuscript that describes local and regional history from about 1253 to 1366, blending chronology, narrative episodes, and eyewitness-style accounts of political, military, and social events in medieval France, Flanders, and the Low Countries. The work begins with a chronological framework of events affecting Valenciennes and its region under rulers such as King Philip VI of France and the shifting allegiances of local nobility. It includes accounts of conflicts, sieges, diplomatic manoeuvres, and the impact of broader struggles like the Hundred Years’ War on urban life in Hainaut. Written from the perspective of a burgher (bourgeois) rather than a monastery or royal court, the chronicle offers a rare lay viewpoint on high politics and warfare, reflecting how merchants, townspeople, and civic institutions experienced the turbulence of the 13th and 14th centuries. Its narrative style combines straightforward reporting of events with moral and civic observations, making it a valuable source for readers interested in medieval urban society, regional politics, and the lived experience of war and governance in pre-modern Europe.
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On 31st May 1831 [her son-in-law] Norton Joseph Knatchbull 10th Baronet (age 22) and [her daughter] Mary Watts-Russell were married.
On 4th June 1835 [her son] Jesse David Watts-Russll (age 23) and [her daughter-in-law] Mary Nevill Wright were married. They had nine or more children.
In 1840 Mary Watts (age 48) died.
On 20th June 1843 [her former husband] Jesse Watts-Russell (age 57) and Maria Barker were married.
On 22nd November 1862 [her former husband] Jesse Watts-Russell (age 76) and Martha Leach were married.
On 28th March 1875 [her former husband] Jesse Watts-Russell (age 88) died. He left Ilam Hall, Staffordshire, which he had had rebuilt 'in the Gothic style' in the 1820s, and which Dyott deemed 'most magnificent' and 'splendidly furnished', together with estates in Derbyshire and Northamptonshire, to his eldest son, [her son] Jesse David Watts-Russll (age 63).
[her daughter] Mary Watts-Russell was born to Jesse Watts-Russell and Mary Watts. She married 31st May 1831 Norton Joseph Knatchbull 10th Baronet, son of Edward Knatchbull 9th Baronet and Annabella Christiana Honywood, and had issue.