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James
WSatt was a Scotsman born on January 19, 1736, in Greenock in Renfrewshire,
a small seaport on the Clyde Estuary.
Background
Watt's
grandfather, Thomas Watt, who died at the age of 92 some eighteen
months before James was born, was a native of Aberdeen where he
was probably educated at the Marischal College. Following the sack
of Aberdeen by the Royalists under the Marquis of Montrose in 1644,
Thomas Watt movd south to the small port of Cartsdyke on the Clyde
where he became a teacher of mathematics and navigation and was
eventually appointed baillie of the barony. Cartsdyke was later
to be absorbed by the growth of the neighbouing port of Greenock.
John,
the elder of Thomas Watt's two surviving sons, was trained by his
father and eventually set himself up as a surveyor in Glasgow where
he was responsible for making the first survey of the river Clyde.
James, the younger son, was bound apprentice to a carpenter and
shipwright in Cartsdyke and then set himself up in business on his
own account in Greenock about the year 1730. Greenock was then too
small a place to support a specialist tradesman and James Watt senior
had to be prepared to turn his hand to anything. He was builder
and contractor, shipwright and undertaker, carpenter and cabinet
maker, and later on became a general merchant and part owner of
several small ships. He married Agnes Muirhead and with his share
of the money he inherited from his father he bought a house on what
was called the Mid Quay Head at the lower end of William Street.
The property included a plot of ground which extended to the Clyd
shore and upon this James Watt, Sr., built his workshop. The house
was pulled down subsequently, but the James Watt Tavern which was
built on the site commemorated the birthplace of the great engineer.
 James
Watt, Sr., and Agnes had five children. The eldest three died in
infancy while the youngest drowned on a voyage to America at the
age of 24. James, the fourth son, was a sickly boy, showing signs
of chronic ill health, which tormented him through the greater part
of his life. Agnes, James' mother, was a wise lady; she was the
one who tutored James in his first lessons. She gave special attention
and care to her sickly and delicate child.
A
Serious-minded Child
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James seemed to be a bit serious minded and studious from the very beginning. Once a visitor saw young Watt playing and scribbling figures in chalk on the hearth. The visitor thought that the boy was just trifling away his time and he suggested that the father send the boy to school. But James Sr., insisted that the visitor have a closer look at James’ work. To the visitor’s surprise the six-year-old boy was drawing geometrical figures as part of an exercise in elementary mathematics. The visitor was further amazed by the intelligent answers he received to his questions. Thus his ability and liking for mathematics was evident at a very early age, not a surprising fact, as both his uncle and grandfather were professional mathematicians.
Eventually, James went to school, but did not particularly distinguish himself there. He had missed the rough-and-tumble of early mixing with boys of his own age and felt very much out of place. He was regarded as fair game for the bullies and had a very tough time before he eventually settled down to school life. |
Nevertheless, when he passed
the grammar school at the age of 12 , his innate abilities began
to assert themselves.
The
Steaming Kettle
It
was during this period that the famous happening of the steaming
kettle took place. The steaming kettle was an extreme source of
interest for young James, so much so, that on one occasion his aunt
Muirhead started to reprimand him for his idleness. She said, "For
the last hour you have not spoken one word but taken the lid off
that kettle and put it on again, holding now a cup and now a silver
spoon over the steam, watching how it rises from the spout, and
catching and connecting the drops it falls into. Are you not ashamed
of spending your time in this way?"
Imagining
young James’ playing with a spoon or a cup seems quite natural
and plausible given every child's innate fascination and early curiosity
as he discovers the little wonders of nature. But to link the episode
of the steaming kettle with his subsequent invention many years
later seems unnatural and unconvincing. However, one thing that
seems more probable is that the home environment of young James
helped him to develop in him a strong mechanical trait. His father’s
carpentry shop, the tools and the repair of the navigation instruments
helped to encourage James.
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