Sir Brook Watson (1735-1807) is immortalized in John Singleton Copley’s painting of ‘Watson and the Shark’ (1778) depicting Watson's shark attack. In 1749 in Cuba Watson’s leg was bitten off by a shark. This has given him a legacy in popular culture.
Wheatley would have known him as a wealthy merchant in 1773. Watson was one of the founding members of Lloyds, a banking and insurance company. The company directly profited off of the slave trade, as it insured the ships enslaved people were forced on. Furthermore, Watson in 1789 wrote that he supported the slave trade and that is was needed to remain in place for the economies of the colonies.
Watson was appointed to be the Director of the Bank of England in 1784.
He became Lord Mayor of London in 1796.
He was granted a title of baronet in 1803.
Letter from Phillis Wheatley to David Wooster, 18 October 1773
“-- was presented with a Folio Edition of Milton's Paradise Lost, prin ted on a Silver Type, so call'd from its elegance, (I suppose) By Mr. Brook Watson Mercht. whose Coat of Arms is prefix'd.--”
The full letter is accessible with this link below! Im very grateful for the Massachusetts Historical Society for allowing me to quote these letters as well as having loads of primary sources and educational information on Wheatley available for free. https://www.masshist.org/database/771
More on Watson here: https://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1790-1820/member/watson-brook-1735-1807
Lloyds Bank and slavery in recent news: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-56144970
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