Christopher Watts

Christopher Charles Watts, sometimes called Charles Christopher Watts (6 May 1877July 1958), was an Anglian bishop. He served in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa as Bishop of St Helena and later as Bishop of Damaraland.

Early life Born in Kensworth, where his father, George Edward Oscar Watts, was Vicar, Watts was educated at Shrewsbury School and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, graduating BA in 1899 and proceeding to MA (Cantab) in 1904. and a priest by Arthur Winnington-Ingram, Bishop of London, in St Paul's at Trinity, 1901, serving as assistant curate of St Mark's, Noel Park. In 1907, he went out to Southern Africa and began work as Priest-in-charge of Mbabane in Swaziland in the Diocese of Zululand, where in January 1908 he became the founding schoolmaster of St Mark's European School and St Mark's Coloured School. In 1917, he was appointed as Canon of St Peter's Cathedral, Vryheid and from 1918 he served as Archdeacon of Swaziland.

He returned to England in 1927, to his old parish of St Mark's, Noel Park, where he served as Vicar until 1929. In 1930, he assumed the duties of the Warden of Zonnebloem College, Cape Town. In 1931, however, he was chosen to be Bishop of St Helena, being consecrated in St. George's Cathedral, Cape Town, on St Barnabas' Day, 11 June 1931 by Francis Phelps, Archbishop of Cape Town, assisted by Theodore Gibson, Bishop of Kimberley and Kuruman, and Joseph Williams, retired Bishop of St John's. He was enthroned in St Paul's Cathedral, St Helena, on 12 July 1931.