This Month in Rockingham County History: October - Rockingham Descendants Visit County

October 1985

As a part of the celebration of the county’s Bicentennial, descendants of Charles Watson-Wentworth, for whom the county and county seat were named, visited Rockingham County in October 1985. During a week-long recognition of the county’s founding, the Bicentennial Commission invited Commander Michael Saunders-Watson and his wife, Georgina, to be special guests and to participate in several events. The Saunders-Watson family are collateral descendants of Watson-Wentworth, the second Marquess of Rockingham and the county’s namesake. They reside on a 4,000 acre estate, Rockingham Castle, about 90 miles north of London.​

(Above: Rockingham Family in 1985—Pictured are descendants of the second Marquess of Rockingham, for whom our county was named: Commander Michael Saunders-Watson and wife Georgina (left), with son James, son David, and daughter Fiona in front of Rockingham Castle. Eden News, October 15, 1985, 1.)

The couple spent four days as the guests of the Bicentennial Commission, staying at the home of the J.B. “Jake” Balsley family. During their time in Rockingham County, they visited all the towns across the county— touring farms, factories, and restaurants—and participating in several special events. The Rockingham descendants encountered only a few difficulties while in the county. One was the cuisine, according to Saunders- Watson, a retired Naval officer. “The food’s too good, it’s too tempting,” he told a reporter. The other issue for the couple was understanding the local southern accent. “I’ve had to concentrate quite hard to understand,” Saunders- Watson said.

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(Above: Gwendelyn Bell accompanies and leads singers from Reidsville Junior and Senior High schools in a presentation of patriotic songs for the "Salute to Rockingham County" celebration. Photo by A. Gunn, Eden News, October 28, 1985, 10.)

A significant difference the visitors noticed was the level of activity they saw in Rockingham County. They sensed enthusiasm and “activity of an intense sort” everywhere they went. “When we get back to Great Britain,” Commander Saunders-Watson told a crowd on Saturday morning of the visit, “I think we’ll find things a bit slower."

The Bicentennial Week culminated with a special event, a “Salute to Rockingham County,” at the Reidsville High School stadium, where the Saunders-Watson couple were honored guests. The Saturday morning started off with eight paratroopers from the 82nd Army Airborne Division parachuting onto the field from a military helicopter hovering above the stadium. The morning was filled with music and speakers. A combined junior high and high school choir from Reidsville, under the direction of Gwendelyn Bell, performed patriotic songs. Saunders-Watson addressed the crowd briefly and a representative of North Carolina Governor Jim Martin offered congratulations. Historian Dr. Lindley S. Butler gave the main address, speaking of Rockingham County’s achievements over its 200 years, but also advising that residents should seek a “county-wide vision” for the next century. To complete the day’s festivities, members of the four high school marching bands from Rockingham County combined to cover the entire football field and played the national anthems of both countries, “God Save the Queen” and “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

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(Above: The marching bands of Morehead, Rockingham, Madison-Mayodan, and Reidsville high schools came together to honor the country’s Bicentennial. Photo by A. Gunn, Eden News, October 28, 1985, 10.)

A Bicentennial barbecue dinner and dance followed on Saturday evening at the Morehead High School cafeteria, with a square dance demonstration by the Eden Promenade Club to entertain attendees. On Sunday, Commander and Mrs. Saunders-Watson helped dedicate a “peace plaque” at the historic Speedwell Presbyterian Church in Wentworth. There in the cemetery are buried, it is believed, soldiers—both British and American—killed at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse.

(Above: Georgina and Michael Saunders-Watson help unveil a “peace plaque” honoring both British and American forces who fell during the battle and are buried at the Speedwell Presbyterian Church cemetery in Wentworth. Photo by A. Gunn, Eden News, October 28, 1985. 10.)

Just before coming to Rockingham County in late October 1985, Commander and Mrs. Saunders- Watson spent two weeks in the western United States, where they enjoyed the region’s physical beauty. After leaving North Carolina, the couple traveled to Washington, D.C., where they participated in the dedication of an exhibit on English country estates at the Smithsonian Institution, an event attended by President and Mrs. Ronald Reagan, as well as Prince Charles and Princess Diana. As president of the Historic Houses Association of Great Britain, Commander Saunders Watson had been instrumental in the project.

(Above: Print of Charles Watson-Wentworth (1730 – 1782) portrait the hangs in the entranceway to the Museum & Archives of Rockingham County. MARC Collection)

The naming of the county and its county seat for a British Prime Minister of the Revolutionary era might be surprising to some. Charles Watson-Wentworth, the Second Marquess of Rockingham, was seen by many as sympathetic to the American colonists during the years of conflict between them and the Crown. He did, in fact, try to discourage the British from taking some of the measures against the colonists that led to the war, seeing these acts as impractical and likely to provoke the Americans to rebel. According to one biographer, what might have been seen as Rockingham’s support for the Americans was grounded more in his realization that the North American colonies were very valuable commercially and his fear that they would be lost to the Crown if colonists were “vexed or irritated.” Still, he was a popular figure in the colonies for supporting the repeal of the Stamp Act in 1766 and for his role in negotiating the peace, when he returned as Prime Minister briefly in 1782. When a new county was formed in 1785 from part of Guilford County, the North Carolina General Assembly chose to name it Rockingham in his honor.

Today, the descendants of Charles Watson-Wentworth still live in the family ancestral home of Rockingham Castle in Northamptonshire, about 90 miles north of London. James, the eldest son of special Bicentennial guests Michael and Georgina Saunders Watson, along with his wife Elizabeth Saunders Watson and their three children, now reside in the castle built by William the Conqueror over 900 years ago and granted to their ancestor Edward Watson by King Henry VIII in 1544. 

(Above: Aerial view of Rockingham Castle. Rockingham Castle, https://rockinghamcastle.com)

The site has typically welcomed visitors, who can tour the castle and grounds, stroll through gardens, have refreshments at the tea room, or visit the gift shop. Recently, because of the pandemic, there have been some limited tours for smaller groups as well as access to gardens and outdoor activities at Rockingham Castle. During regular business operation, areas of the estate can also be rented as a venue for various events including weddings and corporate gatherings. Perhaps local folks can drop in at Rockingham Castle on some future trip to the UK, or maybe new generations of Rockingham descendants will visit with us here at some point in the future.

References:
Eddie Huffman, “Rockingham County Celebrates Bicentennial,” Reidsville (NC) Review, October 28, 1985, 1; Eddie Huffman, “Watsons Enjoy Rockingham Visit,” Reidsville (NC) Review, October 28, 1985, 1; “Saunders Watson Family,” Reidsville (NC) Review, October 25, 1985, 12; W.C. Burton, “They Live in a Castle, but They’re Regular Folks,” Greensboro (NC) News and Record, November 17, 1985; W.C. Burton, “They Live in a Castle, but They’re Regular Folks,” Greensboro (NC) News and Record, November 17, 1985; Suzy Maynard, “English Leader Part of County’s History,” Madison (NC) Messenger, January 1, 1976, 13; “Bicentennial Rockingham Tour Well Received by Participants,” Eden (NC) News, October 16, 1985, 4; Angela Gunn, “County’s Bicentennial Observance Begins Sunday,”Eden (NC) News, October 18, 1985, 1, 2; “County’s 200th Anniversary Is Discussed by Dr. Butler,” Eden (NC) News, October 22, 1985, 5; Angela Gunn,”Salute to Rockingham County Set Saturday,” Eden (NC) News, October 25, 1985, 1, 2; Angela Gunn, “County’s Bicentennial Feted: England’s Ties to Rockingham Are Recounted,” Eden (NC) News, October 28, 1985, 1, 2, 10; Ross J.S. Hoffman, The Marquis: A Study of Lord Rockingham, 1730-1782 (New York: Fordham University Press, 1973), ix, x (“vexed” quotation), 1, 100-101, 383; Lindley S. Butler, Rockingham County: A Brief History (Raleigh: North Carolina Department of Cultural resources, Division of Archives and History, 1982), 17; Rockingham Castle, https://www.rockinghamcastle.com/