William Watts was a British official with the East India Company. He was involved in the overthrow of the last independent ruler of Bengal, leading directly to the consolidation of Company rule in Bengal and his own personal enrichment. Through his wife Begum Johnson, he had notable descendants, including a Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

Frances Johnson, known as Begum Johnson, was, according to her memorial, "The oldest British resident in Bengal, universally beloved, respected and revered". She lived most of her remarkably long life in Calcutta, and was witness to an era which spanned the inception of British rule over Bengal in 1757 to its utter consolidation by the early 1800s.