Margaret Robertson Watson-Watt
Scottish teacher

Margaret, Lady Watson-Watt (3 May 1886 – 7 September 1988) was a Scottish teacher who was married to Sir Robert Watson-Watt, known as the "father of radar". Lady Watson-Watt assisted in his experiments related to radio detection and he credited her contribution to the success of his research that led to the development of radar technology used in World War II.
Early life
Margaret Robertson was born on 3 May 1886 in Perth, Scotland. Her father was a draughtsman and her mother worked for Campbell's Dyeworks. She attended Perth Academy. She became a teacher in Dundee, where she attended evening classes at University College Dundee. As well as metalwork and jewellery-making, she attended classes taught by Robert Watson-Watt. The couple married in Hammersmith, London in July 1916.
Development of radar
Watson-Watt moved with her husband to Farnborough when he began work with the Meteorological Office. They lived in one hut while carrying out research in a second one. At this time, she assisted his research by repairing the radio apparatus he used to detect thunderstorms, using the soldering skills from her evening classes.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Margaret Robertson Watson-Watt” as scottish teacher. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as scottish teacher. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 26, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q139559447. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1886, 1988 and 1916.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Margaret Robertson Watson-Watt”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Margaret Robertson Watson-Watt primary sources, Margaret Robertson Watson-Watt archive and Margaret research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Margaret Robertson Watson-Watt”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Margaret Robertson Watson-Watt” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.