William Henry Clayton (17 November 1823 – 23 August 1877) was a Tasmanian-born colonial architect who practised initially in Tasmania and then in New Zealand. He was New Zealand's first (and only) Colonial Architect, serving in the position from 1869 up until his death. In this role, he and his office were responsible for the design of numerous government buildings. Early life and education William was born on 17 November 1823, at Norfolk Plains, Australia. William's grandfather (who bore the same name) had been sentenced in 1802 to transportation for seven years to Australia for the possession of a purportedly stolen sheepskin. His wife Sarah and three-year-old Henry accompanied him on the convict ship Glatton which reached New South Wales in 1803. At the age of 16 Henry received a land grant in Tasmania, which enabled him to become a prosperous businessman by the time his son William was born. As well as land holdings, by the 1840s Henry also owned several flour mills and owned or chartered ships which he used to export flour from his mills to New Zealand and bring back cargo. William was educated at the local exclusive Longford Hall Academy, where he won prizes in geography, French, Latin and mathematics. As Henry Clayton wanted his son to have the benefits of higher education, the family moved to England, departing on 28 March 1840 on the Adelaide. William furthered his education by being articled to a prominent architect, and received training in architecture, civil engineering and surveying. Following his marriage in 1847 in England, Clayton and his wife Emily departed for Tasmania, arriving on 7 March 1848. Tasmania Upon his return to Tasmania Clayton worked in the Government Survey Office from 1851 to 1855 before setting up in private practice in Launceston. Clayton is credited with the design of some 300 structures in Tasmania, including five churches (among them Launceston's St Andrew's Kirk 1850, St Mark's, Deloraine 1860, and Chalmers Church, Launceston 1860), three banks, a theatre, three mills, breweries, mansions, villas, five bridges, and the Launceston Mechanics' Institute (1842). The Public Building in Launceston (1860), which was constructed of brick with richly-modelled freestone dressings and Italianate classical in style, was the most ambitious and lavish of his secular works. Clayton was a member of the Royal Victorian Institute of Architects, Melbourne, served as a Launceston Alderman from 1857 to 1863, and was appointed a justice