W. H. Gray

William Henry Gray (18 January 1808 – 6 September 1896), generally known as W. H. Gray, was a pioneer colonist of South Australia who amassed considerable wealth through ownership and development of land.

History

Gray was born to Thomas and Ellen Gray in Bermondsey, London, England and baptised in St Mary's Church, Newington on 4 September 1808. He was educated at Bacon's School on Grange Road, Bermondsey, apprenticed as a tanner, and worked at that trade until the age of 29 years. From around 1830 he attended night classes in London, where he made the acquaintance of Robert Thomas, founder of The Register, and J. M. Skipper, and through them became interested in the theories of E. G. Wakefield and the projected colony of South Australia.

Gray, his sister Elizabeth, and two servants emigrated to South Australia aboard John Renwick, six months after the "First Fleet of South Australia", arriving in February, 1837. He had purchased the rights to three (as yet unsurveyed and unallocated) land packages consisting of one town acre (0.40 ha) and one country property of 80 acres (32 ha) from the South Australian Company for a total outlay of £243. The 80 acres was later increased to 134 acres (54 ha).

Colonel Light completed his city survey in March 1837 and purchasers of preliminary town acres were able to make their selections in turn, as determined by lot. City acres not selected were then auctioned, and Gray picked up another 14 of the 595 offered, at a total cost of £126 6s.

Most of Gray's selections were in the north-west corner of the city, his rationale being that business would develop close to the Port Road.