William Clayton (December 9, 1632 – 1689) was a settler of thePennsylvania colony, one of the first councilors of Pennsylvania and a judge of the city ofPhiladelphia.
Clayton was baptized on December 9, 1632, inBoxgrove, England, the son of William Clayton and Joan Smith.
His mother died before he was a teenager, and in 1653 he married Prudence Lanckford, a daughter of William Lanckford, inSt Pancras, London. Clayton became a carpenter by trade and a follower of theQuaker religion.[1]
Clayton was a founder of the Pennsylvania colony, serving as an original commissioner forWilliam Penn, as well as one of Philadelphia's first judges. He was appointed to the provincial Council in 3 Aug 1681, and later was elected to the council in 1683, serving until 30 Mar 1686. On 19 Aug 1684, he was commissioned as a JP in Philadelphia County.[2]
In 1677, Clayton set sail for America, arriving in New York after being selected by Penn to serve as a commissioner. He oversaw the clearance of Indian land titles acquired by Penn in theWest Jersey colony near present dayBurlington, New Jersey. In 1678, he purchased 1000 acres inMarcus Hook, Pennsylvania.[3] In 1681, his family removed toChichester, Pennsylvania, where Clayton had secured a 500-acre land patent.[4]
In 1681, he presided over the firstUpland Court inChester, Pennsylvania and eventually was one of the first judges of nearby Philadelphia.[5]
Notable descendants of Clayton are:
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)