William Henville Burford


William Henville Burford was an apprenticed butcher with some experience as a tallow merchant and chandler in Cannon Street, St George's East, in the East End of London. In 1838 he emigrated to South Australia for his health's sake with his wife and three daughters on the Pestonjee Bomanjee, arriving at Glenelg on 11 October. Initially he found work as a painter and glazier, and soon had one of the larger businesses in the Colony. In 1840, when a recession had made those trades unprofitable, he was able to start a soap and candle factory, W. H. Burford & Sons, in 134 Grenfell Street. The business failed several times, but revived with the opening of the Burra copper mine in 1848, then the Moonta and Wallaroo mines around 1863.
Burford was an alderman of the Adelaide Town Council for 1840 and 1841. During his second term he earned the nickname of "ninepenny dips" for his proposal to more than double the council rates to that figure, and was reviled for proposing other stringencies. He was not elected the following year and was vindicated when the Council collapsed, bankrupt.
Burford was elected to the South Australian House of Assembly for the seat of City of Adelaide in 1857. He was prominent in debates and a strong supporter of Robert Torrens' Real Property Act, but resigned in 1859.
Burford was a devout churchgoer, worshipping with the Independent Baptists, then Scotch Baptists and finally the Unley Church of Christ.

Family of W. H. Burford

He married three times: