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 from the South Australian Company for a total outlay of £243. The 80 acres was later increased to .

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. Gray and his manservant built a thatched pug and pine cottage on one of his North Terrace allotments, so the little party could move from their tents to something more secure and comfortable. His properties were acre 3 on North Terrace, 60–62 on the north side and 63–65 on the south side of Hindley Street and 119–123 on the north side of Currie Street. Sections 3, 60, 65 and 122 ran in a straight line between North Terrace and Currie Street, and Gray ran a thoroughfare (Gray Street) through the middle of them, and built cottages on either side; some quite densely packed. Acre 63 later became the site of "Campden", his town house. His other selections were in North Adelaide: Kermode Street, Brougham Place, Childers Street and Barton Terrace. Acre 727 on Brougham Place and 722 on Kermode Street were contiguous, and Gray drove a thoroughfare (Bagot's Lane) through their centres. Town Acre 747 on Barton Terrace he left intact and later became the site of Ru Rua Hospital. and 169 to his holdings in the Reedbeds area, but later that year an exodus of able-bodied men from South Australia to the Victorian goldfields began, and until late 1853 when the tide started to turn, income from his rental properties dropped away, and he invested in no new properties. In 1855 he added to his portfolio some of good cereal-growing Barossa land, which he leased and later sold to German settlers at a sizable profit. In 1858 he was able to purchase from Joseph Johnson, "Frogmore", a Reedbeds farm, and moved into its attractive (now long since demolished) cottage near what is now the north-west intersection of West Beach and Tapleys Hill roads. and lawyer Moulden. The burial service was conducted by Woods' successor the Rev. Alexander Wilson. Beneficiaries of his Will included the Bacon School (see above), the Home for Incurables, the Institution for the Blind, Deaf and Dumb but, surprisingly, not the Children's Hospital, which had been the recipient of much of his largess while alive. His widow's allowance, whittled down in the third codicil, was restored to its original value by the lawyers.

Other interests Gray was a member of the Agricultural and Horticultural Society from 1857, a committee member 1858 to 1862 or later, and was still exhibiting in 1892. He was in 1860 a founding member of the Reedbeds Cavalry, a unit of the South Australian Militia, and as Lieutenant Gray resigned in May 1861. His neighbours Gabriel Bennett and Charles and Samuel White were prominent members. In 1867 he made a voyage to Albany, Western Australia, hoping to negotiate purchase of large quantities of jarrah timber, but failed where M. C. Davies later succeeded, and built up a substantial business. In 1868 Gray purchased from Alexander Wearing two properties of at the Head of the Bight, from Fowler's Bay on the western boundary of what is now Yalata community land. Gray knew of Eyre's description of extensive grassy plains and reckoned if only permanent water were found, he could make a fortune from the property. To that end he sent a party of workers, led by one William Marks, to dig a well. They spent six months chipping away at the obdurate rock, before Gray realised the futility of their effort and ceased operations. "Gray's Well", a shallow dry shaft, may still be seen today, close to Nullarbor Station homestead. In 1869 he pulled down the old "Buck's Head" hotel (whose clientele consisted largely of salesmen and butchers from the market opposite) at 24 North Terrace (between Newmarket and Gray streets) and built a new one in its place, architect Daniel Garlick and builder Charles Farr. He also owned the Foundry Hotel on the north-east corner of Hindley and Gray streets (Acre 60) and two smaller ones on the north side of Currie Street: the Yorke Peninsula Inn at c. 248 (Acre 123) and the Ship Inn at c. 190 (Acre 120). He was appointed Justice of the Peace in March 1869 to at least 1886. In 1873 he had a large interest in the Larrakeeyah Gold Mining Company and the Nina Reef Gold Mining Company, both Northern Territory prospects, but appears to have relinquished them later that year. He promoted W. H. Bean's successful candidature for the seat of West Torrens in 1878. He was in 1878 a promoter and director of the Holdfast Bay Railway Company, but had to resign the following year after a serious accident left him immobile. In 1885 he floated the Daly River Plantation Company to grow sugar cane, and purchased machinery from G. T. Bean's defunct Port Darwin Sugar Company at one tenth its purchase price, but in company with the De Lissa Sugar Company, this venture also failed. Gray was a longtime friend of B. A. Moulden, his lawyer, associate in many ventures, and co-executor of his Will.

Places named for Gray and his family Gray Street, Adelaide Rosetta Street, West Croydon, was named for Mrs. Gray. It is intersected by Alfred Road and Herbert Road. Rosetta Street, Rosewater, previously Graytown, was named for Mrs. Gray. It runs between Edith Street and Gray Terrace. Bagshaw Crescent, and the suburb of Gray in Palmerston, Northern Territory, were named for Rosetta and W. H. Gray.

Recognition The Gray Prize is, or was at least until 1977, The house, renamed "Lordello", was later owned by Sir Frank Moulden.

Walter Edwin Gray (26 March 1876 – 6 September 1897) An invalid, he died on the first anniversary of his father's death. Rosetta Gray married again, to William Wooding (c. 1841 – 16 September 1919) on 11 March 1911.

His sister Elizabeth, who travelled with him to South Australia, died an invalid in August 1839.