William Henry Butler (24 February 1790 – 11 October 1865) was an English wine merchant and

Mayor of Oxford The earliest recorded Mayor of Oxford in England was Laurence Kepeharm (1205–1207?). On 23 October 1962 the city was granted the honour of electing a Lord Mayor. Notable figures who have been Lord Mayor of Oxford include J. N. L. Baker (196 ...

. William Butler was the ninth of the ten children. His parents were James and Jane (née Slatter) Butler from All Saints parish in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

.William Henry Butler: Mayor of Oxford, January–October 1836Mayors of Oxford
He married Elizabeth Briggs at St Giles' Church, Northampton, on 13 February 1817. Butler became a wine merchant in the middle section of the

High Street High Street is a common street name for the primary business street of a city, town, or village, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. It implies that it is the focal point for business, especially shopping. It is also a metonym fo ...

in central Oxford. Around 1820, he moved to new premises at Carfax, in the very centre of Oxford, on the corner of St Aldate's and Queen Street. William Butler joined Oxford's Common Council on 30 September 1815, was elected Senior

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in 1819, and Senior Bailiff in 1824. He became Mayor of Oxford from January to October 1836. Soon after being Mayor, Butler retired to live at Linden House (now known as the Priory) in the Old High Street at

Headington Headington is an eastern suburb of Oxford, England. It is at the top of Headington Hill overlooking the city in the Thames valley below, and bordering Marston to the north-west, Cowley to the south, and Barton and Risinghurst to the east. Th ...

, east of central Oxford. He became a

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judic ...

and

alderman An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members t ...

. In 1865, William Butler was buried in the churchyard at Carfax in the centre of Oxford in the grave of his first wife Elizabeth Briggs and their two infant daughters. In 1900, the church was demolished to make way for road improvements and as a consequence the grave and tombstone were forgotten. It is probable the tombstone was made by either John Gibbs of Oxford (father of William Henry Butler's second wife) or one of John Gibbs's employees. The tombstone is still in its original position and can be viewed at the rear of the tower.Oxford Graves: William Henry Butler

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, 17 May 2008.

References

1790 births 1865 deaths Mayors of Oxford 19th-century English businesspeople 19th-century English judges Wine merchants {{England-mayor-stub