Marshall Clifton

Marshall Waller Clifton (1787–1861), Clifton was born 1 November 1787 at Alverstoke, near Gosport, Hampshire, England, to Rev. Francis Clifton and Rebekah Katherine (née Bingham).

He joined the Admiralty as an extra clerk on 9 September 1805, and was promoted to junior clerk on 15 March 1811, 2nd class clerk on 5 February 1816, and 1st class clerk on 21 August 1819.

On 2 July 1811, Waller, as he was known, married Elinor Bell (of Wandle House, Wandsworth, London, who was first cousin to Elizabeth Fry, the famous prison reformer). Waller and Elinor had fifteen children, one of whom died as a baby. Eleven of these children later came to Western Australia with their parents, and one child followed later (George, a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy, in 1843).

On 22 January 1822, Waller was appointed secretary to the Victualling Board for the Royal Navy at Somerset House. In 1828 he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society. After the position of secretary to the Victualling Board was abolished in 1832, Waller was retired on a pension and moved his family to France for eight years.

In 1840 the Western Australian Land Company was formed in London with the purpose of promoting a large land settlement scheme in the Colony of Western Australia. This was planned by a group of influential men including William Hutt, M.P (brother of John Hutt, Governor of Western Australia from 1838 to 1846) and Edward Gibbon Wakefield, upon whose principles of colonisation the company was founded. Marshall Waller Clifton was appointed Chief Commissioner and his son, Robert Williams Clifton (1817–1897) was appointed secretary to Waller.

The name of the settlement, Australind, a contraction of Australia and India, was chosen as it was hoped to establish trade between the two countries.

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