Henry Wootton was born in England and joined the HBC as a mariner. In
1858, Wootten piloted HBC steamer
Labouchere to Victoria.
1 Married in England, he met up with his wife, Eliza Yardly, upon his arrival at the
colony nearly a year later.
2 Wootten became a member of the civil service colony and served as the first Postmaster
General of Vancouver Island, a position he maintained for many years.
3Wootten was appointed to the combined position of Post Master and Harbor Master in
1861. He is described by
Governor Douglas as a man with
high character for integrity and ability.
Douglas further reports that Wootton
has been for some time serving as Clerk of the Writs in the Supreme Court [and] is
a certificated Master in the Mercantile Marine.
4 Wootton often dealt with debt collection, as well as customs laws concerning foreign
vessels trading in local waters.
5