Description:Francis Corder Clayton was born in Kelvedon, Essex, in 1843 and came to Birmingham as a young man to work in the chemical manufacturing industry for J. & E. Sturge in Wheeley's Lane. In the 1881 Census he is recorded as living at 18 St James's Road in Edgbaston with his widowed mother Emmaretta. In 1882 he successfully stood as a Liberal for Rotton Park Ward and subsequently served for many years on the Finance and Water Committees. He was Mayor from 1889 to 1890, during which time the Elan Valley water supply scheme was inaugurated and the city boundaries were extended. By the time he was granted the Freedom of the City in 1912 he had served on the council for 30 years.