User:Dan arndt/William Boyd (colonial administrator)

William Boyd was the first colonial under-secretary to Ceylon.

Boyd, arrived on the island on 12 October 1798, accompanying Frederick North, the first British civilian governor of Ceylon, to assist North in running the colony. Boyd served as the under-secretary to Hugh Gleghorn. North however did not get on with Gleghorn and in December 1799 North suspended Cleghorn from office. In January 1800 Cleghorn resigned, and on 3 February sailed for England.

North then appointed Boyd as acting Colonial Secretary in January 1800, a position he retained until Robert Arbuthot was permanently appointed to the role on 10 September 1801.

Boyd went on to be one of the pioneer coffee planters in Ceylon.