Henry Fancourt White

Henry Fancourt White (25 May 1811 – 6 October 1866) was a British-born assistant surveyor in Cape Colony who played a part in construction of the Montagu Pass between George and Oudtshoorn, over the Outeniqua Mountains.

It was known as "Clifton", a name which has been retained for the area to this day, and was located on land purchased near Settlement Farm, a stone's throw from the Pacific Ocean.

As a surveyor, White was responsible for the siting of a new road from Port Macquarie westwards to the New England district, but in 1837, became involved in a dispute with the stipendiary magistrate, William Nairn Gray.

In 1836, Charles Collier Michell, Surveyor-General of the Cape Colony, had reconnoitred Cradock Pass and had been horrified by its steep gradients and poor condition.

His son, Ernest Montagu White, bought back the property in 1903, and renamed the house "Fancourt" in memory of his father, and his grandmother's maiden name.

Ernest, a philanthropist and successful businessman in his own right, funded the building of a road from George to Wilderness and stained glass windows in St Mark's Cathedral.

White was elected to the Parliament of the Cape of Good Hope when it was first formed in 1854, in which, together with Jock Paterson, he represented Port Elizabeth.