John Clayton (c. 1666 – November 28, 1737) was a British lawyer who emigrated to the colony of Virginia where he served at Attorney General as well as in the House of Burgesses, representing variously Jamestown, James City County and Williamsburg.
In 1695 she gave birth to a son they named John, and who would become a minister and serve for decades as clerk of the Gloucester, Virginia court, but who is today best known for his botanical compilations and discoveries.
By 1702, Clayton's family included three sons, but Lucy may have died, contributing to this man's decision to accompany his acquaintance Edward Nott, who had secured a royal appointment to become the governor of the Virginia colony.
In 1711 Clayton traveled to North Carolina at the new governor's behest to resolve a dispute, and in 1712 he assisted in the trials of several Africans and Native Americans charged with rebellion or treason.
[9] In that year, Clayton also became a judge of the Virginia Court of Vice Admiralty (before which he did not practice as the colony's attorney general, but which adjudicated maritime prize cases, among other disputes).
During this time, the number of criminal cases became such that Clayton ended his private legal practice by 1733 and petitioned the Board of Trade to increase his salary, which had long stood at 100 pounds sterling annually, and ultimately received a 40% increase [10] Meanwhile, in 1710, Clayton was elected to the board governing the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, and from 1712 to 1714 also received a salary as clerk of the committee of Propositions and Grievances for the House of Burgesses, a position which ended when he became a burgess in his own right, as discussed below.