William Napier (lawyer)

William "Royal Billy" Napier (1804–1879), was a Scottish lawyer and newspaper editor who primarily developed his career in Singapore, and was also the first Lieutenant-Governor of Labuan from 1848 to 1850.

David Skene Napier, a merchant, was one of the first magistrates appointed by Sir Stamford Raffles in 1823.

[1] He was also one of the four founders of the Singapore Free Press on 1 October 1835, and edited that weekly newspaper until 1846, when he returned to the United Kingdom for health reasons.

The infant James Brooke Napier was commemorated by the largest monument on the Christian Cemetery at the Government Hill, Singapore.

William Napier later retired "from the East" in 1857 and returned to England, his house which was built in Tyersall in 1854, was advertised for sale by Boustead & Co. in March 1857.