Career
Because both men were landscape artists, living in England at about the same time, and both signed their works similarly, it is difficult to distinguish one from the other. However, Walter Heath Williams lived in the southwest of England in Bath, Somerset, and in Topsham and Torquay in Devon, whereas his namesake lived nearly his entire life in Surrey, on the south side of London. The consequence of this mistaken identity is that neither the birth nor death dates of Walter Heath Williams are known for sure.
However, we do know that he actively exhibited his paintings from 1841 to 1876, which would indicate that he was several years older than his namesake who in 1841 was only 7 years old.