Born Henry John Williams in London , he showed an early aptitude for painting and draughtsmanship but received no formal training. In 1832 he married Clarisa Eliza Boddington the daughter of a solicitor's clerk. She became the driving force behind his struggle for recognition and he adopted her maiden name.

By 1840 he had established himself as a true landscape painter and was invited to become a member of the Society of British Artists in 1842. Boddington was the only one of the Williams family to achieve this distinction.

He lived in the Barnes area for 11 years until his death in 1865. For the last 2 years of his life he suffered from a progressive brain disorder which in turn led to almost total blindness and his early demise aged 54. He is buried in Barnes Cemetery.