William Ellawala

William Ellawala (born 1834) was a Ceylonese legislator. He was the Kandyan Sinhalese member of the Legislative Council of Ceylon. He was appointed to the post of Rate Mahatmaya by the British Government of Ceylon.

Born to Banda from Sabaragamuwa, he was educated at the Ratnapura School and S. Thomas' College, Mutwal. He joined the government service in the Native Department and was appointed as a Rate Mahatmaya in 1856.

He married Jane Petronella Senanayake, daughter of Mudaliyar Don Bartholomew Senanayake. Their daughter Agnes Ellawala married S.D. Mahawalatenne Rate Mahattaya of Balangoda, son of Mahawelatenne Wickremasinghe Chandrasekere Seneviratne Pandita Mudiyanse Ralahamillage Harold David Mahawelatenne and Florence Alexandra De Saa Bandaranayake. Their daughters were Jane Mahawalatenne and Rosalind Mahawalatenne. Jane married Abraham Obeyesekere Jayawardena, a grandson of Maha Mudaliyar Lambertus Obeyesekere of Kataluwa Walawwa and Rosalind married Barnes Ratwatte Dissawe. Thereby his great-granddaughter Sirimavo Bandaranaike became the first female prime minister in the world while his great great granddaughter Chandrika Bandaranaike became the first female Executive President of Sri Lanka. His niece Viollet Ellawala married John Hercules Meedeniya whose nephew Ranil Wickremesinghe became the President of Sri Lanka.