Henry Munro Cautley was born in Bridge, Kent, England in 1876 and moved with his parents to Ipswich in Suffolk as a child. He was articled to Edward Fernley Bisshopp (1850-1921) from 1891 to 1896 and remained with him as his assistant for a further year. He then worked as an assistant to Durward Brown (c1860-?) in London in 1897-98 and to Horace Field (1861-1948) from 1898. He also attended classes at the Architectural Association in London. Cautley qualified as an architect in 1900 and was elected an Associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects (ARIBA) the following year. He commenced independent practice in Ipswich in 1901. During the 1920s he was in partnership with Leslie Barefoot (1887-1958) as Cautley & Barefoot.
In 1911 Cautley was appointed Diocesan Architect for the Anglican Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich, a position he held until the 1950s. He was also the author of books and papers on church architecture. He died at his home in Ipswich, Suffolk on 13 November 1959.
Ipswich Sanatorium and work for the Ipswich and Barham Isolation Hospitals; various works for Ipswich Hospital and School; motor garages at Ipswich and Newmarket; and much private work.
Directory of British Architects 1834-1914. Compiled by Antonia Brodie, et al. Volume 1: A-K. London; New York: British Architectural Library, Royal Institute of British Architects/Continuum, 2001