COMING CENTENARY

Evening Star, Issue 18288, 30 May 1923, Page 1

COMING CENTENARY

NEW ZEALAND MARRIAGES. THE FIRST SOLEMNISED. The eenteunry of the first marriage solemnised in Now Zealand will fall on Juno 23. The wedding took place in the mission-house at Mata llui, the present site of the Marsden Cross, in the Boy of Islands, on June 23, 1823. The parties wore Mr Philip Tapscll, first mate of the ship Asp (then at anchor in the Bay of Islands), and a Maori woman of high birth named Maria. Ringn, sometimes spelt and pronounced Dinga. The ceremony was performed according to the Church of England form by the. Rev. Thomas Kendall, minister and missionary, in the presence of Captain William P. Wilson, master of the ship Royal Sovereign, and Captain William D. Brind, master of the Asp. Shortly after their marriage Mr and Mrs Tapscll left the Bay of Islands and removed to the Bay of Plenty. A number of their descendants arc now residing at Maketu. Mrs Tapscll was a sister of the chief Waikato, who visited England in company with Hongi and Mr Kendall. It has hitherto been supposed (says the Auckland ‘Herald’) that the first baptism of a Native took place on September 14, 1825, when an old Maori named Christian Rangi was received into the Church in tho presence of Archdeacon Henry Williams and the Rev. Richard Davis. However, according to the marriage record of Mr and Mrs Tapsell, the latter was baptised by Mr Kendall. Mr W. K. Bedggood, of Animate North, who has supplied' the facts concerning tho marriage, states that when Hongi quarrelled with the missionaries because they objected to the trade in firearms, Mr Kendall supported Hongi, and was dismissed from the mission. Maria Ringa's baptism seems to have been ignored because of th© strained relations between. Mx Kendall and ilw otka nhsaion- 1

arias; but it is urged that this is not a sufficient reason for regarding the baptism as invalid. Mr Bedggood states that Airs YapsaU'e baptismal, certificate still exists.