THE WAKEFIELD FAMILY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 19 August 1933, Page 10

THE WAKEFIELD FAMILY

ADDITIONAL NOTES (By Jane A. Bond) The ancestors of the Wakefield family originally lived in the Lake District, England, but the father of the Wakefield family concerned in the colonising of New Zealand settled in Essex. Among their relatives were writers and deeply religious people. Two Quaker ladies were close relatives of the Wakefields, namely, their grandmother, Priscilla Wakefield, a writer of children’s books, and Elizabeth Fry a noted social worker of her day who interested herself in the welfare of those in prisons. The gathering up of correct particulars of the early history of New Zealand is full of difficulties, chiefly owing to errors in books and papers and also to the “all rights reserved” on the most interesting and valuable books.

it was Arthur Wakefield who was born in LSOO (not William). In a letter to the Earl of Minto, First Lord of the Admiralty, Captain Wakefield wrote: “In May, at the age of ten years, I entered His Majesty’s service on board the frigate Nisus, commanded by Captain Philip Beaver who was an old and intimate friend of my father's.” (Note: Ilis Majesty was George 111). On looking for the name of ‘David’ Wakefield mentioned by Mr Hodgson in his interesting, article on the Wakefield family, the correct name was found to be ‘Daniel.’ He was not well known in New Zealand though he held a Government appointment under Sir George Grey, and he was evidently a lawyer.

Mr J. Harrop, M.A., etc., the author of that intensely interesting book “The Amazing Career of Edward Gibbon Wakefield” states that Arthur Wakefield joined his brothers Edward Gibbon, Daniel and William at school in 1807, so that is most likely the correct order of their ages.

It is of interest that the only sister, Catherine, married the Rev. Charles M. Torlesse, in whose honour Stoke (Nelson) was named.

E. GIBBON WAKEFIELD’S FAMILY

E. Gibbon Wakefield (1790-1802) had two children and the elder, Susan Priscilla (known as Nina) died at Lisbon, Portugal, at the age of seventeen: She had contracted consumption and was taken to the warmer climate in the hope of a cure.

The mother had died at the birth of the younger child, E. .jerningham, in 1820. When a young man he came to the colony in the ship Tory with his uncle William to found a settlement in Wellington.

LAST YEARS OF EDWARD GIBBON

Broken in health Ed. Gibbon came to New Zealand ui 1853, about five years after the deatll of his brother William. For a time lie took an active interest in the affairs'), of the Government at Wellington, but eventually his health completely failed and he lived in complete retirement for some years. During that period he was nursed by his brother Daniel’s widow and her daughter Alice (afterwards Mrs Freeman). When the founder of New Zealand passed away in 18(12 he was practically forgotten except by a few friends. In the Wakefield plot of the Bolton street cemetery, at Wellington, are the graves of Daniel, William, E. Gibbon Wakefield and also , the young daughter of Daniel’s.

One of my groat grandfathers, a retired military man, occupied a responsible position in Lancaster Castle at the time that William Wakefield was there when inquiries were being made into the Gretna Green marriage of Edward Gibbon Wakefield. This ceremony had been performed by a blacksmith, but owing to the opposition of the parents of Miss Turner, the heiress, it was annulled bv an Act of Parliament. .

WAKEFIELD (NELSON) In tlig year 1843 Wakefield was tlie only village on the main road, then a bullock track, from Nelson. Very few houses were to be seen between the two settlements. Mr Hough (How) named it after the Yorkshire village in which lie had previously lived in England. Mr Hough was a Wesleyan missionary at Fatea before coming to Nelson in 1842, and lie did useful work in the new township as an interpreter in those earliest days. A daughter of Mr Hough was a many years ago, in the old Hardy street school (now the Public Works offices). Mr H. Betliwaitc, of Colli eg wood street, is a grandson, one of the many descendants of Mr Hough, one of Nelson’s worthiest early settlers.