Daniel Bell Wakefield (27 February 1798 – 8 January 1858) was born in

Burnham-on-Crouch Burnham-on-Crouch is a town and civil parish in the Maldon District of Essex in the East of England. It lies on the north bank of the River Crouch. It is one of Britain's leading places for yachting. The civil parish extends east of the town t ...

, Essex, England. He practised law in London and was involved in planning a colony in South Australia. He migrated to New Zealand in 1842 where he served as attorney general for New Munster Province, and as a temporary judge in the Supreme Court.

Early life

Daniel Bell Wakefield was the third child and second son of Edward Wakefield (1774–1854), a distinguished surveyor and land agent, and Susanna Crush (1767–1816). His grandmother,

Priscilla Wakefield Priscilla Wakefield, ''nee'' Priscilla Bell (31 January 1751 – 12 September 1832) was an English Quaker philanthropist. Her writings cover feminist economics and scientific subjects and include children's non-fiction.Ann B. Shteir, "Wakefield ...

(1751–1832), was a popular author for the young, and one of the introducers of savings banks. He was the brother of Catherine Gurney Wakefield (1793–1873), the mother of

Charles Torlesse Charles Obins Torlesse (2 May 1825 – 14 November 1866) was a prominent surveyor for the Canterbury Association in Canterbury, New Zealand. Biography Torlesse was born in Stoke-by-Nayland, Suffolk, England, in 1825. He was the eldest son of ...

(1825–1866);

Edward Gibbon Wakefield Edward Gibbon Wakefield (20 March 179616 May 1862) is considered a key figure in the establishment of the colonies of South Australia and New Zealand (where he later served as a member of parliament). He also had significant interests in Britis ...

(1796–1862);

Arthur Wakefield Captain Arthur Wakefield (19 November 1799 – 17 June 1843) served with the Royal Navy, before joining his brother, Edward Gibbon Wakefield, in founding the new settlement at Nelson, New Zealand. Early life Arthur Wakefield was born in Essex, a ...

(1799–1843);

William Hayward Wakefield William Hayward Wakefield (1801 – 19 September 1848) was an English colonel, the leader of the first colonising expedition to New Zealand and one of the founders of Wellington. As a leader, he attracted much controversy. Early life William W ...

(1801–1848); John Howard Wakefield (1803–1862);

Felix Wakefield Felix Wakefield (30 November 1807 – 23 December 1875) was an English colonist. Early life Felix Wakefield was born in 1807, the seventh child and sixth son of Edward Wakefield (1774–1854), a distinguished surveyor and land agent, and Susa ...

(1807–1875); Priscilla Susannah Wakefield (1809–1887); Percy Wakefield (1810–1832); and an unnamed child born in 1813. In 1824, Daniel Wakefield eloped with and married Selina Elizabeth de Burgh. They had one Son, Charles Wakefield. His son Charles and wife Selina Elizabeth both died in 1828. In 1835 Wakefield married Angela Attwood, daughter of Thomas Attwood. They had three children: Selina in 1837, Charles Marcus in 1838, and Alice Mary who was born in New Zealand on 9 October 1849. After obtaining his law degree, Wakefield practised in London as a member of

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...

. He drafted a Bill for the formation of a Colony in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

that was accepted by the Secretary of State for the Colonies with some provisos. The Adelaide Street Naming Committee rewarded his efforts by naming

Wakefield Street Wakefield Street is a main thoroughfare intersecting the centre of the South Australian capital, Adelaide, from east to west at its midpoint. It crosses Victoria Square in the centre of the city, which has a grid street plan. It continues as ...

in his honour.

New Zealand

Daniel Wakefield immigrated alone under a false name 'Bowler' to New Zealand in 1842, living first in

New Plymouth New Plymouth ( mi, Ngāmotu) is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, Devon from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. ...

and later moving to

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

. In 1844, he was elected as head of a committee charged with forming the local militia. In 1847 he was named

attorney general In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

for

New Munster Province New Munster was an early original European name for the South Island of New Zealand, given by the Governor of New Zealand, Captain William Hobson, in honour of Munster, the Irish province in which he was born. Province When New Zealand was sep ...

, a post he held until 1853. He served as temporary judge in the Supreme Court in 1855–56. He died in Wellington on 8 January 1858.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wakefield, Daniel Bell 1798 births 1858 deaths Colony of New Zealand judges English emigrants to New Zealand High Court of New Zealand judges

Daniel Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength" ...

Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council (1841–1853)