George Clarke (27 January 1798 – 29 July 1875) was a New Zealand missionary, teacher, public servant, politician and judge. He was born in

Wymondham Wymondham ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the South Norfolk district of Norfolk, England, south-west of Norwich off the A11 road to London. The River Tiffey runs through. The parish, one of Norfolk's largest, includes rural areas to ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

on 27 January 1798. He joined the

Church Missionary Society The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British mission society working with the Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as mission ...

(CMS). Clarke married Martha Elizabeth Blomfield (born 11 December 1802 in Wymondham). the second daughter of

Ezekiel Blomfield Ezekiel Blomfield (1778–1818) was a Congregational minister, author and compiler of religious works and works on natural history. His parents were Stephen Blomfield (born c.1740, died 27 November 1809) and Elizabeth Blomfield (née Luiss (Lewis ...

, a

Congregational Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

minister. Clarke, his wife Martha and family (including their son

George Clarke George Clarke (7 May 1661 – 22 October 1736), of All Souls, Oxford, was an English architect, print collector and Tory politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons between 1702 and 1736. Life The son of Sir William Clarke ...

Jr..) sailed from Sydney on ''La Coquille'', arriving in the Bay of Islands on 4 April 1824. George was trained as a blacksmith and was appointed to the CMS mission in Kerikeri. Then he worked at Te Waimate mission, teaching the Māori students. From 1831 to 1839, Clarke and Richard Davis managed the farm at Waimate North at which Maori students learnt farming skills. He was appointed as secretary of the CMS in New Zealand. His son Edward Blomfield Clarke was the first child baptised in St. John the Baptist Church at Te Waimate Mission (10 July 1831). Edward Blomfield Clarke later took holy orders and was appointed to St. John the Baptist Church (1863-1884) and was also appointed the Archdeacon of Te Waimate (1870-1901). In 1840, Clarke was made Chief Protector of the

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

by the recently appointed lieutenant-governor, Captain Hobson. The seat of government was transferred to

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

, and there Clarke bought a large block of land from the Māori for the government. Governor

George Grey Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Go ...

abolished the protectorate in 1846. Clarke returned to

Waimate North Waimate North is a small settlement in Northland, New Zealand. It is situated between Kerikeri and Lake Ōmāpere, west of the Bay of Islands. It was one of the earliest centres of European settlement and features the second-oldest surviving E ...

and became a farmer and resumed his work as secretary of the CMS in New Zealand. However controversy in relation to land purchases by CMS missionaries resulted in Clarke being dismissed from the CMS in 1849. Clarke was elected to the

Auckland Provincial Council The Auckland Province was a province of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. Area The province covered roughly half of the North Island of New Zealand. It was the largest of the six initial provinces, both ...

at the

1853 New Zealand provincial elections The 1853 New Zealand provincial elections were the first elections in New Zealand to elect members and superintendents to the newly created Provinces of New Zealand. The elections were held between July and September 1853, at the same time as th ...

and served from 1853 to 1855. He was appointed a judge of the

Native Land Court Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and enterta ...

in 1865. He died at Waimate North on 29 July 1875.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke, George 1798 births 1875 deaths New Zealand educators English Anglican missionaries Anglican missionaries in New Zealand Flagstaff War District Court of New Zealand judges New Zealand public servants English emigrants to New Zealand Colony of New Zealand judges Māori Land Court judges 19th-century New Zealand politicians