John Tinline (1821 – 26 February 1907) was a Scottish-born New Zealand sheep farmer, politician, and philanthropist. He emigrated briefly to Australia before moving on to New Zealand. He learned

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 ...

and was made a magistrate. He was successful at sheep farming and owned huge farms. After he sold these he visited his home town and gave his Scottish hometown

Jedburgh Jedburgh (; gd, Deadard; sco, Jeddart or ) is a town and former royal burgh in the Scottish Borders and the traditional county town of the historic county of Roxburghshire, the name of which was randomly chosen for Operation Jedburgh in su ...

a new park.

Life

upleft, Plaque on the entrance to Allerley Well Park in Jedburgh Tinline was born in Jedburgh in 1821. His parents Esther ( Easton) and John were poor. He was taught at

Jedburgh Grammar School Jedburgh Grammar School is a state secondary school in Jedburgh, Scotland, with around 440 pupils, 40 teaching staff, and 15 non-teaching staff. History While the first institution bearing the name Jedburgh Grammar School was founded in the 15t ...

. His elder brother,

George Tinline George Tinline (28 October 1815 – 4 February 1895) was a nineteenth-century South Australian banker and politician. Tinline made his fortune when the Bank of South Australia created 25,000 guinea coins solving a currency crisis caused by a gol ...

, emigrated to Australia in 1838. On 3 September 1839 Tinline followed his brother and joined a ship, the '' Bengal Merchant'', bound for

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

. He arrived in January of the following year. He was expecting to find his brother in Sydney but George had moved to

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

to become the

Bank of South Australia BankSA, formerly known as the Bank of South Australia, the State Bank of South Australia and the Savings Bank of South Australia is the largest bank in South Australia. It is a subsidiary of Westpac. History Bank SA, formerly known as The Ba ...

's accountant at £400 a year. He soon found his brother and stayed with him whilst he took work doing some surveying. He decided to set sail again; this time for

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 New Zealand where he arrived in September 1840. Within weeks he had been introduced to others by his cousin, Robert Waitt, and he was a partner in a storekeeping business in Wellington. In 1842 he went to establish a new store for the company in

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

but while he was away the company warehouse caught fire and he was penniless. Jed shed and Rotary symbol on new tree in Jedburgh

Tinline had employed an assistant who had taught him to speak Maori. In 1844 the governor,

Robert FitzRoy Vice-Admiral Robert FitzRoy (5 July 1805 – 30 April 1865) was an English officer of the Royal Navy and a scientist. He achieved lasting fame as the captain of during Charles Darwin's famous voyage, FitzRoy's second expedition to Tierra de ...

, visited Nelson and appreciating Tinline's talents he made him a magistrate and an interpreter for the natives. He served in this role until 1852.

Rai Valley Rai Valley is a rural settlement in Marlborough Region, Marlborough, New Zealand. It is located on , northwest of Blenheim, New Zealand, Blenheim and east of Nelson, New Zealand, Nelson. The Rai River runs past the locality to join the Pelorus R ...

was one of the last areas explored by Europeans in northern

Marlborough Marlborough may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Marlborough, Wiltshire, England ** Marlborough College, public school * Marlborough School, Woodstock in Oxfordshire, England * The Marlborough Science Academy in Hertfordshire, England Austral ...

. Tinline discovered it together with

John Barnicoat John Wallis Barnicoat (June 1814 – 2 February 1905) was an English civil engineer and surveyor who emigrated to New Zealand. In his chosen homeland, he became a local politician in Nelson. Towards the end of his life, he was a member of the Ne ...

while looking for a route to

in January 1850. Tinline River's name commemorates his discovery of a route from Nelson to the Wairau. Tinline was a member of the

Nelson Provincial Council Nelson Province was constituted in 1853 under the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852, and originally covered the entire upper South Island, including all of present-day Buller, Kaikoura, Marlborough, and Tasman districts, along with Nelson Ci ...

during the second council. From 9 October 1857 to 26 January 1858, he represented the Wairau electorate. From 14 June 1859 to 12 March 1860, he represented the Amuri electorate. He is referred to as John Tinline of Amuri in university notices regarding nationwide prizes set up in his name, for "the student who achieved the highest aggregate marks in Stage III English courses". In 1891 he visited Jedburgh and whilst he was there he agreed to purchase a park for the town. As of 2020, the park still exists. A sign at the entrance records both the opening in 1891 and Tinline's generosity. The town gave him the Freedom of the Town. His brother George died in 1895.Biography of brother George https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/tinline-george-4725/text7839 Tinline died in

on 26 February 1907. Warwick House had been his residence.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tinline, John 1821 births 1907 deaths People from Jedburgh New Zealand farmers Members of the Nelson Provincial Council