Rice Owen Clark (1816 – 16 June 1896) was an English settler in New Zealand, establishing a brickworks at

Hobsonville Hobsonville is a suburb in West Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand. The area was administered by Waitakere City Council until the council was amalgamated into Auckland Council in 2010. Hobsonville Point, formerly the location of the ...

that was the origin of

Crown Lynn Crown Lynn was a New Zealand ceramics manufacturer that operated under various names between 1854 and 1989. Early history The pottery's origins started with an 1854 land purchase at Hobsonville, near Auckland, by Rice Owen Clark. He had arriv ...

and

Ceramco Crown Lynn was a New Zealand ceramics manufacturer that operated under various names between 1854 and 1989. Early history The pottery's origins started with an 1854 land purchase at Hobsonville, near Auckland, by Rice Owen Clark. He had arriv ...

Biography

Clark was baptised in

Great Marlow Great Marlow is a civil parishes in England, civil parish within Wycombe district in the England, English county of Buckinghamshire, lying north of the town of Marlow, Buckinghamshire, Marlow and south of High Wycombe. The parish includes the Ha ...

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

, England, on 19 September 1816, the son of Josiah and Ann Clark and the brother of engineers Edwin Clark and

Josiah Latimer Clark Josiah Latimer Clark FRS FRAS (10 March 1822 – 30 October 1898), was an English electrical engineer, born in Great Marlow, Buckinghamshire. Biography Josiah Latimer Clark was born in Great Marlow, Buckinghamshire, and was younger brother ...

. He emigrated to New Zealand on the ''Gertrude'', arriving at

Port Nicholson A port is a maritime law, maritime facility comprising one or more Wharf, wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge Affreightment, cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can a ...

on 31 October 1841. He ran a church school in

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 ...

, but it was destroyed by earthquake and he subsequently moved to

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

. In 1854 Clark bought land in

, becoming one of the first European settlers in the area. It was there that he set up a prosperous business making drain pipes, bricks and tiles for the increasing number of settlers. Much of the clay he used was being sourced from

Limeburners Bay Limeburners Bay, one of numerous bays in Port Phillip, lies in the southwest and adjoins Corio Bay, which abuts Geelong, the second largest city in Victoria, Australia. The bay was named after lime kilns, located on the east side of Corio Bay, us ...

, which is now an archaeological site. When he was 33 years old, Clark was accused of

bigamy In cultures where monogamy is mandated, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. A legal or de facto separation of the couple does not alter their marital status as married persons. I ...

at the Wellington Supreme Court, but he was found not guilty. Clark died at his home in Hobsonville on 16 June 1896, and was buried at Hobsonville Cemetery.

Legacy

In 1908 Clark's Potteries became R.O. Clark Limited.New Zealand Historical Places: Clark House
Retrieved 1 September 2012 His great-grandson, Tom Clark, inherited the business setting up a ceramics company which eventually became known as Crown Lynn Potteries Ltd.

Notes

References

* Clough, R. 2006. ''Hobsonville Limeburners Bay, Proposed Subdivision Dp104222: Archaeological Assessment.'' Unpublished Report. {{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Rice Owen 1816 births 1896 deaths People from Great Marlow English emigrants to New Zealand Settlers of New Zealand New Zealand businesspeople