Sarah Ann Cripps (1822 – 8 June 1892) was a New Zealand accommodation-house keeper, shopkeeper, postmistress and midwife. She was born Sarah Ann Rigelsford in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England, in circa 1822. As a young woman, she set up her own dressmaking business, and married Isaac Cripps, a police officer, in 1844. After participating in

Charles Enderby Charles Enderby (1797–1876) was one of three sons of Samuel Enderby Junior (1756–1829). He was the grandson of Samuel Enderby (1717–1797), who founded the Samuel Enderby & Sons company in 1775. Samuel Enderby & Sons was one of th ...

's failed whaling settlement at Hardwicke on the

Auckland Islands The Auckland Islands (Māori: ''Motu Maha'' "Many islands" or ''Maungahuka'' "Snowy mountains") are an archipelago of New Zealand, lying south of the South Island. The main Auckland Island, occupying , is surrounded by smaller Adams Islan ...

from 1849, Isaac and Sarah moved to the

Wellington Region Greater Wellington, also known as the Wellington Region (Māori: ''Te Upoko o te Ika''), is a non-unitary region of New Zealand that occupies the southernmost part of the North Island. The region covers an area of , and has a population of T ...

with their four young children and lived in Island Bay. In 1857 the Cripps bought 40 acres of land at

Whareama Whareama is a rural area in the Wellington Region of New Zealand's North Island. The Whareama River flows through the area. Marae The community has two ''marae'' affiliated with the Ngāti Kahungunu ''hapū'' of Ngāi Tumapuhia-a-Rangi: Mot ...

on the route to the

Hawke's Bay Region Hawke's Bay ( mi, Te Matau-a-Māui) is a local government region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region's name derives from Hawke Bay, which was named by Captain James Cook in honour of Admiral Edward Hawke. The region is ...

and established and ran an accommodation house there called "Sevenoaks". The homestead (pictured) was built in wattle and daub with toi-toi and raupo thatching. Sevenoaks homestead, Whareama, New Zealand, ca 1860s

Sevenoaks homestead, Whareama, New Zealand, ca 1860s

Cripps became well known throughout the

Wairarapa The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service ...

for running the guest house, as well as a small shop and the local mail service. Her most important community involvement was as a mid-wife, as the nearest doctor was based in Masterton, some away. She also home-schooled her ten children: Mary Ann, Caroline, Emily, Harriet, Margaret, Ellen and Sarah (twins), Isaac, Thomas and George. Cripps later moved 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 metr ...

, where she lived on Adelaide Road in Newtown. She died in Wellington on 8 June 1892 after a long illness and is buried at

Karori Cemetery Karori Cemetery is New Zealand's second largest cemetery, located in the Wellington suburb of Karori. History Karori Cemetery opened in 1891 to address overcrowding at Bolton Street Cemetery. In 1909, it received New Zealand's first crema ...

. After her death, she was called "the best loved woman from Wellington to Ahuriri", the latter being 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 ...

name for Napier. She was survived by her husband, who died in 1904 at their daughter's place in Upper Plain near Masterton. Cripps is covered in volume 1 of Miriam Macgregor's book ''Petticoat Pioneers''.

References

External links

Photograph of Sarah Cripps: http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/3520/sarah-ann-cripps {{DEFAULTSORT:Cripps, Sarah 1822 births 1892 deaths New Zealand midwives English emigrants to New Zealand New Zealand postmasters New Zealand hoteliers Merchants from London Burials at Karori Cemetery 19th-century New Zealand people 19th-century English businesspeople