William Oldfield Cautley (1822 – 17 February 1864) was a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

settler and politician.

Early life and family

Cautley was born in the English county of

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 ...

in 1822, the son of the Reverend Richard Cautley. He was educated at

Uppingham School Uppingham School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for pupils 13-18) in Uppingham, Rutland, England, founded in 1584 by Robert Johnson (rector), Robert Johnson, the Archdeacon of Leicester, who also established Oa ...

from 1837 to 1840, where he was an

exhibitioner An exhibition is a type of scholarship award or bursary. United Kingdom and Ireland At the universities of Dublin, Oxford, Cambridge and Sheffield, at some public schools, and various other UK educational establishments, an exhibition is a sma ...

on leaving, and then matriculated at

Emmanuel College, Cambridge Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay, Chancellor of the Exchequer to Elizabeth I. The site on which the college sits was once a priory for Dominican mon ...

in the

Michaelmas term Michaelmas term is the first academic term of the academic year in a number of English-speaking universities and schools in the northern hemisphere, especially in the United Kingdom. Michaelmas term derives its name from the Feast of St Micha ...

, 1840. However, in September 1841 he sailed from

West India Docks The West India Docks are a series of three docks, quaysides and warehouses built to import goods from and export goods and occasionally passengers to the British West Indies on the Isle of Dogs in London the first of which opened in 1802. Follow ...

on the ''Mary Ann'', bound for the

New Zealand Company The New Zealand Company, chartered in the United Kingdom, was a company that existed in the first half of the 19th century on a business model focused on the systematic colonisation of New Zealand. The company was formed to carry out the principl ...

's new settlement of

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 ...

, landing there on 8 February 1842. He began farming a property known as "Wensley Hill" at Waimea East (now called

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

). In September 1842 Cautley was appointed as the Nelson postmaster and clerk to magistrates, and in 1848 he was appointed a Justice of the Peace for the province of New Munster.

Political career

In 1850, Cautley was appointed as a member of the short-lived Legislative Council of the province of New Munster. In the 1853 general election, Cautley was elected as representative for the Waimea electorate alongside

David Monro Sir David Monro (27 March 1813 – 15 February 1877) was a New Zealand politician. He served as Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives from 1861 to 1870. Early life Monro was born in Edinburgh. His father was Alexander Monro, ...

. The first session of the

1st New Zealand Parliament The 1st New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. It opened on 24 May 1854, following New Zealand's first general election (held the previous year). It was dissolved on 15 September 1855 in preparation for that year's ...

started on 24 May 1854, and Cautley resigned his seat on 26 May 1854. He did not serve in any further Parliaments. In November 1854, Cautley was elected as a member for Waimea East on 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 ...

following the death of sitting member Francis Otterson. Cautley defeated Stephen Lunn Müller by 54 votes to 40.

Later life

Cautley died in

London London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

on 17 February 1864, after a long illness.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cautley, William Oldfield 1822 births 1864 deaths People from Buckinghamshire People educated at Uppingham School Alumni of Emmanuel College, Cambridge English emigrants to New Zealand Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Members of the Nelson Provincial Council New Zealand farmers New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates 19th-century New Zealand politicians Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council (1841–1853)