George Clarke (judge)

{{Short description|New Zealand missionary, teacher, public servant, politician and judge}}

{{See also|New Zealand Church Missionary Society}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2016}}

{{Use New Zealand English|date=December 2016}}

{{Infobox person

|name = George Clarke

|image =

|caption =

|birth_date = {{Birth date|1798|01|27|df=yes}}

|birth_place = Wymondham, Norfolk, England

|death_date = {{Death date and age|1875|07|29|1798|01|27|df=yes}}

|death_place = Waimate North, New Zealand

|other_names =

|spouse = Martha Elizabeth Blomfield

|relatives =

|known_for =

|occupation = Missionary

|nationality = British

}}

George Clarke (27 January 1798 – 29 July 1875) was a New Zealand missionary, teacher, public servant, politician and judge. He was born in Wymondham, Norfolk, England on 27 January 1798.{{DNZB|title=George Clarke|first= Ray|last= Grover|id=1c18|accessdate=30 December 2016}} He joined the Church Missionary Society (CMS). Clarke married Martha Elizabeth Blomfield (born 11 December 1802 in Wymondham).{{cite book |last1= Rogers |first1= Lawrence M. |title= Te Wiremu: A Biography of Henry Williams|year=1973 |publisher=Pegasus Press, New Zealand }} the second daughter of Ezekiel Blomfield, a Congregational minister.{{cite web|title=Blain Biographical Directory of Anglican clergy in the South Pacific|date= 2015| url= http://anglicanhistory.org/nz/blain_directory/directory.pdf| access-date=12 December 2015}}

Clarke, his wife Martha and family (including their son George Clarke Jr..) sailed from Sydney on La Coquille, arriving in the Bay of Islands on 4 April 1824.{{cite web|title=The Missionary Register|pages=199|date= 1825| url= http://www.enzb.auckland.ac.nz/document/?wid=3024&page=0&action=null| publisher =Early New Zealand Books (ENZB), University of Auckland Library | access-date=9 March 2019}}{{cite book | title=An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand | year=1966 |publisher=Ministry for Culture and Heritage / Te Manatū Taonga |url= http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/clarke-george/1 | editor-first=A. H. | editor-last=McLintock | editor-link=Alexander Hare McLintock| chapter= CLARKE, George | access-date= 14 January 2011}}{{cite web| title =George Clarke (1798–1875 |url= http://www.clarke.org.nz/?sid=10| access-date=14 September 2011}} George was trained as a blacksmith and was appointed to the CMS mission in Kerikeri.{{cite web| last = Williams| first = Frederic Wanklyn|title= Through Ninety Years, 1826–1916: Life and Work Among the Maoris in New Zealand: Notes of the Lives of William and William Leonard Williams, First and Third Bishops of Waiapu (Chapter 3)| publisher=Early New Zealand Books (NZETC)|url= https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WilThro.html }} Then he worked at Te Waimate mission, teaching the Māori students.{{cite book |last1= Bedggood |first1= W.E. |title=Brief History of St John Baptist Church Te Waimate|year=1971|publisher=News, Kaikohe }}{{cite book |last1=Williams |first1= William |title= The Turanga journals, 1840–1850|url= http://www.enzb.auckland.ac.nz/document?wid=3676&action=null |year=1974|publisher=F. Porter (Ed) |page=34}}{{NZHPT|3|Te Waimate Mission House|2009-12-01}} From 1831 to 1839, Clarke and Richard Davis managed the farm at Waimate North at which Māori 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 by the recently appointed lieutenant-governor, Captain Hobson. The seat of government was transferred to Auckland, and there Clarke bought a large block of land from the Māori for the government.

Governor George Grey abolished the protectorate in 1846. Clarke returned to Waimate North 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.{{cite web|title=The Missionary Register|pages=221|date= 1851| url= http://www.enzb.auckland.ac.nz/document/?wid=3194&page=0&action=null| publisher =Early New Zealand Books (ENZB), University of Auckland Library | access-date=9 March 2019}} Clarke was elected to the Auckland Provincial Council at the 1853 New Zealand provincial elections and served from 1853 to 1855. He was appointed a judge of the Native Land Court in 1865. He died at Waimate North on 29 July 1875.