Edward Wingfield Humphreys
Edward Wingfield Humphreys (* 1841 in Montgomeryshire, Wales, † April 12, 1892 in London, England), was Welsh lawyer, New Zealand politician and a farmer, the founder of the city of Middelburg March in Otago, New Zealand.
Wales / England
Edward Wingfield Humphreys was born in 1841 in Garthmyl in the Welsh county of Montgomeryshire. It can be assumed that his father, the lawyer Erskine Humphreys from Garthmyl was that, probably passed on the tradition of the family to take a legal profession at him, and the grandfather of his putative father, Arthur James Johnes (1809-1871), also lawyer and a judge of the County Court ( Amtsgericht ) in Wales was. It must also be assumed that he had a brother, Arthur Charles Humphreys -Owen (1836-1905), who was also a lawyer and later was a politician in Wales ..
Edward studied how his supposed brother to the traditional elite school Harrow School in Harrow on the Hill, now located in the northeastern part of London. Where he graduated to lawyers, is not known.
New Zealand
The first entry, which can be found on Edward Wingfield Humphreys in New Zealand, refers to its land of "Run 213A ", the northern part of Strath Taieri, which covered 25,600 acres, equivalent to almost 104 km ² of land meant in metric dimensions. Registered were 67 cows and 15,100 sheep. Next to him, a certain McFarlane was in 1866 in the books yet registered, which later but never made its appearance again. When and where Humphreys came to New Zealand is not known.
On April 21, 1869 he married his wife Alice Hawdon in Christchurch. The marriage remained childless. Not only in farm economy interested in, Humphreys had record on November 22, 1870 by choice, founded in 1867 after the British model Royal Society of New Zealand.
1878 bought Humphreys compete for possession of more land in the area of Six Mile Creek itself and thus became one of the largest landowners Otago. The battle for the still free land was accompanied very critical of the press. This is him as a squatter ( squatters ) designated him very hit.
The highlight of his involvement in Strath Taieri was probably the construction of his stately home on his farm, which he called Garthmyl, in memory of his home in Wales. Added to this was that he probably in anticipation of the planned and begun in 1879 of the railway Otago Central Railway initiated the establishment of Middelburg March, the later railway station and largest city in the Strath Taieri level was. Humphreys filed on December 14, 1880 just over 13 acres ( approx. 53,600 m²) land at the Chas. Bank in Dunedin and laid the " foundation " for the city. In the same year, on August 17, 1880, he had himself elected as a member of, founded on July 24, 1869 Otago Institute.
In 1885, Humphreys and his wife, the farm was chattel auction, the farm because it is not available for sale, lease and moved to Christchurch, where he wanted to devote himself henceforth the policy. From 1889 to 1890 he sat as representative of Christ Church North in the House of Representatives and from 1890 he was a council member of the City Council ( Council ) of its new residential home. Not born a politician, he left no traces in both political offices.
In 1891 he went with his wife returned to England to seek treatment for his cancer suffering. He did not survive this and succumbed to his sufferings on 12 April 1892 in London.
His farm was divided Garthmyl on 26 November 1891 several new owners by auction.
In an obituary of the Otago Witness from May 12, 1892 Humphreys was described as a Christian liberal man, handlebars and companion, always friendly, generous and provided with the good manners of a sincere gentleman. In the history of New Zealand and Otago he has, however, only earned a name as the founder of Middlemarch.
Swell
- Helen M. Thompson, East of the Rock and Pillar, Otago Centennial Historical Publication, Whitcombe & Tombs Ltd.. , Dunedin, 1949.
- Portrait of Edward Wingfield Humphreys and historical notes - Alexander Turnbull Library