Rice Owen Clark
Rice Owen Clark (1816 – 16 June 1896) was an English settler in New Zealand, establishing a brickworks at Hobsonville that was the origin of Crown Lynn and Ceramco.
Biography[edit]
Clark was baptised in Great Marlow, Buckinghamshire, England, on 19 September 1816, the son of Josiah and Ann Clark[1] and the brother of engineers Edwin Clark and Josiah Latimer Clark.[2] He emigrated to New Zealand on the Gertrude, arriving at Port Nicholson on 31 October 1841.[3] He ran a church school in Wellington, but it was destroyed by earthquake and he subsequently moved to Auckland.[4]
In 1854 Clark bought land in Hobsonville, 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.[5] Much of the clay he used was being sourced from Limeburners Bay, which is now an archaeological site.[6]
When he was 33 years old, Clark was accused of bigamy at the Wellington Supreme Court, but he was found not guilty.[7]
Clark died at his home in Hobsonville on 16 June 1896,[8] and was buried at Hobsonville Cemetery.[9]
Legacy[edit]
In 1908 Clark's Potteries became R.O. Clark Limited.[10] His great-grandson, Tom Clark, inherited the business setting up a ceramics company which eventually became known as Crown Lynn Potteries Ltd.
Notes[edit]
- ^ "England, select births and christenings, 1538–1975". Ancestry.com Operations. 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
- ^ "Obituary". New Zealand Herald. 10 July 1896. p. 3. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
- ^ "Settlers advanced search". Hutt City Council. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
- ^ David Pearson Architects (August 2012). "Clark Cottage, Hobsonville, Auckland: a conservation plan" (PDF). Retrieved 20 February 2016.
- ^ NZ Historic Brick Database, Retrieved 1 September 2012
- ^ The Aucklander: Heritage has day in court, Retrieved 1 September 2012
- ^ New Zealand Lost Cases Project, 1 September 1849, Retrieved 1 September 2012
- ^ "Deaths". New Zealand Herald. 24 June 1896. p. 1. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
- ^ Gray, Matthew (15 February 2009). "Not the 'woman' he thought he was". Western Leader. p. 9. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ New Zealand Historical Places: Clark House, Retrieved 1 September 2012
References[edit]
- Clough, R. 2006. Hobsonville Limeburners Bay, Proposed Subdivision Dp104222: Archaeological Assessment. Unpublished Report.