Alfred Richard Creyke
Encyclopedia
Alfred Richard Creyke JP
(1831 – 30 November 1892) was a 19th century Member of Parliament in Canterbury, New Zealand
. He was a significant landholder in Canterbury. Of English descent, he spent just over ten years in the colony before returning home.
on the boundary of Staffordshire
and Derbyshire
, England
.
Creyke emigrated to New Zealand, travelling on the Canterbury (at the time a new ship). The ship left the East India Docks
in London
on 18 June 1851 and arrived in Lyttelton
on 18 October with 143 passengers and staff on board.
that he managed together with his friend and business partner John Charles Watts-Russell
on behalf of an absentee land holder, and had his own land. The run's homestead was located at Racecourse Hill, about half way between Darfield
and Waddington
. He sold the station in 1860 or 1861.
Watts-Russell bought the Dalethorpe run off the Deans brothers from Riccarton
in 1851 and owned it until 1866, when he sold most of his property prior to going overseas. In the early years, he had this run managed by Creyke. Watts-Russell had named it Dalethorpe after a family property back in his native Staffordshire
. It is located in the Malvern Hills (named after the English Malvern Hills
) behind Homebush, with Dalethorpe Road leading into the area.
Creyke also bought rural sections RS 238 and 239 in Sydenham
. The area is these days the largest remaining length of strip shopping in Christchurch, with Colombo Street
running through it. He had land in Kaiapoi
. He owned a significant amount of property in Linwood
in the area that is now Linwood Avenue (Rural Sections 1144-1151, coming to 509 acres).
. The Ilam School of Fine Arts
moved into the Okeover homestead in 1957 (it was the first department to move to the new site in Ilam), and moved into a new building in 1979. These days, the Continuing & Bridging Education department uses the building.
in the 1861 general election. He resigned from Parliament on 21 April 1862.
He was succeeded by William Thomson
, who took his oath on 30 July 1862.
All Canterbury MPs who stood for election for the Canterbury Provincial Council
later in 1861 had in common that they did not get elected. The ones affected were Crosbie Ward
(representing Lyttelton
in Parliament, standing for Lyttelton in the Provincial Council), Isaac Thomas Cookson
(representing Kaiapoi
, standing for Lyttelton), John Cracroft Wilson (representing the City of Christchurch electorate
, standing for Christchurch), and Creyke (standing for the Avon district).
Probably in 1875, he married Elizabeth Rose Rebecca Creyke (née Bradshaw), the widow of Watts-Russell (who had died on 2 April 1875).
Alfred Creyke died on 30 November 1892 in Holbrook, a suburb of Horsham
in West Sussex
. He left a considerable estate in excess of £180,000. Through his will, he distributed his wealth to his wider family plus his wife, who also inherited all his remaining estate in New Zealand.
In 1894, his wife arranged for the western porch of the ChristChurch Cathedral to be built in his memory. On the south side of the Cathedral's nave
, there is also a Watts-Russell Memorial Window in memory of her first husband. His wife died on 7 October 1905 at Horsham.
Creyke Road in Ilam
is named after him. The University of Canterbury has used the name Okeover for various features. Okeover Stream is a tributary to the Avon River
and flows through the university grounds. The name was gazetted upon the university's suggestion by the New Zealand Geographic Board in 1968. Okeover Street is located in Linwood.
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
(1831 – 30 November 1892) was a 19th century Member of Parliament in Canterbury, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. He was a significant landholder in Canterbury. Of English descent, he spent just over ten years in the colony before returning home.
Early life
Creyke was the son of the vicar of Okeover, which is located north-east of AshbourneAshbourne, Derbyshire
Ashbourne is a small market town in the Derbyshire Dales, England. It has a population of 10,302.The town advertises itself as 'The Gateway to Dovedale'.- Local customs :...
on the boundary of Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
and Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Creyke emigrated to New Zealand, travelling on the Canterbury (at the time a new ship). The ship left the East India Docks
East India Docks
The East India Docks was a group of docks in Blackwall, east London, north-east of the Isle of Dogs. Today only the entrance basin remains.-History:...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 18 June 1851 and arrived in Lyttelton
Lyttelton, New Zealand
Lyttelton is a port town on the north shore of Lyttelton Harbour close to Banks Peninsula, a suburb of Christchurch on the eastern coast of the South Island of New Zealand....
on 18 October with 143 passengers and staff on board.
Commercial interests
Creyke had a large sheep run on the Canterbury PlainsCanterbury Plains
The Canterbury Plains are an area in New Zealand centred to the south of the city of Christchurch in the Canterbury Region. Their northern extremes are at the foot of the Hundalee Hills in the Hurunui District, and in the south they merge into the plains of North Otago beyond the Waitaki...
that he managed together with his friend and business partner John Charles Watts-Russell
John Charles Watts-Russell
John Charles Watts-Russell JP was a 19th century New Zealand politician, a member of the Canterbury Provincial Council and a member of the Legislative Council. He was supposedly the wealthiest of the early settlers, and his homestead became the centre of entertainment in Christchurch...
on behalf of an absentee land holder, and had his own land. The run's homestead was located at Racecourse Hill, about half way between Darfield
Darfield, New Zealand
Darfield is a town in the Selwyn District of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located 35 kilometres west from the outskirts of Christchurch, New Zealand on State Highway 73 and the town is on the Midland railway line, route of the famous TranzAlpine train service...
and Waddington
Sheffield and Waddington, New Zealand
Sheffield is a small village located in the Selwyn District of the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island, near the Waimakariri Gorge....
. He sold the station in 1860 or 1861.
Watts-Russell bought the Dalethorpe run off the Deans brothers from Riccarton
Riccarton, New Zealand
Riccarton is a suburb of Christchurch. It is due west of the city centre, separated from it by Hagley Park. Upper Riccarton is to the west of Riccarton.-History:...
in 1851 and owned it until 1866, when he sold most of his property prior to going overseas. In the early years, he had this run managed by Creyke. Watts-Russell had named it Dalethorpe after a family property back in his native Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
. It is located in the Malvern Hills (named after the English Malvern Hills
Malvern Hills
The Malvern Hills are a range of hills in the English counties of Worcestershire, Herefordshire and a small area of northern Gloucestershire, dominating the surrounding countryside and the towns and villages of the district of Malvern...
) behind Homebush, with Dalethorpe Road leading into the area.
Creyke also bought rural sections RS 238 and 239 in Sydenham
Sydenham, New Zealand
Sydenham is an inner suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand, located two kilometres south of the city centre, on and around the city’s main street, Colombo Street...
. The area is these days the largest remaining length of strip shopping in Christchurch, with Colombo Street
Colombo Street
Colombo Street is a main road of the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. It runs south-north through the centre of Christchurch with a break at Cathedral Square. As with many other central Christchurch streets, it is named for a colonial Anglican bishopric, Colombo, in what at the time was known as...
running through it. He had land in Kaiapoi
Kaiapoi
Kaiapoi is a town in the Canterbury region of the South Island of New Zealand, located close to the mouth of the Waimakariri River, and approximately 17 kilometres north of Christchurch....
. He owned a significant amount of property in Linwood
Linwood, New Zealand
Linwood is an inner suburb of the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. It lies to the East of the city centre, mostly between Ferry Road and Linwood Avenue, two of the major arterial roads to the Eastern suburbs of Christchurch.-History:...
in the area that is now Linwood Avenue (Rural Sections 1144-1151, coming to 509 acres).
Okeover homestead
In 1858, he built a homestead that he called Okeover. These days, the homestead and the land belong to the University of CanterburyUniversity of Canterbury
The University of Canterbury , New Zealand's second-oldest university, operates its main campus in the suburb of Ilam in the city of Christchurch, New Zealand...
. The Ilam School of Fine Arts
Ilam School of Fine Arts
The School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury was founded in 1882 as the Canterbury College School of Art. The school became a full department of the university in the 1950s, and was the first department to move to the suburban Ilam site in 1957, in the Okeover Homestead...
moved into the Okeover homestead in 1957 (it was the first department to move to the new site in Ilam), and moved into a new building in 1979. These days, the Continuing & Bridging Education department uses the building.
Other
Creyke was one of the first members of the Canterbury Jockey Club. Creyke was described as being "anything but easy-going".Political career
Creyke was elected unopposed for the Avon electorateAvon (New Zealand electorate)
Avon is a former New Zealand Parliamentary electorate.-Population centres:The electorate is in the eastern suburbs of Christchurch, New Zealand, based on the suburb of Avonside.-History:...
in the 1861 general election. He resigned from Parliament on 21 April 1862.
He was succeeded by William Thomson
William Thomson (politician)
William Thomson was a 19th century Member of Parliament in Christchurch, New Zealand.He represented the Avon electorate from 1862 to 1866, when he retired.-References:...
, who took his oath on 30 July 1862.
All Canterbury MPs who stood for election for the Canterbury Provincial Council
Canterbury Province
The Canterbury Province was a province of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. On the east coast the province was bounded by the Hurunui River in the north and the Waitaki River in the south...
later in 1861 had in common that they did not get elected. The ones affected were Crosbie Ward
Crosbie Ward
Crosbie Ward was a 19th century Member of Parliament in Canterbury, New Zealand. He was born in County Down, Ireland.He represented the Town of Lyttelton electorate from 1858 to 1866. He was a cabinet minister, Postmaster-General and Secretary for Crown Lands. He then represented the Avon...
(representing Lyttelton
Lyttelton (New Zealand electorate)
Lyttelton is a former New Zealand Parliamentary electorate. It existed from 1853–90, and again from 1893–1996, when it was replaced by the Banks Peninsula electorate.-Population Centres:...
in Parliament, standing for Lyttelton in the Provincial Council), Isaac Thomas Cookson
Isaac Thomas Cookson
Isaac Thomas Cookson was a 19th century Member of Parliament in Canterbury, New Zealand.He represented the Christchurch Country electorate in 1860 and then the Kaiapoi electorate from 1861 to 1863, when he resigned.-References:...
(representing Kaiapoi
Kaiapoi (New Zealand electorate)
Kaiapoi was a rural New Zealand electorate, north of Christchurch in the Canterbury Region of New Zealand from 1861 to 1946. It was represented by twelve members of Parliament.-History:The electorate dates from 1861....
, standing for Lyttelton), John Cracroft Wilson (representing the City of Christchurch electorate
Christchurch (New Zealand electorate)
Christchurch was a parliamentary electorate in Christchurch, New Zealand. It existed three times. Originally it was the Town of Christchurch from 1853 to 1860. From the 1860–61 election to the 1871 election, it existed as City of Christchurch. It then existed from the 1875–76 election until the...
, standing for Christchurch), and Creyke (standing for the Avon district).
Later life
Creyke returned to England in the early 1860s.Probably in 1875, he married Elizabeth Rose Rebecca Creyke (née Bradshaw), the widow of Watts-Russell (who had died on 2 April 1875).
Alfred Creyke died on 30 November 1892 in Holbrook, a suburb of Horsham
Horsham
Horsham is a market town with a population of 55,657 on the upper reaches of the River Arun in the centre of the Weald, West Sussex, in the historic County of Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester...
in West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
. He left a considerable estate in excess of £180,000. Through his will, he distributed his wealth to his wider family plus his wife, who also inherited all his remaining estate in New Zealand.
In 1894, his wife arranged for the western porch of the ChristChurch Cathedral to be built in his memory. On the south side of the Cathedral's nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
, there is also a Watts-Russell Memorial Window in memory of her first husband. His wife died on 7 October 1905 at Horsham.
Creyke Road in Ilam
Ilam, New Zealand
Ilam is a leafy suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand about five kilometres west of the city centre. It is the location of the University of Canterbury....
is named after him. The University of Canterbury has used the name Okeover for various features. Okeover Stream is a tributary to the Avon River
Avon River, Canterbury
The Avon River flows through the centre of the city of Christchurch, New Zealand, and out to an estuary, which it shares with the Heathcote River, the Avon Heathcote Estuary.- Geology :...
and flows through the university grounds. The name was gazetted upon the university's suggestion by the New Zealand Geographic Board in 1968. Okeover Street is located in Linwood.