William Hobson (abt.1793-1842) | WikiTree FREE Family Tree

Capt William Hobson

Born about 26 Sep 1793 in County Waterford, Ireland

Ancestors

Son of Samuel Meade Hobson and [mother unknown]

Brother of Richard Jones Hobson MA, Martha Angel (Hobson) Fortescue and Henry Theophilus Hobson

Husband of Parekuratahi Pouto — married [date unknown] [location unknown]

Husband of Eliza Ann (Elliot) Hobson — married 17 Dec 1827 in Nassau, Bahamas

Descendants

Father of Eliza (Hobson) Rendel, William Robert Hobson R.N., Mary Esther Hobson, Emma Churchill (Hobson) Brady, William Hopihana and Margaret Anna Hobson

Died 10 Sep 1842 at about age 48 in Auckland, New Zealand

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Profile last modified 8 Mar 2024 | Created 28 Apr 2017

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Preceded by
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William Hobson
1st Governor of
New Zealand

May 3 1841 - Sep 10 1842

Succeeded by
2nd Governor
Robert FitzRoy

1 Biography
- 1.1 Death and Burial
2 Research Notes
3 Sources

Biography

William Hobson is Notable.

Captain William Hobson, served as the 1st Govenor of New Zealand and was co-author of the Treaty of Waitangi. He was born 26 Sep 1792/93 in County Waterford, Ireland. His father was Barrister Samuel Meade Hobson and his mother was Martha Jones. He was the third of five sons^[1].

While visiting Nassau, in the Bahamas, William met and married Eliza Elliot daughter of a Scottish West Indian merchant, Robert Wear Elliott. They were married at Nassau on 17 December 1827. They went to England with Eliza's mother in mid 1828 when Hobson's ship, the Scylla, was paid off. To this marriage William and Eliza had five children, one boy and four girls. ^[2]

William joined the Royal Navy before his 10th birthday, signing on as a second class volunteer, at Deptford, London, on 25 August 1803.^[3]. In December 1838, he assumed the role of Lieutenant-Governor, working under the overarching authority of Sir George Gipps, who served as the Governor of New South Wales. His primary responsibility was to engage in negotiations with the Maori chiefs in New Zealand, aiming to secure a transfer of sovereignty over either a portion or the entirety of their respective territories.

During a gathering with the northern Maori chiefs at Waitangi on February 5, 1840, he elucidated the terms of the treaty and underscored its imperative nature. Following further discussions and clarifications the next day, the Treaty of Waitangi was formally signed.

His initial naval service occurred aboard La Virginie, under the command of Sir John Beresford, where he participated in North Sea blockade and convoy duties during the Napoleonic wars. Attaining the rank of midshipman in April 1806 while stationed in the West Indies, he later engaged in action against a French squadron in 1809 upon returning to British waters. Serving as a lieutenant on the sloop Peruvian, he actively participated in the War of 1812–14 with the United States. The Peruvian was part of the squadron that transported Napoleon into exile on St Helena in 1815.

After an 18-month hiatus without a posting, he resumed service, primarily focusing on the suppression of piracy in the West Indies while commanding the sloop Whim. Experiencing capture by pirates in 1821, he and his crew endured a week of harsh treatment before being released. In July 1823, while leading a small flotilla in attacks against pirate strongholds, he was once again captured but managed a daring escape, continuing his operations. The pirate chief who had previously captured him in 1821 was ultimately defeated, leading to his demise. Hobson's West Indian service was marred by yellow fever on three occasions, and he suffered persistent headaches for the remainder of his life.

Hobson earned a promotion to commander in March 1824, endorsed by Sir Edward Owen, who hailed him as 'an officer of great merit and intelligence.' After a stint in England, he returned to the West Indies, actively combating pirates and slave ships, even capturing the Spanish vessel Diana. It is during this trip that he met his future wife Eliza.

Deprived of patronage, Hobson spent six years without a command. He and his wife visited relatives in Ireland and then resided in Plymouth. Despite his efforts to secure a command, his requests were ignored until Lord Auckland assumed the role of the first lord commissioner of the Admiralty. In December 1834, Hobson was appointed commander of the frigate Rattlesnake, departing from Portsmouth in March 1835 for service in the East Indies. The Rattlesnake was later dispatched to the Australia station in 1836, where it played a role as a transport ship, contributed to the establishment of Williamstown (Melbourne), and conducted surveys in Port Phillip.

In early 1837, British Resident in New Zealand, James Busby, informed Hobson that tribal warfare was jeopardising British subjects. Hobson sailed to the Bay of Islands on the Rattlesnake, arriving on May 26. During his stay, he engaged with Busby, spoke with missionaries, prominent settlers, and Maori leaders. Collaborating with Samuel Marsden and Busby, he mediated between the warring chiefs, Pomare II and Titore, attempting reconciliation and cautioning against violence towards British subjects. Hobson explored other parts of the North Island, returning to the Bay of Islands on June 30. Sailing with Marsden to Port Jackson (Sydney), the ship was refitted and reached England in early 1838.

Submitting a report on New Zealand, Hobson proposed a system of trading 'factories' akin to those in India, along with a treaty with the Maori to secure the necessary land. In a letter to his wife, he entertained the idea of an official appointment to New Zealand. On December 12, 1838, Lord Glenelg, secretary of state for the colonies, urged the Foreign Office to consider appointing a British consul to New Zealand. Hobson accepted the role in February 1839; his appointment as consul was confirmed on August 13, 1839. His designation as lieutenant governor was ratified on July 30. Lord Normanby, Glenelg's successor, issued extensive instructions on August 14, outlining a rationale for intervention and providing directions for establishing a British colony. The sovereignty of the Maori people, affirmed by Busby's Declaration of the Independence of New Zealand in October 1835, was reasserted. Hobson was tasked with acquiring land from the Maori through fair and equitable contracts, reselling to settlers to fund future operations.

Departing from Plymouth on August 25 on the Druid with his family, Hobson arrived at Port Jackson on December 24. Spending three weeks there, he acquainted himself with George Gipps, the governor of New South Wales, and selected his staff. Leaving his family in Port Jackson, Hobson sailed on the Herald on January 19, 1840, arriving at the Bay of Islands on January 29. On January 30, in the CMS church at Kororareka (Russell), Hobson read the Queen's commission appointing him lieutenant governor, omitting his consular commission and cautiously referring to himself as only lieutenant governor of the British settlements in progress. Invitations were extended to Maori leaders for a meeting at Waitangi, where Busby and Hobson drafted the treaty. The meeting, held on February 5 in a large marquee, saw the British flag lowered, and the treaty read in English and Maori. Maori leaders initially opposed the treaty, but support grew after influential figures, advised by missionaries, endorsed it.

The next day, Hobson received signatures from over 40 chiefs, including 26 who had previously signed the 1835 Declaration of Independence. However, it became evident later that Henry Williams's translation of the treaty and Maori understanding were inadequate. A week later, Hobson and his staff attended a meeting at Mangungu, Hokianga, where there was concerted opposition to the treaty. After Hobson's assurances that the Crown would protect Maori lands, 56 or more chiefs eventually signed.

Sailing on February 21 to the Waitemata Harbour to survey it as the future capital and obtain signatures from other North Island Maori, Hobson renewed quarrels with Nias over the use of men and boats. On March 1, he suffered a stroke, paralyzing his right side and affecting his speech. He was cared for at the CMS mission station at Waimate North, while Nias reported to Port Jackson that Hobson was not expected to recover and Willoughby Shortland was acting in his stead. Hobson, however, began recovering and, by March 15, started a diary to his wife. Gipps sent Major Thomas Bunbury to assist Hobson, but upon arriving on April 16, Bunbury found Hobson performing most of his duties. They developed a close friendship.

Shortland organized the collection of treaty signatures in various parts of the country, and Bunbury sailed with soldiers on the Herald for the same purpose. Informed in February that New Zealand Company settlers had arrived at Port Nicholson, Hobson, on May 21, drafted proclamations asserting British sovereignty over the whole of New Zealand, disregarding the fact that treaty copies were still circulating. Shortland and soldiers were dispatched to Port Nicholson on May 25, disbanding the Council and striking the offending flags. Settlers' leader William Wakefield later visited the Bay of Islands, pledging allegiance to the Crown and suggesting Port Nicholson as the capital. Hobson declined but was reassured by their gesture.

Hobson encountered another challenge when the French frigate L'Aube arrived on July 11, en route to Banks Peninsula for the Nanto-Bordelaise Company expedition's settlement. The ship's captain, C. F. Lavaud, met Hobson but courteously declined to acknowledge his status until hearing from the French government. In response, Hobson swiftly dispatched two magistrates to Akaroa, aiming to signify 'effective occupation' by British subjects. L'Aube followed shortly after, and on August 17, the Nanto-Bordelaise ship Comte-de-Paris arrived, carrying the immigrants.

On September 18, the British flag was raised at the Waitemata Harbour, land was acquired, and preparations were underway to establish the capital there, named after Hobson's patron, Lord Auckland. The initial 40 immigrants arrived from Australia in October. The official move took place in February 1841, with government officials, their families, and records traveling from Kororareka on the brig Victoria. Compared to Port Nicholson, Auckland was sparsely populated, facing a shortage of labor, and had to import food from the north or Sydney, resulting in high prices for goods, wages, and rents.

Tensions with the New Zealand Company escalated in late 1840 when it offered land for sale in Wanganui and Taranaki. Port Nicholson settlers petitioned the Queen, expressing dissatisfaction with Hobson's treatment and seeking his dismissal. Hobson addressed their criticisms in a dispatch to the secretary of state on May 26, 1841.

New Zealand became a separate Crown colony from New South Wales when Hobson took the oath as governor and commander in chief on May 3, 1841, following a royal charter signed by Queen Victoria in the previous November. Now dealing directly with the home government, Hobson faced delays of at least nine months in receiving responses to his dispatches. His Executive and Legislative councils provided inferior advice. Shortland, the colonial secretary, proved brusque and incompetent, while George Cooper, the colonial treasurer, was even more unsatisfactory. Although competent, attorney general Francis Fisher suffered ill health and retired soon after. Hobson made some decisions based on misleading information, such as the controversial £15,000 land purchase at Kororareka, disapproved by the secretary of state. Questionable land appropriation in Auckland by Shortland and Felton Mathew, the acting surveyor general, further tainted the administration.

In August 1841, Hobson finally visited Wellington on the Victoria, addressing settlers' concerns, selecting magistrates, and improving relations. However, the New Zealand Company's founding of Nelson later caused additional discord. Hobson sailed to Akaroa to settle French claims before returning to Auckland, where he acquired more capable staff, including William Swainson as attorney general and William Martin as judge of the Supreme Court.

Following the murders of a European family, their servant, and a Maori child in the Bay of Islands in November 1841, fears of a Maori uprising arose. However, the Supreme Court trial and execution of Maketu proceeded without conflict, emphasizing the rule of law. A challenge to Hobson's authority emerged with intertribal warfare and cannibalism at Thames. Although Hobson initially considered sending soldiers, his officials, assisted by missionaries, eventually calmed the situation without conflict. Throughout his administration, Hobson lacked sufficient troops for major conflicts, relying on moral suasion. He appointed George Clarke as protector of aborigines, marking the inception of the Native Department, although compromised by Clarke's dual role as government land purchaser.

Death and Burial

In continuing ill health since his first stroke, Hobson suffered another stroke and died at 12.15 a.m. on 10 September 1842. After a military funeral on 13 September, he was interred in a brick vault in the new burial ground at Auckland, now known as Grafton cemetery. Eliza Hobson remained in New Zealand until June 1843, returning to England with her children and living at Stoke, Devonshire. She died in 1876.^[4].^[5].

His obituary appeared in the Nelson Examiner and the New Zealand Chronicle.^[6]. Simpson refers to Hobson's character and intelligence and sound education, saying "most of which was gained at sea, are reflected in his dispatches and letters. He was of medium height and slender build, appearing prematurely aged from years in the tropics and from the inroads of disease. His private conduct was irreproachable; he was a good husband, father and friend, a gracious host and an entertaining speaker. A firm Christian believer and member of the Church of England, he showed marked tolerance for other denominations. In his official duties he strove to be just, and saw protection of the Maori as a major reason for establishing British rule. He could be obstinate and lacking in diplomacy. He was capable of poor decisions, but the tragedy of his governorship arose mainly from his ill health and inept advisers, and unrealistic Colonial Office policy towards the new colony.

Research Notes

Double Dating Style guidelines used in this profile for his birthdate 1792/1793: With the absence of an actual birth record the later date is used in the detail of the profile until such time as one is found then the actual date on the primary record should be used . ^[7]

Profile has been formatted to take into double duplicate entries as a result of merge, not done.

Reworded copy and paste from NZ Biography to avoid copyright issues.
Willoughby Shortland (Sep 1804 - Oct 1869) also relative to profile mgrs James and Blomfield.