Reverend Richard Davis (18 January 1790 – 28 May 1863) was a New Zealand
meteorologist
A meteorologist is a scientist who studies and works in the field of meteorology aiming to understand or predict Earth's atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric phenomena including the weather. Those who study meteorological phenomena are meteorologists ...
, missionary and farmer. He made weather recordings in the northern
North Island
The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...
from 1839 to 1844, and 1849 to 1851, making them the oldest continuous land-based recordings in New Zealand. In 2019 they were inscribed into
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
's
Memory of the World Aotearoa New Zealand Ngā Mahara o te Ao
Memory of the World Aotearoa New Zealand Ngā Mahara o te Ao Register is a national register of New Zealand's documentary heritage as part of the Memory of the World Programme, maintained by UNESCO Aotearoa New Zealand Memory of the World Trust. ...
documentary heritage register. Davis was born in
Dorset
Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...
, England.
Career
Davis was a missionary. The
Church Mission Society
The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British Anglican mission society working with Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as ...
sent Davis and his wife and six children to
Northland in 1824, from
Dorset
Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...
. He then started a farm at
Waimate North
Waimate North is a small settlement in Northland Region, Northland, New Zealand. It is situated between Kerikeri and Lake Ōmāpere, west of the Bay of Islands.
It was one of the earliest centres of European settlement and features the second-o ...
in 1830
and grew seeds from England, including both fruits and vegetables. Understanding the climate was required to grow these plants.
He was ordained on
Trinity Sunday
Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost in the Western Christianity, Western Christian liturgical year, liturgical calendar, and the Sunday of Pentecost in Eastern Christianity. Trinity Sunday celebrates the Christian doctrine of the ...
1843.
He was appointed to
Kaikohe
Kaikohe is the seat of the Far North District of New Zealand, situated on State Highway 12 about from Auckland, and about from Whangārei. It is the largest inland town and highest community above sea level in the Northland Region. With a pop ...
from 1845 to 1854, then he returned to Te Waimate Mission from 1854 to 1863.
Davis made weather records in two journals, one from 1839 to 1844 at
Te Waimate Mission and
Kaikohe
Kaikohe is the seat of the Far North District of New Zealand, situated on State Highway 12 about from Auckland, and about from Whangārei. It is the largest inland town and highest community above sea level in the Northland Region. With a pop ...
, and the other from 1849 to 1851.
The gap occurred when Davis was ordained a
deacon
A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions.
Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...
and established Kaikohe Mission Station.
The recordings were of temperature and barometric pressure, with qualitative comments on wind speed and direction, extreme weather and cloud cover.
The temperature was recorded twice a day, at 9 am and noon, and the air pressure was also measured at noon.
There are two records of snowfall which is a rare event in
Auckland
Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
and Northland, having only occurred since European settlement six times as of 2016. An entry from 30 July 1849 reads: "Hail storms. This morning the southern hills and Poutahi covered with snow".
The recordings are believed to be the oldest continuous land-based recordings in New Zealand,
possibly making Davis the country's first meteorologist. The
Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...
had begun making regular land-based observations in Auckland in the 1850s.
The observations have been used by the
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research
The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research or NIWA (), is a Crown Research Institute of New Zealand. Established in 1992, NIWA conducts research across a broad range of disciplines in the environmental sciences. It also maintai ...
(NIWA) to study the weather in that region of the country as well as
climate change
Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
.
In 2019 Davis's weather records were inscribed into
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
's
Memory of the World Aotearoa New Zealand Ngā Mahara o te Ao
Memory of the World Aotearoa New Zealand Ngā Mahara o te Ao Register is a national register of New Zealand's documentary heritage as part of the Memory of the World Programme, maintained by UNESCO Aotearoa New Zealand Memory of the World Trust. ...
documentary heritage register.
They are kept at the
Auckland Council Libraries.
Davis had also sent several hundred letters to England, which included observations of geography, social interactions between
European settlers and
Māori
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...
, and astronomy, including comets and the
southern lights.
Personal life
Davis was born on 18 January 1790 in
Dorset
Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...
, England. He died on 28 May 1863 in New Zealand. His friend Reverend John Coleman wrote a memoir about him.
Notes
References
*
Further reading
*
External links
Register of thermometer and barometerfrom 1849 to 1851
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Richard
1790 births
1863 deaths
New Zealand meteorologists
New Zealand missionaries
English emigrants to New Zealand