Sarah Cripps
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Sarah Ann Cripps ( 1822 – 8 June 1892) was a New Zealand accommodation-house keeper, shopkeeper, postmistress and midwife.


Biography

Sarah Ann (née Rigelsford) Cripps, born in London, England, established a dressmaking business and married Isaac Cripps, a police officer, in 1844. After participating in
Charles Enderby Charles Enderby (1797–1876) was one of three sons of Samuel Enderby Junior (1756–1829). He was the grandson of Samuel Enderby (1717–1797), who founded the Samuel Enderby & Sons company in 1775. Samuel Enderby & Sons was one of t ...
's failed whaling settlement at Hardwicke on the
Auckland Islands The Auckland Islands ( Māori: ''Motu Maha'' "Many islands" or ''Maungahuka'' "Snowy mountains") are an archipelago of New Zealand, lying south of the South Island. The main Auckland Island, occupying , is surrounded by smaller Adams Island ...
from 1849, Isaac and Sarah moved to the
Wellington Region Greater Wellington, also known as the Wellington Region (Māori language, Māori: ''Te Upoko o te Ika''), is the southernmost regions of New Zealand, region of the North Island of New Zealand. The local government region covers an area of , and ...
with their four young children and lived in Island Bay. In 1857 the Cripps bought 40 acres of land at
Whareama Whareama is a rural area in the Wellington Region of New Zealand's North Island. The Whareama River flows through the area. Marae The community has two ''marae'' affiliated with the Ngāti Kahungunu ''hapū'' of Ngāi Tumapuhia-a-Rangi: Mot ...
on the route to the
Hawke's Bay Region Hawke's Bay () is a region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region is named for Hawke Bay, which was named in honour of Edward Hawke. The region's main centres are the cities of Napier and Hastings, while the more rural ...
and established and ran an accommodation house there called "Sevenoaks". The homestead (pictured) was built in wattle and daub with toi-toi and raupo thatching. Cripps was known in
Wairarapa The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service t ...
for running a guest house, a small shop and the local mail service. She also served as a mid-wife, which was important for the community as the nearest doctor was based in
Masterton Masterton () is a large town in the Wellington Region, Greater Wellington Region of New Zealand that operates as the seat of the Masterton District (a territorial authority or local-government district). It is the largest town in the Wairarapa ...
, some away. She home-schooled her ten children: Mary Ann, Caroline, Emily, Harriet, Margaret, Ellen and Sarah (twins), Isaac, Thomas and George. Cripps later moved to Wellington, where she lived on Adelaide Road in Newtown. She died in Wellington on 8 June 1892 after a long illness and is buried at
Karori Cemetery Karori Cemetery is the second-largest cemetery in New Zealand. It opened in 1891, and is located in the Wellington suburb of Karori. History Karori Cemetery opened in 1891 to address overcrowding at Bolton Street Cemetery. In 1909, it recei ...
. After her death, she was called "the best loved woman from Wellington to Ahuriri", the latter being the
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 ...
name for Napier. She was survived by her husband, who died in 1904 at their daughter's place in Upper Plain near Masterton. Cripps is covered in volume 1 of Miriam Macgregor's book ''Petticoat Pioneers''.


References


External links

Photograph of Sarah Cripps: http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/3520/sarah-ann-cripps {{DEFAULTSORT:Cripps, Sarah 1820s births 1892 deaths New Zealand midwives British emigrants to New Zealand New Zealand postmasters New Zealand hoteliers Merchants from London Burials at Karori Cemetery 19th-century New Zealand people 19th-century English businesspeople