Vincent Pyke
Encyclopedia
Vincent Pyke was a 19th century politician in Otago, New Zealand
and Castlemaine, Victoria
, Australia
.
, England
. He married Frances Renwick in 1846 at Bristol
, England; they had four sons and one daughter.
where he spent two years as a miner around Bendigo and opened a store at Forest Creek. He was elected to represent Castlemaine in the Victorian Legislative Assembly
from November 1855 to March 1856 and Castlemaine Boroughs from November 1856 to February 1857 and October 1859 and June 1862.
. He then moved to Dunstan
and Clyde
. He was the first Chairman of Vincent County, which was named after him following an ironic suggestion by an opponent.
He represented the electorates of Wakatipu
1873–1875, then Dunstan
1875–1879 until he was defeated. He then represented Tuapeka
from 1893 to 1894 when he died. He was noted for his loyalty to Clyde and his Central Otago constituents.
He was also a journalist, and wrote two novels about life on the goldfields, Wild Will Enderby (1873) and The Adventures of George Washington Pratt (1874).
, Otago, and is buried in the Dunedin Northern Cemetery
.
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...
and Castlemaine, Victoria
Castlemaine, Victoria
Castlemaine is a city in Victoria, Australia, in the Goldfields region of Victoria about 120 kilometres northwest by road from Melbourne, and about 40 kilometres from the major provincial centre of Bendigo. It is the administrative and economic centre of the Shire of Mount Alexander. The...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Early life
He was born in SomersetSomerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, 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...
. He married Frances Renwick in 1846 at Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, England; they had four sons and one daughter.
Australia
They went to Australia in 1851, first South Australia and then the gold diggings in VictoriaVictoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
where he spent two years as a miner around Bendigo and opened a store at Forest Creek. He was elected to represent Castlemaine in the Victorian Legislative Assembly
Victorian Legislative Assembly
The Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of Victoria in Australia. Together with the Victorian Legislative Council, the upper house, it sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Melbourne.-History:...
from November 1855 to March 1856 and Castlemaine Boroughs from November 1856 to February 1857 and October 1859 and June 1862.
New Zealand
In 1862 he visited the Otago goldfields, and became Secretary or Commissioner of the goldfields for the Otago Provincial CouncilOtago Province
The Otago Province was a province of New Zealand until the abolition of provincial government in 1876.-Area:The capital of the province was Dunedin...
. He then moved to Dunstan
Dunstan
Dunstan was an Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey, a Bishop of Worcester, a Bishop of London, and an Archbishop of Canterbury, later canonised as a saint. His work restored monastic life in England and reformed the English Church...
and Clyde
Clyde, New Zealand
Clyde is a small town in Central Otago, New Zealand with a population of 918 in 2006. It is located on the Clutha River, between Cromwell and Alexandra....
. He was the first Chairman of Vincent County, which was named after him following an ironic suggestion by an opponent.
He represented the electorates of Wakatipu
Wakatipu (New Zealand electorate)
Wakatipu was a parliamentary electorate in the Otago Region of New Zealand, from 1871 to 1928.Wakatipu was represented by eight Members of Parliament:* Charles Edward Haughton in 1871* Bendix Hallenstein from 1872 to 1873* Vincent Pyke from 1873 to 1875...
1873–1875, then Dunstan
Dunstan (New Zealand electorate)
Dunstan was a former parliamentary electorate in the Otago region of New Zealand, from 1871 to 1890.-History:The Dunstan electorate was created in 1871 for the 5th Parliament. The first elected representative was Thomas Luther Shepherd, who won the 1871 general election. He retired at the end of...
1875–1879 until he was defeated. He then represented Tuapeka
Tuapeka (New Zealand electorate)
Tuapeka is a former parliamentary electorate in the Otago region of New Zealand.-Members of Parliament:Key From 1855 to 1862 Vincent Pyke represented Castlemaine and Castlemaine Boroughs in the Victorian Legislative Assembly....
from 1893 to 1894 when he died. He was noted for his loyalty to Clyde and his Central Otago constituents.
He was also a journalist, and wrote two novels about life on the goldfields, Wild Will Enderby (1873) and The Adventures of George Washington Pratt (1874).
Death
He died at LawrenceLawrence, New Zealand
Lawrence is a small town of 474 inhabitants in Otago, in New Zealand's South Island. It is located on State Highway 8, the main route from Dunedin to the inland towns of Queenstown and Alexandra...
, Otago, and is buried in the Dunedin Northern Cemetery
Dunedin Northern Cemetery
The Dunedin Northern Cemetery is a major historic cemetery in the southern New Zealand city of Dunedin. It is located close to Lovelock Avenue on a spur of Signal Hill close to the Dunedin Botanic Gardens and the suburb of Opoho, overlooking Dunedin North and Logan Park. The site was set aside in...
.
External links
- entry in 1966 Encyclopaedia of New Zealand
- five works by Pyke from the New Zealand Electronic Text CentreNew Zealand Electronic Text CentreThe New Zealand Electronic Text Centre is a unit of the library at the Victoria University of Wellington which provides a free online archive of New Zealand and Pacific Islands texts and heritage materials. The NZETC has an ongoing programme of digitisation and feature additions to the current...
- Parliament of Victoria database
- Cartoon of Vincent Pyke in New Zealand Parliament