John Studholme

The Right Honourable John Studholme Esq.
Constituency	Kaiapoi, Gladstone
Personal details
Born	29 May 1829 Carlisle, England
Died	7 March 1903(1903-03-07) (aged 73) Northamptonshire, England
Political party	Independant
Spouse	Lucy Ellen Sykes Moorhouse (m. 10 February 1862)
Children	William Paul Studholme Col. John Studholme Lucy Ellen Studholme Florence Mary Studholme Joseph Francis Studholme
Alma mater	Queens College, Oxford

John Studholme (1829–1903) was a 19th-century British nobleman, early pioneer of New Zealand, farmer, philanthropist and politician in the Canterbury region of New Zealand.

Early life

John Studholme was born in 1829 to John Studholme, an aristocratic landowner from Cumbria, England. He was educated at Sedbergh School and Queens College, Oxford, where he was a university scholar and earned a blue rowing in the university eight.

At the age of 22, Studholme sailed to New Zealand with his two younger brothers Michael and Paul. Together they bought farmland in Selwyn and Rakaia. However the following year, after having set up farms they travelled to Australia to pursue the Victorian gold rush.

Establishing settlement and farming

In 1852, the Studholme brothers returned to New Zealand. Famously, they took a ship which only went as far as Nelson. Together they walked the 350 miles back to Christchurch. From this time on John and Michael began establishing large stations in both the North and South Islands. Paul Studholme returned to England in 1858. Over the next 20 years they acquired over 370,000 hectares (900,000 acres) and farmed extensively.

In 1854, to purchase cattle John and Michael Studholme both walked from Lyttelton to Dunedin (some 250 miles) at a time when there were no roads or bridged rivers. This made them the first Europeans to make such a journey, and along with William Henry Valpy the first Europeans to explore the South Island extensively on foot. Arriving in Dunedin, their cheque was refused at the cattle market since there was no bank yet in Otago to process it and no business transactions between the two provinces existed. John walked back to Lyttelton to get cash, leaving Michael with the cattle. He returned crossing rivers alone with the cash, blankets and provisions at great risk. From Dunedin after having paid for the cattle, the Studholme brothers took the cattle back to Christchurch crossing the Waitaki River. This would have been the first such crossing.

John Studholme explored Southland in 1854 with James Menzies and Edmund Bellairs. The area had recently been bought by Walter Mantell from the local Maori iwi. After a week's hard walking between the Mataura and Oreti Rivers, Menzies and Bellairs decided to go no further. Studholme continued by himself as far as the Waiau River.

After initially living at Lyttelton, John and his wife Lucy moved to land they owned at Hororata. When Micheal travelled to England for five years in 1964, they moved to his established homestead Waimate. In 1869 upon Michael's return, they bought the magnificent home of Merivale from Lucy's brother and sold Hororata to Prime Minister John Hall.

Time in Parliament

As a party-independent politician, he represented the Kaiapoi electorate from 1867 to 1874, when he resigned. He then represented the Gladstone electorate from 1879 to 1881, when he retired. He stood for Ashburton in 1902, and came second.

It is said that Studholme was repeatedly pressed by Prime Minister William Fox to join the government however he resolutely refused.

Other activities

Studholme was a director of the New Zealand Shipping Company and the Union Insurance Company.

Both John and Michael Studholme were avid horseracing enthusiasts and owned several racehorses. They won the New Zealand Cup three times: twice with their horse Knottingley and once with Magenta. They also owned the horses Belle of the Isle, Stormbird, and Nebula. John served on the committee of the Canterbury Jockey Club for many years.

Family

Studholme married Lucy Ellen Sykes Moorhouse on 10 February 1862, the daughter of William Moorhouse of Knottingley House, Knottingley, Yorkshire. Her brother, William Sefton Moorhouse, was Superintendent of Canterbury Province. Her sister Sarah Ann Moorhouse, was married to another renowned early European New Zealander William Barnard Rhodes.

They had five children:

• Lucy Ellen Studholme ( - 2 April 1945)
• Florence Mary Studholme ( - 14 Feb 1946)
• Col. John Studholme (10 February 1863 - 26 May 1934). Married Alexandra Thomson (1867-1907) daughter of Archbishop of York William Thomson on 23 June 1897.
• William Paul Studholme (23 April 1864 - 23 February 1941)
• Joseph Francis Studholme (10 March 1866 - 12 July 1930)

Colonel John Studholme inherited the New Zealand estates and the homestead Coldstream. He continued his father's farming and philanthropy. Studholme College at the University of Otago is named after him.

Namesakes

The South Canterbury region and town of Studholme is named for the Studholme brothers, most particularly Michael, who was the first settler in the area.. There is a Mount Studholme which is the source of the Otaio River. Part of Kaweka Forest Park in Hawke's Bay is named the 'Studholme Saddle' as it is where three of the largest Studholme family farms were: Karioi, Ruanui and Ohauko.. The Studholme Passes to Lake Ohau are also named after the family.

References

• Mosley, Charles (ed.) (2003) Burke's peerage, baronetage & knightage (107th ed.). Wilmington, Delaware: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd.
• Reed, A.W. (1975) Place names of New Zealand. Wellington: A.H. & A.W. Reed.
• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) New Zealand parliamentary record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103