Thomas Bevan (author)

Bevan, c. 1880s

Thomas Bevan (1836 – 21 November 1913) was a British settler, farmer, and author in New Zealand.[1] He is known for his memoir, Reminiscences of an Old Colonist, which recounts the journey he took as a child in 1845, walking from Wellington to Waikawa, north of Ōtaki, alongside his siblings and their guide, Ropina.[2][3]

Biography

Bevan was born in 1836 in Whitchurch, Shropshire, England.[1] He was the son of Thomas Bevan (1801–1881), a rope maker. In 1841, at the age of five, Bevan emigrated to New Zealand with his father and siblings aboard the ship Lady Nugent.[4]

In 1845, nine-year-old Bevan and his siblings walked from Wellington to Waikawa, led by a Māori guide Ropina also known as Tamihana Whakatupuhina.[5][6] In his later years, Bevan authored Reminiscences of an Old Colonist (1907).[7][5]

Bevan married Haana Ransfield in 1858.[4][8] He died on 21 November 1913[9][3] in Ōtaki.[2][10]

References

  1. 1 2 "Bevan, Thomas". The Cyclopedia of New Zealand. 1897.
  2. 1 2 "Late Mr. T Bevan". New Zealand Times. 29 November 1913. p. 8.
  3. 1 2 Carman, Arthur H. (1956). Tawa Flat and the Old Porirua Road, 1840-1955. A.H. Carman. p. 19.
  4. 1 2 "Bevan, Thomas, 1836–1913". National Library of New Zealand. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Thomas Bevan 1836–1913". Glenside. Retrieved 1 February 2026.
  6. ↑ He Ara Pukerua (2025). The Long Walk. Pukerua Bay, New Zealand: He Ara Pukerua. ISBN 9780473771324.
  7. ↑ Bevan, Thomas (1907). Reminiscences of an Old Colonist. Otaki: Otaki Mail.
  8. ↑ Wanhalla, Angela (1 January 2014). Matters of the Heart: A History of Interracial Marriage in New Zealand. Auckland University Press. p. 78. ISBN 978-1-77558-591-6.
  9. ↑ "Persoal matters". The Evening Post (New Zealand). Vol. LXXXVI, no. 124. 21 November 1913. p. 2. Retrieved 12 May 2026.
  10. ↑ "Thomas Bevan". collections.tepapa.govt.nz. Retrieved 7 May 2026.
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