User:Liveste/Spencer

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James Spencer (1790–1846) was a mariner and settler in pre-colonial New Zealand. Originally from the British Isles, Spencer founded the first European settlement in the South Island, and one of the first in the country.

Early life and migration
James Spencer may have been born in Ireland under the surname "Power". John Hall-Jones speculates that James Spencer's father died while James was still a child, some time after which his mother remarried and changed their surnames to "Spencer". Historians still generally believe that Spencer arrived in New Zealand from England. Family traditions indicate that he had a military career, serving at the Battle of Corunna in 1809 and the Battle of Waterloo in 1815; during his career he also attained the rank of sergeant.

After his arrival in the Southern Hemisphere, Spencer became a mariner. He was employed on sealing and whaling vessels that frequented the waters around the South Island of New Zealand. He may have also been present at the Christian Mission Station at Kerikeri in the Hokianga in 1823.

Settlement at Bluff
It is generally believed that James Spencer arrived in Bluff, at the bottom of New Zealand's South Island, between 1823 and 1825 aboard the St. Michael. Different dates exist for his exact arrival, none of which have been proved conclusively.

Spencer purchased land surrounding Bluff Harbour from the local Ngāi Tahu chief Tuhawaiki; a letter written in the 1830s dates this transaction at January 1824. He established a settlement at the site of the present township of Bluff, initially called Old Man's Bluff. Spencer was joined at Bluff by two others, Captain William Stirling and James Joss. He bought land from local Māori and cleared 24 ha for cultivation. He employed 21 workers (Pākeha and Māori) for his fishing station there, and other settlers soon followed.

From its early days, the settlement at Bluff was used as a port of call for whaling ships heading into the Southern Ocean. He continued to work on ships in Australian and New Zealand waters, as a member of Johnny Jones' whaling crew. Local Māori knew him as "Timi Katoa" (Jimmy the Strong): John Hall-Jones speculates that this could refer to either his imposing physical stature or a translation of his birth name, James Power.

In 1832, Spencer is recorded to have been at the Preservation Inlet shore whaling station, where he witnessed the first native land sale between chief Te Whakataupuka and the station manager Peter Williams. About ten years after his arrival, Spencer bought two sections of land from main chief Tuhawaiki, confirmed by native title deeds in 1839.

Later years
Spencer married twice, both times to Māori women: it was common for pre-colonial European settlers in New Zealand to marry Māori women. His first wife was Hineraukawakawa. With no established church in the then-named Middle Island, their marriage was arranged in accordance with Māori tradition. Through this marriage Spencer had one son, Te Paora, who later married but died without issue, although he and his wife adopted one son. His second wife was Mere Kauri, whom he married in on 27 January 1841. They were married by Rev. Watkins in Waikouaiti, in the first Christian marriage in the South Island. James and Mere had two sons together, James and William.

James Spencer reportedly died in 1846 while travelling across the Tasman Sea. Different reasons exist regarding the purpose of his last journey: he may have been seeking treatment for an illness, or travelling to Sydney to settle a land claim dispute.