Charles Bourne

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Original information:
Charles Bourne (1829-1907) migrated as a single man. He was a groom, and his fare was paid to look after a horse named Old Canterbury, owned by Walts Russell.

Charles came from Oundle, Northamptonshire. He met his wife, Amey Smart (sister of Enoch, Emon, Amos and Edward), on the Randolph. She was travelling as a single woman but her whole family was on board.

Charles and Amey married in 1852 and had 16 children, 15 of whom survived.

Charles set up as a cabinetmaker in Christchurch but they soon got their own farm in Riccarton. Some time in the 1860s they bought a farm at Burnham, and a decade or so later they had land at Southbridge. Finally, they bought a large property at Waimate. By 1900, Amey had died and Charles was retired and living in Timaru.

At least 102 descendants are known, including two families in Christchurch, one in Ashburton, one in Auckland, another in Australia and one in Paris.

Readers’ response:
According to a family member, the spelling of “Bourne’’ is incorrect. They have several documents, including marriage and birth certificates, that show Bourn is spelt without an “e’’. At some stage the “e’’ was added, for reasons unknown. ¹

Footnotes:
1. Information supplied by Maurice Bourne