Felix Wakefield

Felix Wakefield (30 November 1807 – 23 December 1875) was an English colonist.

The seventh child of Edward Wakefield (1774–1854) and Susanna Crash (d. 1816) of Felstead; he was the brother of Arthur and Edward Gibbon Wakefield. In 1831 he married Marie Bailley, by whom he had nine children.

When he left school Felix began working with his father and training as a surveyor and civil engineer. This was interrupted, however, in 1826 as a result of the scandal surrounding his brothers, Edward Gibbon and William Wakefield and also his stepmother. When he eventually finished his training he rejoined his father, now in exile in Blois, France. Soon afterwards he impregnated a servant girl, Marie Bailley and was required to marry her. In 1832 the young family emigrated to Tasmania where Felix was employed as a surveyor. Although initially successful, Felix's work did not impress the authorities and such was his personality that when criticised he usually resorted to litigation and argument. As a result of this, he became extremely unpopular and eventually unemployable. Various attempts to recoup his fortunes were unsuccessful and by 1846 the family was destitute. Abandoning his wife and youngest child in Tasmania, Felix took the other eight children and returned to England.

Most of the responsibility for supporting the family fell on his older sister, Catherine Torlesse, and brother, Edward Gibbon, who was himself recovering from a major stroke. But Edward Gibbon was also involved in the promotion and planning of a new scheme for the colonisation of New Zealand, the Canterbury Association, under the auspices of the Church of England and he persuaded himself that his brother Felix and his surveying skills had a contribution to make. The plan that Felix drew up for surveying the Canterbury Plains was largely adopted and contributed significantly to the early success of the colony. However it was not easy, as Felix was just as hard to work with in England as he had been in Tasmania.

...
Wikipedia