John Acland (politician)

The Honourable John Acland
John Acland in 1893
Member of the New Zealand Legislative Council
In office 8 July 1865 – 1 June 1899
Personal details
Born	(1823-11-25)25 November 1823
Died	18 May 1904(1904-05-18) (aged 80)
Spouse(s)	Emily Weddell Acland (m. 1860)
Relations	Bishop Harper (father-in-law) Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, 10th Baronet (father) Charles George Tripp (brother-in-law) Charles Blakiston (brother-in-law) Arthur Mills (brother-in-law) Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, 11th Baronet (brother) Henry Acland (brother) Hugh Acland (son) Jack Acland (grandson)

John Barton Arundel Acland (25 November 1823 – 18 May 1904), often referred to as JBA Acland or J.B.A. Acland, was born in Devon, England as the youngest child of Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, 10th Baronet. He followed his father’s path of education and became a barrister in London. With his colleague and friend Charles George Tripp, he formed the plan to emigrate to Canterbury, New Zealand, to take up sheep farming. They were the first to take up land in the Canterbury high country for this purpose. When they divided their land into separate holdings, Acland kept the 100,000 acres (400 km²) that made up the Mount Peel station.

Acland was a committed Anglican and married one of the daughters of Bishop Harper. He gave the land for a church, which they called the Church of the Holy Innocents with reference to four children buried there, including two of the Aclands. They had a homestead built for themselves, which was probably the first large building in South Canterbury constructed from permanent materials. Both the church and the homestead are registered with the New Zealand Historic Places Trust. Acland took on many public roles, including serving on the Legislative Council for a third of a century.

John Acland and his wife died in 1904 and 1905, respectively. They were survived by eight of their children, including the prominent surgeon Hugh Acland. The homestead is still owned by the Acland family, who take care of the restoration of the church, as it was damaged in the 2010 Canterbury earthquake.

Acland was born in 1823 in Devon, England, the ninth and youngest child of Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, 10th Baronet and his wife, Lydia Elizabeth Acland (née Hoare). Like his father, he was educated at Harrow and the University of Oxford, from where he graduated with a Master of Arts in 1845. He practised as a barrister in London from 1848. His friend, Charles George Tripp, introduced him to members of the Canterbury Association, who proposed the organised settlement of Canterbury in New Zealand with Anglican ideals; introductions included those to James FitzGerald and John Robert Godley. Tripp also worked in law.