William Bambridge
| William Bambridge | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1820 Windsor |
| Died | 1879 Wandsworth |
| Nationality | British |
| Known for | Royal photographer |
| Children | three footballers |
| Parent(s) | George White Bambridge and his second wife Harriet |
William Samuel Bambridge (19 March 1820 – 1 May 1879) was a school-teacher who accompanied George Augustus Selwyn and William Charles Cotton in the Te Waimate mission, New Zealand before returning to England where he became photographer to Queen Victoria. Three of his sons became England international footballers.
Bambridge was born in Windsor, Berkshire, England, the second son of George White Bambridge and his second wife, Harriet. His father was a professional flautist whose first wife had died within two years of their marriage. He had three children with Harriet who died in June 1821, shortly after the birth of her third son. George remarried in December 1848 and his third wife, Mary, bore him three children, the last of whom was born in December 1853, when George was 64. George died in September 1860.
William Bambridge married Sophia Thorington at Clewer on 2 November 1841. Bambridge had trained as a teacher and was recruited by Selwyn who had recently been appointed as the first bishop for New Zealand. Selwyn had been parish priest at Windsor and a tutor at Eton College and recruited most of the other clergy and ordinards from the surrounding area of Eton and Windsor to accompany him on his mission. The party also included William Charles Cotton who had been appointed as chaplain. The missionary party of 23 members set sail from Plymouth late on 26 December 1841 on board the barque Tomatin. In April 1842 the Tomatin arrived in Sydney. The boat was damaged by a rock on entering their landing place and, rather than wait for its repair, some of the party, including Selwyn, Cotton and Bambridge, set sail for New Zealand on the brig Bristolian on 19 May. They arrived in Auckland on 30 May. After spending some time as guests of Captain William Hobson, the first Governor of New Zealand, they set sail for the Bay of Islands on the schooner Wave on 12 June, arriving on 20 June.
...
Wikipedia