William Wakefield was born in Burnham-on-Crouch, Wickford, Essex (59km east of London) the fourth son of Land Agent Edward Wakefield (1774-1854) and Susanna ne Crush

- the 8 children of Edward and Susan Wakefield were:
Catherine Gurney Wakefield (1793-1873)
- she married Rev Charles Martin Torlesse
- they had 10 children
- son Charles Torlesse was a pioneer of New Zealand and had a sheep station in Rangiora
- son Henry Torlesse died in New Zealand in 1870

Edward Gibbon Wakefield (1796-1862)
- he was a barrister, coloniser and land developer with the NZ Company - he married his abducted heiress Ellen Turner, - she was 15 at the time, he was 31
- this marriage at Gretna Green was later annulled
- he married Eliza Susan Pattle, daughter of an opium trader, Canton Merchant, Thomas Charles Pattle
- a son of Edward and Eliza was Edward Jerningham Wakefield, an author of New Zealand, he helped in the founding of Wellington, New Plymouth and Nelson, he married Ellen Rowe, he is buried in the old Ashburton Cemetery, Canterbury,
- Edward Wakefield died on 14th May 1862 and is buried in Plot 3317, C of E section at Bolton St Cemetery, Wellington

Daniel Bell Wakefield (1798-1858)
As a child in England, Daniel was thought to be rather 'slow' and showed little initiative at school. During his later school years he lived with Francis Place, one of the leading radical reformers of the era and a friend of his father. On leaving school he was apprenticed to learn bookkeeping, conveyancing and practical farming, but soon disgraced himself and was sent to Amsterdam to work in a merchant's office.
Place described him as lazy, sulky and disagreeable and probably dishonest but was determined to persevere with Daniel out of respect for his father. It seems that his brothers Edward Gibbon and Arthur were not particularly impressed with him either, they described him as a dull, ill-mannered fellow most notable for his sloth and indolence.
- in 1824 he eloped with Selina Elizabeth de Burgh (perhaps encouraged by his brother Edward), much to the dismay of her parents who were not impressed by him. Selina however died four years later without issue
- in 1835 he married Angela Attwood, daughter of Thomas Attwood MP and Elizabeth (Carless) in London
- in 1843 he was again embroiled in scandal. He had left his wife in disgrace after infecting her with an unpleasant social disease, and had substantial gambling debts. Brother Edward once again assisted, this time Daniel escaped to New Plymouth, New Zealand, under a false name, "Bowler"
- he later joined his brother William to do legal work in Wellington for the New Zealand Company
- in 1847 he was appointed Crown Solicitor, a year later Standing Counsel for the Maori and then Attorney-General for the New Munster Province. His wife rejoined him after a five-year separation, bringing their two children, Selina and Marcus. - Selina died a few months later aged 11, but in October 1849 their third child, Alice was born.
DANIEL BELL WAKEFIELD died 8 Jan 1858 in Wellington and is buried with daughter Selina in Plot 3317, C of E section at the Bolton St Cemetery, Wellington

Arthur Wakefield 1799-1843
- he entered the navy in 1810 and went to New Zealand as an agent for Nelson in the NZ Company
- he arrived on the Whitby into Nelson on 5th November 1841
- he was killed in battle in the Wairau Massacre on 17th June 1843

William Wakefield (1803-1848)
- he is buried in Plot 3317, Section C of E at Bolton St Cemetery, Wellington

John Howard Wakefield (1804-1862)
- he married Maria Suffolk of India (1814-1852)
- they had 4 children
- she died in India in 1852
- she has descendants in Victoria Australia

Felix Wakefield (1807-1875)
- he married Marie Felice Eliza Bailey
- he arrived into Lyttelton on the Sir George Pollock with his family in November 1851
- he owned land in Sumner, Christchurh
- he and Marie had 9 children, several of them lived in New Zealand
- a daughter, Salvador Rosa Wakefield's will was lodged for probate in Adelaide, Australia on 19th October 1898. She and Murat Wakefield were living in Currency Creek, South Australia - 84km south of Adelaide in at least 1867
- he died suddenly, aged 68, on Christmas Eve 1875 between Cave Rock and the Sumner Hotel

Priscilla Susannah Wakefield (1809-1887)
- she went to India to teach religion
- she married Henry Chapman an assistant Surgeon in India, a son of convict Contractor Abel Chapman and Rebecca Bell
- they had 12 children

Percy Wakefield (1810-1831)
- he is not verified
- he never married

William was raised by his paternal grandmother Priscilla Wakefield (nee Bell, a noted author, Quaker and philanthropist) and his elder sister Catherine, who found him a difficult child.


As William grew older he came very much under the influence of his older brother, Edward Gibbon Wakefield, who was not always a good influence on his life. In 1825 he became formally betrothed to Emily Sidney but, before they could be married, Wakefield became involved with his brother in the abduction of a wealthy heiress Ellen Turner - both brothers were arrested.
- Emily Sidney was a daughter of Sir John Shelley Sidney (1771-1849) Baronet of Penshurst Place, Kent

Then while out on bail Wakefield absconded to Paris apparently to meet up with Emily who by now was three months pregnant.
He returned to England when the baby was born and was promptly arrested and held in Lancaster Castle until his trial.
He was subsequently sentenced to three years in jail.
During this time his 'wife' died leaving him with a six-month-old daughter Emily Charlotte

Upon his release from jail William Wakefield spent some time with his daughter at his sister Catherine's.
- His daughter Emily married Edward William Stafford Esq, eldest son of Berkeley Buckingham Stafford of Mayne, county Louth on 24th September 1846 in Wellington
- there were no children
- Edward Stafford was a Runholder, provincial superintendent, premier, sportsman
- Edward was also Prime Minister of New Zealand on three occasions in the mid 19th century. His total time in office is the fifth longest of any New Zealand Premier or Prime Minister, and the longest of any leader without a political party
- Emily Wakefield died aged 29 in 1857
- Edward married again in 1859 to Mary Bartley and had 6 children - 3 sons, 3 daughters
- Mary died in 1899
- Edward died on 14th February 1901 aged 81 in London

In 1832 William travelled to Portugal and enlisted as a mercenary soldier in the service of Dom Pedro, the Emperor of Brazil.
Although he had no military experience whatsoever he was apparently able to enlist as a Captain.
He survived the siege of Porto (also known as Oporto in English} and the subsequent campaigning but he gained little from it except experience and a handful of medals.

After the Portuguese Campaign he returned briefly to England and enlisted in the British Auxiliary Legion fighting for the infant Queen Isabella II of Spain in the First Carlist War.
He emerged from the campaign as a major, re-enlisted and was promoted to Colonel.
He was one of the few officers to survive the campaigns of the following years; he stayed until the Legion was disbanded in 1837 and returned to England the following year.

In 1839 the New Zealand Company originated in London with the aim of promoting the "systematic" colonisation of New Zealand.
The Company intended to follow the colonising principles of Edward Gibbon Wakefield, who envisaged the creation of a new-model English society in the southern hemisphere.
Wakefield's emigration system professed higher and more noble aims than mere financial profit.

Edward set sail for New Zealand as the chief representative of the New Zealand Company on the Tory that left Plymouth on 12th May 1839, arriving in Port Nicholson (now Wellington) on 20th September 1839
The Tory had a total of 35 people on board, manned with a picked crew, and in the forecastle there was a Maori interpreter, Ngatai who
had lived in England with Edward Gibbon Wakefield and family for two years
The trials of a colonist

This is the only known sketch of William made in 1826 when he and his brother were convicted of the kidnapping of the 16 year-old heiress Ellen Turner.

Colonel Wakefield held two difficult, and to a certain extent, conflicting roles in the new settlement.

There are many articles to read on the life in New Zealand of Lieutenant Colonel William Hayward Wakefield at NZETC

His brother Edward Gibbon Wakefield had instruted him to buy as much land as possible from the Māori before New Zealand became annexed
- the First European arrivals

Almost immediately after his death on 19th September 1848 his friends began raising money to fund a memorial.
It was finally restored and officially celebrated on the 7th of October 2006 William Wakefield Memorial at the Basin Reserve, Wellington

EDWARD GIBBON WAKEFIELD
taken from above link