ID Number107207
NameSTOKES Margaret
Family NameSTOKES
Plot3313
CemeteryChurch of England
StatusExisting Grave
Location on the Modern Grid MapL15 01
Inscription on TombstoneSacred to the memory of Margaret, the beloved and affectionate wife of Robert STOKES, of Wellington, who died 1 August 1852. "And now, Lord, what is my hope; Truly my hope is even in thee." Also to the loving memory of Susannah, wife of John Milbourne STOKES, who died April 25th 1871.
Description of GraveMarble headstone laid flat, with incised lettering.
Date of Death or Burial*01 Aug, 1852
Public Cemetery Register Number
Type of Record Burial
Age60
SexFemale
BiographyMargaret was the first wife of Robert STOKES, for whom Stokes Valley was named. Robert, an architect and surveyor by training, arrived in Wellington in Jan 1840 as assistant surveyor to the NZ Company. He had practised as an architect in London, and was responsible for designing the Wesleyan Chapel in Manners Street, a simple Classical style brick building opened in 1844 but completely destroyed by the 1848 earthquake. Robert was editor of the Spectator newspaper from Sep 1845 and then proprietor in late 1846, removing his name from the imprint in 1858. Elected to the Provincial Council in 1858, he was appointed to the Legislative Council in 1862. He was acting-trustee of the Church of England Cemetery for 14 years (1852-1867), and from the late 1850s became a run-holder in Hawke’s Bay, with his surgeon brother John. Robert died in London in 1880 and in his will stated "I give and bequeath to the Rt Rev Octavius Hadfield, Bishop of Wellington NZ, John Milbourne Stokes sheep farmer late of NZ, and George Hunter of Wellington merchant, as special trustees, the sum of £500, to invest, together with £50 heretofore given by me for church purposes in the diocese of Wellington and called the Margaret Stokes Memorial, in the purchase of land in the colony of NZ, to hold such land and apply the rents in the first place to the keeping the graves of my late wife and of Susannah Stokes late wife of my brother JMS, comprised in one enclosure in the C of E cemetery in Wellington in decent order, and the residue to other C of E purposes in NZ as deemed expedient. If a special trustee dies or is unwilling, then General Synod of C of E in NZ may appoint a new one."