BUMBY, JOHN HEWGILL (1808-40) was born at Thirsk, Yorkshire. His father released him from a business career to follow his natural bent, and he went in 1827 to a boarding academy at Leeds to study for the ministry. The Wesleyan schism of 1828 intervening, he returned home, studied privately and did home mission work, especially in connection with juvenile associations. Accepted as a probationer, he served in the circuits at York, Hull, Waltham Abbey, Halifax, Holywell and Birmingham.

At Birmingham he met the Rev John Waterhouse, superintendent of the circuit, and he returned there from the London conference in 1834 as a fully acknowledged minister. Though very delicate in health and sensitive in disposition, he early showed a desire to engage in missionary work and in 1838 was designated to proceed to Australia with Ironside, Creed and Warren under the general superintendence of Waterhouse. They sailed in the James in Sep 1838 and arrived in Mar 1839. Bumby's headquarters in New Zealand were at Mangungu, on the Hokianga river. In common with other missionaries of the time he had many perilous experiences in his journeys amongst the New Zealand tribes. With Hobbs he circumnavigated the North Island and returned to Kawhia, and then with Hobbs and Whiteley travelled overland to Taranaki to put a stop to tribal fighting at Mokau. Bumby and Hobbs arrived at Port Nicholson on Friday, 7 Jun 1839, and held a service at Petone the same day. On 8 Jun they tapued land for the Wesleyan mission at Te Aro, and they preached at Te Aro pa on Sunday, 9 Jun. They left behind them the following native teachers until a European missionary should be sent from Hokianga: Moretara; Reihana, his wife and children; Hemi and wife; Ngarota and Waka. These natives laid the foundations upon which John Aldred and others afterwards built. Bumby also paid a short visit to Sydney, and then returned in the Triton to Kawhia with newly arrived missionaries. On his homeward journey to Mangungu he was drowned in the Waitemata estuary through the upsetting of a canoe near Tiritirimatangi (26 Jun 1840). Though an earnest, devout missionary and a good preacher in English, Bumby never fully mastered Maori and had not attained his full usefulness in the field. Bumby's sister, who introduced bees to Mangungu in Mar 1839, married the Rev Gideon Smales (q.v.).

Buller; Morley; M. A. R. Pratt (information); A. Barrett, Life of J. H. Bumby (1852).

Reference: Volume 1, page 76

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