DACRE, RANULPH (1795-1882) was born at Marwell Hall, Hampshire, a son of Col. Dacre, of the Hampshire Light Fencibles, high sheriff of the county. He joined the Royal Navy as a midshipman at the age of 12 and served in the American war (1812). Soon afterwards he resigned and joined the mercantile marine, having exciting experiences with privateers in the West Indies.

About 1820 Dacre first visited New Zealand. He was at Whangaroa in 1824 in his own schooner, the Endeavour, which brought the Quaker missionaries Tyerman and Bennett on a visit to many of the South Sea islands. He then traded between London and Sydney in command of ships belonging to Robert Brookes. In one of these, the Surrey, in which he had a part interest, he called at Hokianga, Mercury Bay and Whangaroa in search of spars. Later in his own vessel, the Mary Ann, he established at Mercury Bay an agent (Gordon) to supervise the cutting of spars for fulfilling contracts with the Admiralty. Dacre took his first cargo of spars out of Hokianga in 1827. He was there again in 1832 and gradually opened up a large trade. He left the sea about 1838 and established the firm of Dacre and Wilks, shipping agents, in Sydney. The partnership was soon dissolved and Dacre carried on as agent for Brookes, running a regular line between Sydney and London. He was a director of the Union Bank of Australia and of the Alliance Insurance Co. and was largely interested in whaling ventures, including the voyages of the ships Porteous, Governor Hallett, Lucy Ann and Arabian. He also opened up a large trade in sandalwood between the South Sea islands and the Far East, for which he fitted out the brig Alfred and the schooner Wave. Greenstone for the Chinese market seemed a profitable speculation, and he sent the schooner Royal Mail to Nelson and Milford Sound and obtained about two tons of stone of high quality, but so hard that the tools were not equal to working it. Owing to the imminence of war between Britain and China this cargo remained at Manila and Dacre lost heavily upon it. He had the brig Julian engaged in the trade with Tahiti and Sandwich islands. In 1841 Dacre began an extensive voyage to New Zealand and the islands to liquidate his liabilities. He had taken up land in Victoria at the first sale by the government and he was also deeply involved in a station carrying 50,000 sheep on the Gammon plain. In the slump of 1843 he was glad to cut his losses, and he removed with his family to Hexham, on the Hunter river.

In 1842 he visited New Zealand in the clipper schooner Diana (which he owned) and two years later he visited Tahiti in the Rambler. He now engaged in business in Auckland with J. Macky until 1854, when he went into partnership with Thomas Macky.

Dacre was greatly interested in St Paul's Church, Auckland, and was a member of the Diocesan synod. He was also a benefactor of the orphans' home. He died in 1882.

Cycl. NZ., ii (p); Sherrin and Wallace; Montgomery; Darroch; NZ. Herald, 11 Oct 1884.

Reference: Volume 1, page 112

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