Mr and Mrs John Pringle (née Jane Thornton)

John Pringle was a talented farmer who developed ‘Pringle’s Beauties,’ a popular variety of wheat. He was born at West Linton, Scotland, in 1831.  Jane Thornton was born three years later in Whitburn, Scotland. In 1858 they both emigrated to New Zealand on the ship Strathfieldsaye, though they were not travelling together; Jane was accompanied by her brother, Thomas Thornton, and John was travelling alone. Once in Otago, Jane travelled to Tokomairiro, while John went in search of work. He was accompanied by three others, including Jane’s brother, which suggests that John and Jane had probably become acquainted on the Strathfieldsaye.  John found a variety of short-term rural jobs in Otago until the gold rush began in 1861, when John and Thomas tried their luck as miners but were unsuccessful. John then took up government land in Tokomairiro, and began farming at ‘Glenfoot.’ In 1862 John and Jane married, and in the following years had one daughter and five sons.

Their family life was fairly quiet and reserved, as neither took a large role in public affairs, though they were active in the Presbyterian Church. Jane frequently entered her dairy products for exhibition at the Tokomairiro Farmers’ Club annual show, and was very successful, but her interests turned to flower growing in later years. John cultivated his new variety of wheat, ‘Pringle’s Beauties,’ and was careful and conservative in his farming. Jane became sickly in her old age, and was confined to bed for a few weeks before her death in 1907, aged 72. John remained at ‘Glenfoot’ until his own death there on the 30August 1916, aged 85.