I found this info on him
Mark Ward Noble – Summary Born: March 18th, 1834, Leicester. Died: April 5th, 1868 at Malta, aged 34. Buried: Ta Braxia Cemetery, Malta, April 7th, 1868. He was then disinterred and buried at Bagni Di Lucca, Tuscany, Italy on May 17th, 1868. He lies in the cemetery of the, ‘English Church’ built there in 1800. Educated: Caius College, Cambridge. Then attended Oxford - Matriculated from Magdalen Hall on March 30th, 1855, aged 21. BA 1858, MA 1860. A student of Lincoln’s Inn, 1859. Mark arrived in Auckland as a saloon passenger aboard the, ‘Mermaid’ on Nov 22nd, 1860. The ‘Mermaid’ then continued on for Lyttelton on Dec 1st. He settled in Oamaru, returning to England in 1865, and residing first at 33 Bury Street, St. James’s, Middlesex, and then at 13 Robertson Terrace, Hastings, Sussex, (both boarding houses) before leaving for Malta sometime before his death there. His Italian burial record gives his, ‘place of Abode’ as Malta. His death certificate gives his, ‘place of death’ as No.7 Prince of Wales Street, Sliema, Malta. Mark had lived briefly at 33 Bury Street before, (an up-market boarding house not far from Picadilly) just prior to heading out to New Zealand, where he built Casa Nova, no doubt with his, ‘old’ house in mind! It is similar in appearance. On the death of his father in 1861, Danet’s Hall was purchased by the County and demolished to make room for the town’s expansion. Notices of his death appeared for two consecutive issues in both the ‘Otago Daily Times’ and the ‘Oamaru Times’ from June 22nd, 1869. I could find no evidence of military enlistment, and suspect he remained mainly in the Oamaru/Otago area as a civilian until leaving NZ for the UK, sometime shortly after March 4th, 1865. The local militia unit ‘Rifle Rangers’ was not formed until February 1865, and it did not see active service until the end of 1865. By then Mark had well and truly re-surfaced in England. He was certainly in the Oamaru area when the house was built by Glass & Grenfell in 1861, and also when his will was signed in 1862. I found entries in museum archives that showed he had won a ploughing medal for ‘best horses’ in Oamaru on Sept 26th, 1863. There were also entries that indicated that he was registered as running sheep in Oamaru in September, 1864. Also, the following advert appeared 3-4 times in sequential issues of the, ‘Oamaru Times & Waitaki Reporter’ starting August 25th, 1864 To Let on Lease For eighteen months from March 1st, 1865. Casanova Near Oamaru, the property of Mark Noble Esq., consisting of a substantial 2 storey Stone House, Furnished, containing on the ground floor, Drawing Room, Dining Room, Hall, kitchen, Larder, and Bedroom. On the first floor there are five Bedrooms and Dining Room; also Bath Room, etc. There are also a detached Wash-house, wooden Stables for 8 horses, Coach-House, etc., Together with 100 Acres of Land, of which about 5 acres are in lawn and vegetable garden; two paddocks of 10 acres each, in permanent English pasture; and 15 acres in crop. There is permanent supply of water in the two paddocks. Also an excellent stock paddock, of 60 acres, well watered and sheltered. For further particulars, apply (either personally or by letter) to Mr. Noble, Oamaru. Oamaru, 24th August, 1864. Further to this, the ‘Otago Witness’ ran several weekly adverts offering the services of his stallion ‘Champion’ standing at Casanova, and signed by Mark Noble. The last of these adverts was entered on March 4th, 1865. As a voyage to the UK would have taken several months, and he arrived back in the UK in 1865, it looks very much like he left Oamaru to travel to a ‘major’ port, with the intention of boarding a ship returning to England. Census Information 1841 Census, Leicester. Danett’s Hall. Joseph William Noble 44yrs Physician – born in the County Mark Ward Noble 7yrs “ Sarah Elizabeth Noble 8yrs “ (died Sept 17th, 1854) Ellen Ann Noble 14yrs “ Margaret Noble 10yrs “ Mary Ann Bramley 45yrs not born in the County Eliza Smith 34yrs “ Plus four servants. 1851 Census, Leicester. Danett’s Hall. Joseph William Noble 55yrs Magistrate and consulting physician. Mark W. Noble 17yrs Scholar. 1861 Census,Leicester Danett’s Hall. Ellen Noble, 34, Head, landowner, b. Dannett’s Hal Margaret Noble, 30, b.Dannett’s Hall Elizabeth, 52, Aunt, married, b. South Scarle Mary Ann Bramley, 66, visitor, single, b. Halifax, Yorks. Francis Warren, 7, visitor, b. St. Pancras, London. Plus two boarders and two servants. Mark’s mother was Mary Joanna Noble, (nee Kershaw, daughter of the former owners of Danet’s Hall) died March 27th, 1834, aged 35. Her death was nine days after Mark’s birth, so could have been a result of childbirth. Mark’s father Joseph William Noble, was christened March 13th, 1797 at Frisby-on-the-Wreake, Leicester. He died, and was buried in Malaga, Spain, in 1861, after contracting cholera whilst helping to fight an outbreak of the disease there. Mark’s paternal grandfather, was John Noble, died 25th August, 1840 aged 80 – vicar of Frisby for 40yrs. Mark’s paternal grandmother was Sarah died Jan 28th, 1843, aged 69yrs. His maternal grandparents were, John and Elizabeth Kershaw, former owners of Danet’s Hall. Paternal Aunts and Uncles…. Lettia, christened 1802 Ann, christened 1803 John, christened 1804 Charles, christened 1808
Regards
Ian Pearson
