Edward Cannington, the son of Robert Puckle, a woollen merchant, and Isabella Nucella, was born on 2 Jan 1800 in Camberwell, London, and christened with his twin George at St. Peter Upon Cornhill, London, on 23 Oct.

Elizabeth Sarah, the daughter of Joseph Smith and Martha Summers, was born in Nottingham – her brother was a lace manufacturer in Derby. Though born on 3 Feb 1812, Elizabeth was christened (in Camberwell) on 22 May 1829 - possibly due to her upcoming marriage.

Edward Dale was born in Camberwell - the other children in Highgate, where the family were living in 1841.

The 1839 Pigot's Directory lists Edward in 'Nobility, Gentry & Clergy'. In 1840 he became a partner in the Colnaghi firm of print publishers and art dealers and many Colnaghi & Puckle prints can be seen in the National Portrait Gallery in London.

Edward Cannington Puckle was ordained deacon by Dr. Philpot, the Bishop of Exeter, on 3 June 1849.

In 1850 the family sailed to New Zealand on board the “Randolph”, one of the First Four Ships with the Reverend Edward being chaplain to a party of emigrants. The First Four Ships (Randolph, Cressy, Sir George Seymour, and the Charlotte Jane) were chartered by the Canterbury Association to transport the first English settlers to Canterbury, NZ. They left Plymouth on 7th Sept. and arrived Lyttelton on 16th Dec. 1850.

The Randolph had 217 passengers of which there were two groups - Colonists (could afford to buy land in the colony and travelled as cabin passengers) - the Puckles were included in this category - & Emigrants (steerage passengers who provided their own bedding and had to do their own cooking).
In a diary written by another cabin passenger Charles Bridge, he wrote of a performance of Sheridan's play 'The Rivals' with the part of 'The Boy' being played by Master Puckle. He also wrote of the events almost leading to a mutiny when a sailor was put in irons following abusive language to the Chief Officer.

A plaque in Christchurch Cathedral Square commemmorates the arrival of the Randolph.

One story has it that 'expecting comfortable accommodation, Puckle and his wife brought 70 tons of furniture with them, but having been unloaded, it was washed out on the tide, and the couple lived as pioneers throughout their five years in the country'.

From 1851 to 1854 Edward was the assistant minister for Christchurch and in 1854 was in charge of the Papanui Christchurch diocese. In 1853/54 he was also the private secretary to JR Godley, the Superintendant of the Canterbury Colony.

No specific records can be found for Keel Puckle, so whether he existed remains a mystery.
No birth records found in England (about 1849), prior to the 'Randolph' trip on which some sources include him as an Infant. Was he wrongly included on some passenger lists, or did he die on the voyage (there were 5 child deaths), or maybe soon after arrival in NZ (though no death records seem to exist there)?

A number of different sources exist which show the passenger list for the 'Randolph'. Different lists may have been compiled in England, on board (surgeon/superintendent's list) or on arrival at Lyttleton (Immigration Agent's list). Unfortunately, these lists are not consistent.

The list included on the Rev EC Puckle's page is from the Canterbury Association documents held by NZ Archives - this list includes Keel. However, a list shown in Charles Bridge's diary (a fellow passenger) shows Rev. & Mrs Puckle + 5 children, which would seemingly exclude Keel. But what about the Christchurch plaque commemorating the trip (shown opposite) on which Keel's name appears ??

In June 1854 Edward sailed from Wellington/Nelson to Sydney on the ship 'Hashemy of London'. Elizabeth and the children (excluding Keel) made the trip in Feb 1855 from Wellington/Nelson to Melbourne on the 'Marchioness', presumably waiting until Edward had got a position in Victoria.

After a period ministering to an enormous parish centred in Benalla, he was appointed the first Vicar of St.Thomas's church in Moonee Ponds in June 1856.
St. Thomas' began in 1848 as a small wooden church built by the local Anglicans, and the current church in Mount Alexander Road was opened in 1859 - the foundation stone was laid by the Governor of Victory, Sir Henry Barkly, in 1857. Edward remained the minister there until he retired in 1878; he was also Church of England Chaplain of the Melbourne General Cemetery for many years. The Rev Edward Puckle has his own memorial stained glass window in St Thomas’s which depicts the Ascension. Other windows in the church are also dedicated to Elizabeth, who was the church organist and taught at the Sunday School until well into her seventies, as well as their daughter Mary Shaw Puckle.
In 1876 Railway Street, Moonee Ponds, became known as Puckle Street.
Elizabeth died on 20 April 1898 and Edward on 16 August of that year - he was buried on 18 August in the Melbourne General Cemetery.