THE FORGOTTEN SETTLERS OF 1840

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26230, 29 September 1950, Page 6

THE FORGOTTEN SETTLERS OF 1840

CANTERBURY'S HISTORY

(Specially Written for “The Press”)

(By

C. R. STRAUBEL)

In the early history of Canterbury few events have been more obscure, or the subject of more conflicting statements than the establishment in April, 1840, of a small group of Scots settlers on the plains near Riccarton bush—three years before the arrival of the Deans brothers and more than 10 years before the Pilgrims. Yet these were the real pioneers, the first to put the plough into the plains, the first to harvest a crop and the first to erect buildings on the site of Christchurch. It is now possible, however, to correct and amplify the traditional stories in the light of new information derived from early records in the Mitchell Library, Sydney, and in the Lands Department, Wellington. This new material not only clarified such disputed points as the leadership oi the party, the scope of its activities, the financial backing of the venture and the Reasons for its abandonment after a year or 18 months, but brings out the interesting fact that one of the two proprietors in 1840 —the first to buy land for farming on the site of the future Church of England settlement —was a minister of the Church of Scotland. At the end of 1839 and in January, 1840, Weller brothers, the whaling and trading firm of Sydney, induced two Maori chiefs to sign deeds purporting to transfer to them almost the whole of the Canterbury plains. In February and March, 1840, George and Edward Weller sold portions of this land to several persons at 5s an acre. One of George Weller’s sales, of 2560 acres, was to the Rev. William Purves, a minister of the Church of Scotland at Port Macquarie, New South Wales; another, of 5000 acres, was to James Herriot, who had just come out to Australia from Scotland. Herriot bought on his own account, but obtained some financial backing from James Blackett, who appears to have been a partner in the Sydney firm of Blackett, Dodds and Davis. Purves engaged a man named McGillivray as his farm manager or overseer. Both Herriot and McGillivray engaged farm workers to go with them to New Zealand. One of these was Malcolm McKinnon, who was accompanied by his wife and small child; the others appear to have been named Shaw and Ellis. Shaw may also have been accompanied by his wife. Which of the men was engaged by Herriot and which by McGillivray is not clear.

The ship Sarah and Elizabeth sailed from Sydney on March 24, 1840, Purves, Herriot and Octavius Harwood (Weller’s chief agent in New Zealand) being listed among the cabin passengers. The list does not name the steerage passengers. Landing on Banks Peninsula On April 7, 1840, the party of settlers landed from the ship at Goashore, the Banks Peninsula bay nearest Lake Ellesmere spit. With them were surveyors sent by Weller brothers to mark out the boundaries of the two properties. Purves probably came to inspect the property he had bought, while Harwood came to give possession, but neither Purves nor Harwood remained here.

It had been arranged that the two properties would be farmed at first as a joint venture. Both Herriot and McGillivray brought agricultural implements and seeds, and Herriot brought in addition a dray and a team of bullocks.

From Goashore the settlers went overland to the site of Christchurch. There they built huts and began to break up the land, using bullocks to d - a Yi_ , Pl° u lJhs. The exact position of their huts or of their ploughed ground is not known, but it was certainly near the area later farmed by Wflham and John Deans. The settlers would probably select a site near the Riccarton bush because of the shelter given by the trees. One suggested site, however, is the corner of Hagley Park opposite the Riccarton Hotel. , Ey January, 1841, the settlers had 15 acres in wheat and 15 acres in potatoes, and it was then proposed to break up a further 50 acres for the following season. Some of this adtiiH 2 rea a P? aars to have been cultivated during the autumn of 1841 and I« , So I n«r h l S? t ? nd barl<J y- After about B Jr?2- ths the tarm was abandoned. McKinnon appears to have stayed on the end e h» S ! ° ( s?® party left - ® ut in his ‘ ’ be 9 ame disheartened. bei »g hastened by trouble with the Maoris. He removed

to Akaroa, driving the bullocks before him. while Mrs McKinnon carried their child on her back. The deserted huts and the stacks of grain were burnt when fire swept this corner of the plains in the autumn of 1842. The Deans brothers found the burnt remains of stacks when they began farming at Riccarton in 1843. Invalid Titles The abandonment of the venture after so short a time appears to have arisen from the discovery by Purves, Blackett and Herriot that Weller’s claim to the land was unlikely to be recognised by the Land Claims Commissioners, and that consequently their own titles, derived from Weller, were invalid. This is made clear- in a letter written by Purves to the Land Claims Commissioners on June 1, 1843: “Owing to my not being certain of ultimately obtaining title to the land, and the settlement of the Land Claims being still delayed,! found prudence demanded that I should spend no more money in cultivating till I should see whether I would receive a title. Accordingly the party left the farm after having laboured upon it for a year and a half.” •

How the story as jt now stands differs from accounts hitherto published will be made clear by the following summary of some of the earlier versions.

Jane Deans, writing in 1882, said that the party was sent by Abercrombie and Company of Sydney, and named Herriot as the leader of the party. She mentioned only McKinnon and Ellis as being with him. According to her, the ravages of native rats and fear of the bar at Sumner were the reasons for abandoning the property. Other accounts, similar in outline but naming only McKinnon in connexion with the venture, were published in 1914-15 by E. M. Jacobson and by James Hay, who derived their information from members of McKinnon’s family. They attributed the abandonment of the farm to the loss of a ship at sea bringing supplies, and the consequent bankruptcy of Abercrombie and Company. Their accounts are the only ones giving an exact date of arrival.

Still another version of the story, and the one tallying most closely with the ’ facts as set out in letters of Purves and Blackett, is given by Johannes Andersen in extracts from the unpublished reminiscences of Joseph Price, who had visited Kaiapol in 1831 and who established his whaling station at Ikoraki at the beginning of 1840. These reminiscences were dictated about 1892, and according to Price the settlers, sent by Blackett and Dodge, millers of Sydney, landed at Goashore from the Sarah and Elizabeth in April. 1840, when that ship was bringing supplies to his whaling station. Price gave a full list of the members of the party, and mentioned that they were accompanied by surveyors. Facts Established Because of the discrepancies between these accounts I began early last year a search for contemporary documents which might help to determine the facts about this group of settlers. The Mitchell Library was able to establish that Herriot sailed from Sydney for New Zealand on the ship Sarah and Elizabeth, on March 24. 1840. Only saloon passengers were named, but among them were Purves and Octavius Harwood. Sydney trade directories of 1839-1840 established that fact that James Blackett was in business in Sydney and that there was also a firm named Blackett, Dodds and Davis.

The next inquiry was for the files of the Land Claims Commissioners who, in the early ’4os. dealt with the' cases of those who claimed to have bought land from the Maoris. The list of those claimants included the names of Blackett, Purves and Weller. In the files of the Commissioners, preserved in the Lands Department at Wellington, were found contemporary transcripts of letters from James Blackett dated January, 1841, and from the Rev. William Purves dated June, 1843, describing the Riccarton venture in considerable detail. These two letters provide most of the new material in this article. Although these letters have provided a great deal of new information, other papers concerning the venture may yet be found. Herriot and McGillivray are certain to -have written reports of their activities to Purves and Blackett; the plans drawn by the surveyors would be held by the two proprietors; and the magistrate at Akaroa, C. B. Robinson, who knew these settlers were on the plains, can hardly have failed to refer to them in his official reports on the district.