Showing posts with label coromandel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coromandel. Show all posts

Friday, 23 February 2018

The Grey Statue Auckland City


NZGraphic 05 Nov 1904


The Statue of Governor Grey now in Albert Park is one of early Auckland's signature pieces of statuary. The 21st Century Aucklander is likely to view this artwork and George Grey's career in a very different light to their 19th and 20th Century counterparts.

Edward Bartley was involved in this project. So today we explore the history of the statue -while gingerly stepping around the sensitivities associated with the gentleman represented.

A memorial committee was formed in 1898 to organise events and tributes associated with Grey's memorial day on 18 February 1899. This was a national memorial day, coinciding with similar events in Australia and South Africa.
During the Auckland Industrial and Mining Exhibition,1 which opened that year, donations to a memorial fund were collected. A special Exhibition Day was also organised, from which a portion of gate takings were allocated to the fund. 2
AWN 24 Feb 1899

Afterwards subsciptions were requested to top up the fund. A more permanent tribute was planned. The statue was commissioned in 1903, to which the Government contributed £100. The remainder of the cost - over £1800- was raised by those public subscriptions. It was a considerable investment made by Aucklanders.

In 1904 Edward Bartley was engaged to design a base for the statue. Once the site was finally agreed on he recommended that something in the style of Dublin's Oliver Goldsmith statue was appropriate.3

The Goldsmith statue, Trinity College Dublin. Image Dublin Tales visit here

The statue itself was produced in England by Francis J Williamson of London for £1260 and shipped to New Zealand by the Wakanui in September 1904.

This was a conservative selection of sculptor by the committee. Williamson received regular commissions from municipal and civic clients in the United Kingdom. His bust of the mature Queen Victoria was replicated many times. Critics noted his work lacked any fluid vitality but it was certainly 'appropriate' and fulfilled the intended function of commemmoration.

The marble statue was 8' high (2.4m). The granite for both pedestal and base were sourced from Coromandel, rising 14'6". Plaques on each side record Grey's service to the Empire and the tributes accorded to him by northern New Zealand:
NZH 21 Dec 1904

On 21 December 1904 the work was unveiled. Part of the proceedings included a phonograph recording made by Grey in February 1891.
AWN 29 Dec 1904

AWN 29 Dec 1904


The elevated site - at the intersection of Queen and Grey St- was well chosen. The fire-bell tower was there in Grey's time and formed a rallying point for political gatherings and temperance assemblies.

That it continued to be so is clear from this image of M J Savage addressing Aucklanders in 1912.

AWN 26 Sept 1912. note the statue's position relative to the Town Hall.


The Grey statue  moved to Albert Park in 1922, where it may be seen today. The stepped platform has been removed. This alteration to the proportions of the whole assembly presents a less than ideal composition. The work was never intended to retire into a restful or contemplative park atmosphere.

Image APL E7-23 Albert Park

It may be that the intention was to more remove Aucklander's political gathering place.  In declaring the Governor's memorial a traffic hazard were the civic planners hoping to dampen the rallying leadership of strong personalities -by then more feared than in colonial days?

Certainly statuary encapsulates the values of the times in which they were made. Each generation views their own cultural- and sculptural- story through the lens of their own time and debates their erection or removal accordingly. Historian Grant Morris discussed these issues in a September 2017 interview recorded here. Enjoy.

1. see more information here
2. NZH 24 Jan 1899
3. AS 26 May 1904

Saturday, 18 April 2015

K - Road Connections- Thomas Henry Keven and Emma Otto

Place names of Auckland streets are in the news as part of our 175 Anniversary. Today Karangahape Rd took centre stage. The image of our iconic street as it was in the 1870's reminded me of the Bartley connections there in St Keven's Arcade.

Edward Bartley's wife Elizabeth brought a wide social network with her to the marriage.  One of her aunts was Emma OTTO. Emma was born in Upper Chapman St, London and baptised at St George's Chapel there on 13 October 1822. Her parents brought her out to Port Jackson on the Bussorah Merchant in 1833. After the death of her father George, she came to New Zealand in 1838 accompanying her mother and sister. (see Early Settlers Roll p126)

In Auckland Emma married Thomas Henry KEVEN. The marriage was celebrated at the Wesleyan Chapel on 23 April 1845. The Otto's had met Thomas in Port Jackson. He was also a Londoner by birth and a good deal older than Emma, being born in 1807.

Thomas first came to New Zealand in 1839. Like the Otto's he found the Bay of Islands too unsettled to instil any confidence in business prospects. He returned two years later, arriving in Auckland by the Shamrock on 1 July 1841. He stayed first in lodgings at Epsom, but ran short of funds while waiting for cash to come from Sydney. This early pattern of financial highs and lows was to hold true throughout his career.

Daily Southern Cross 20 May 1843

Boots and shoes were the basis of Keven's business enterprise. In the early days of settlement good everyday footwear was essential and hard to come by. His warehouse was at 96 Queen St on the Shortland Crescent corner.

The New Zealander 25 July 1846

The couple rented a home in Shortland St near Emma's family. Their first two children George (1844-1908) and Alfred (1849) were born there. Business began well and continued as a successful enterprise in its own right.
Good accommodation was in short supply then too. Auckland buyers looking for a good family home in the 1840's faced a similar commitment to anyone buying there today.When the Government House was damaged by fire Sir George Grey stayed in Nathan's house on the north ridge of Karangahape Rd. Thomas purchased this property -allotments 28,29 and 30 of section 29- as soon as it became vacant, about 1852. This investment marked the start of his financial expansion.

Image Auckland Museum Inst C14 162


The baby Alfred died in April 1851, a sad circumstance shared by most households of the period.

New Zealander 12 April 1851

Emily arrived a few months later in June 1851. Rachel was born in September 1853.  Esther was born in 1856 and Elizabeth in 1858. The two boys Edward (1861) and Thomas Jnr (1862) completed the family.
Meanwhile Thomas was growing his business. He made regular trips back to Sydney, buying stock and seeing to his remaining property interests there. Melbourne was also on his regular itinerary.

Political and social organisation absorbed the attention of a good many settlers in these 'establishment' years. Thomas was active there too, being a foundation member of the Mechanics' Institute. He and Emma were also active supporters of the Sunday School movement, which may be where the epithet 'Saint Keven' came from.

The house was leased out when it burned to the ground in 1857. Although the property was uninsured it was reinstated after the fire.

Daily Southern Cross 22 Sept 1857


Years later this property became the site of St Keven's Arcade and it is still an intrinsic part of the K Rd lifestyle in the 21st Century.

Thomas Keven had good connections in Coromandel through Emma's family. The Otto's had a strong presence around the Cape Colville area. It is uncertain whether the land which revealed gold in 1856 was part of the original Otto holding or a block which Keven purchased subsequently. Either way he was in the thick of gold discoveries at Waiau Creek.
In 1857 he advertised the sale of sections in a new gold fields development Wynyardton.


Daily Southern Cross 15 December 1857
News of a commercial reef discovered was delivered to the public by Emma, who released Thomas' letter to her in June of 1862. Gold fever was endemic by this time but the Government had yet to declare the Coromandel a gold field. 

DSC 6 June 1862

No prospecting license could be issued under those circumstances. He could not yet say he had a valid claim. Nevertheless Keven had an understandable sense of urgency and pressed ahead with his plans for a prospecting company. The Governor General wasted no time in getting to the Coromandel, arriving there on 22 June. In an attempt to establish order the public was advised to hold back from leaving home. The notices were not able to squash enthusiasm. The rush was on.

DSC 30 June 1862


Keven's Prospecting Company was launched and the family moved to Thames. Their fortunes as a family followed the peaks and troughs of Thomas' investments. At his peak he owned several mines and a multitude of other properties. Yet as he approached his late 60's he had over-reached. Despite his effort and good intentions he became unable to settle his accounts.


Thomas Keven died on 29 November 1877, aged 70, leaving Emma in some considerable financial difficulty. His career may have been characterised by extremes of  prosperity and poverty but he had tremendous energy and high hopes for the colony.
Emma died in 1908 at Devonport, close to her niece Elizabeth Bartley and extended family. She had moved there with her unmarried daughter Rachel. In addition to her own large family Emma also fostered another six youngsters into adulthood.

More detailed information on descendants of Thomas and Emma can be found here

Research by M Bartley

Tuesday, 10 February 2015

Frederick Hannken comes to New Zealand

This post is for those who have been asking for information on how the HANNKEN or HANNCHEN family came to New Zealand, and their relationship to the Bartley name.

Our thanks go to all the Otto and Hannken researchers who have made such generous contributions to the Archive, particularly during the 1980’s and 1990’s. Mr J Hannken of Auckland was at the forefront of online access to family material. This account of the early years in New Zealand is based on his research.

Edward Bartley’s wife Elizabeth was the daughter of Frederick HANNKEN. She was born in Sydney in 1838.

Frederick Charles HANNKEN was born in Bremen, Germany in December 1809. His father Fabus was a farmer.[i]
As an adult Frederick immigrated to England. He left London on 9 April 1835 on board SS PERSIAN. He was heading for New South Wales. The ship made land fall in Port Jackson on 25 November 1835.
When he arrived Frederick met George OTTO and his family, who had come to Australia two years earlier. George had German ancestry too. The eldest daughter,Eliza Otto, attracted Frederick’s attention.

George Henry Blackfield OTTO was born in 1771 in London. He served in the Napoleonic Wars as part of the commissariat. His wife was a native of Jersey, Channel Islands. He came to Port Jackson 11 August 1833 on SS Bussorah Merchant.

SS Bussorah,Merchant

George Otto died on 6 July 1836. His wife Eliza NICOLLE then remarried, to James RAMPLING.[ii]
Eliza Otto

 Frederick and Eliza OTTO married 13 November 1837.  
Frederick and his mother in law travelled to New Zealand on SS Diana, arriving 14 August 1838. They landed at Korororeka in the Bay of Islands. The troubles there dissuaded them from the likelihood of good prospects in the North. They moved on to Auckland. 
That place was also in a state of flux. Hobson’s selection of Auckland as a capital was still more than a year in the future.
Meanwhile Frederick’s first child Elizabeth Hannken, the future wife of Edward Bartley, was born in Sydney in 1838. 
Mrs Rampling returned to Sydney. 
Frederick went on to Coromandel where he purchased land. This purchase was later ratified by Proclamation.[iii]
The ship Diana came to NZ twice in 1840. The second voyage, in June 1840, included amongst her passengers: Eliza Hannken  and baby Elizabeth, , her mother Mrs Rampling and the GIMBEL family. Her sister Susanna Otto had married George Gimbel in Sydney in 1834.
The Gimbels settled in Auckland with their two young children. 
Frederick’s family joined him in Coromandel. They remained there while Frederick manufactured and supplied roofing shingles to Auckland. They also ran a store. Their accommodation was a raupo hut.
Emma Hannken was born at Coromandel 19 March 1841. 
Demand for building materials in Auckland slackened during those early years of the 1840s. 

The Hannkens moved to Auckland in 1842, taking rented accommodation on Queen St.[iv] Auckland was an unsophisticated settlement and Queen St offered only basic accommodation.

Frederick’s original trade was tailoring, but there was little demand for that skill in Auckland at the time. He found work as a traveller selling household goods. Later that year, 1842, they moved back to Coromandel. He carried on his trading from there. Business was good for two years as his customer base was predominately Maori, but Auckland was growing meanwhile and they returned to live in West Queen St[v] in 1844.

Frederick began to work as a tailor and his young family was growing. Susan was born in 1843 and Rebecca in 1845. Matilda arrived two years later in 1847. That happy event was followed two months later by loss. First Emma died aged 6 and then in February 1848 the baby Matilda followed her. The Jury List for that year records the family resident in High St.

About 1850 the Hannken family settled on Queen St where they opened a general store. They remained there for the next 15 years.

Family connection to Coromandel continued. Clearing outwards from the port of Auckland in December 1857, Edward Bartley is amongst the party on this visit.


The reminiscences of Elizabeth Bartley, nee Hannken are included as pages on this blog. She describes there her early life in Coromandel and Auckland. 

Elizabeth Hannken, wife of Edward Bartley




[i] NZRBDM 1892/4
[ii] 21 November 1836
[iii] This Proclamation shall take effect from and after the date hereof -

Given under my hand and issued under the Public Seal of the Islands of New Zealand, at Auckland, in the Islands aforesaid this twenty seventh day of december in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fifty three -

By His Excellency's command
Andrew Sinclair
Colonial Secretary

God Save the Queen!

Frederick Hannken
Land Deed Coromandel
Deed of Land
from the Native Chiefs
of New Zealand
to
Frederick Hanncken

Know all Men by these presents That we whose names and seals are hereunto subscribed and sit native Chiefs of New Zealand for and in consideration of the several articles mentioned or enclosed on the back hereof being of the value of Sixty Seven pounds sterling to us paid by Frederick Hanncken now residing at Coromandel Harbour on the coast of New Zealand aforesaid at or before the sealing and delivery of these presents the receipt hereby acknowledged Have and each and every of us Hath granted bargained sold assigned released and conveyed and by these presents Do and each and every of us Doth according to our respective shares and proportions grant bargain sell assign release and convey unto the said Frederick Hanncken His Heirs Executions Administrators and Afsigns All that piece or parcel of land lying situated being and having frontage to Coromandel Harbour and known by the names of Eohe Pukekara Matuaroa Waipas and being bounded on the     by a Creek known by the name of Pipitewai thence bearing on the     by Waipao and adjoining Mr J. Hanson and Fisher's allotment and bounded on the back by a Creek called Waipapa Together with all ways waters watercourses hedges ditches trees and appertenances whatsoever to the same belonging or in any wise appertaining and all the estates right title and interest of us and each and every of us of in and to the same belonging To Have and To Hold the said piece or parcel of land with the appertenance unto the said Frederick Hanncken and his heirs To the use of the said Frederick Hanncken His Heirs and Assigns for ever And we do hereby for ourselves and our Heirs declare that we have not at any time heretofore sold or disposed of the said land or any part thereof to any person or persons whomsoever And we do here by covenant and declare that we have according to our respective shares and proportions good and lawful right to release and convey the same to the said Frederick Hanncken and His Heirs and that it shall be lawful for the said Frederick Hanncken and his Heirs and all persons claiming under him To Hold and enjoy the same without any molestation or disturbance from henceforth and for ever.

In Witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our Names and affixed our seals this Twelvth day of December in the Year of Our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and Thirty nine.


Signed Sealed and delivered
in the presence of the tenour of
the above having been faithfully
and clearly explained

Kotehui
Kohoropeta his Mark X

Witness
Wm Moores
Wm Grigg

Seventeen pairs of Blankets £17  "  0  "  0
Six pieces of Print 6  "  0  "  0
Two Great Coats 5  "  0  "  0
Two Kegs of Powder 7  " 10  "  0
Eight Cotton Shirts 1  "  8  "  0
Thirty Seven pounds of Tobacco 7  "  8  "  0
Six pairs of Trouser's 2  "  0  "  0
One Double Barrel Gun 10  "  0  "  0
Two Chests 2  "  0  "  0
Eight Cartouch Boxes 3  "  4  "  0
Two Handerchief 4  "  0
Two Cloth Caps 1  "  0  "  0
Two red Caps 10  "  0
Two pieces of Lead 14  "  0
Two Muskets 2  "  0  "  0
Three pieces print 3  "  0  "  0
  £69  "  2  "  0



[iv] Auckland Police Census 1842
[v] Now Swanson St