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8 Foot Tsunami Hits Banks Peninsula – 15th August 1868
It was around 3.30am on the morning of 15th August 1868 when a few Lyttelton residents were awoken by a strange noise. One local, Mr. Mitchell, even sensed a small tremor – coming to the quick conclusion there had been a small earthquake. Those working around the port that morning were also alarmed by the …
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Canterbury’s Fourth Superintendent Elected – 22nd May 1868
When the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 was established, New Zealand was split into six provinces. Each province was its own sub-government and these were built around the six original settlements. The Canterbury Province sat between the Hurunui and Waitaki Rivers and stretched right over to the West Coast. At the head was a Superintendent …
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Canterbury’s First Hanging – 16th April 1868
On 16th April 1868, a date kept secret from the public, convicted murderer and arsonist, John Densley Swales became the first man to be hung in Canterbury. This took place at 8.15am at the Lyttelton Gaol (the remaining prison cells pictured here). On the evening on 7th February 1868, a fire at the general store …
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Lord Lyttelton Visited Christchurch – 5th February 1868
On 5th February 1868, Lord George Lyttelton – the Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire – stepped off an English steamship and glanced around the port town that had been named after him. Lord Lyttelton had been introduced to John Robert Godley in 1848 – the co-founder of the Canterbury Association – and accepted the role as …
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