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Great Innovator Farmer Arrived In Canterbury – 31st July 1852
Marmaduke Dixon was only 14 years old when he first went to sea. Born at Caistor, Lincolnshire, England, his bad health caused his parents so much concern that they sought an occupation that would take their son to a more beneficial surrounding. As a result, Marmaduke saw the world! He first laid eyes on New …
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Christchurch Gets Its First Lock-Up – July 1852
On 9th October 1846, New Zealand received its first law enforcers. After the Police Act 1886 was passed, this developed into New Zealand’s first national, civil police force – and the first recognised Sergeant was Westport local, John Nash. It didn’t take the new settlements of Lyttelton and Christchurch very long to need a lock-up …
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Christchurch’s First Court Case – 15th May 1852
As the citizens of Christchurch went about their business at the Land Office (which is now a part of the Canterbury Provincial Chambers), upstairs, in a very small room sat four of our founding fathers, squished in side by side behind a small table. They were John Robert Godley (founder of Canterbury), Mark Stoddart (first …
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First Drowning In Christchurch Reported – 27th September 1851
On the 27th September 1851, the first drowning in Christchurch’s Avon River was reported. The victim had been drunk and had obviously tumbled down the river bank. This would be the beginning of what would be reported as the highest cause of death in those early years of settlement. Christchurch’s rivers weren’t only the cause …
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