JAMES LOCKINGTON 1846 - 1922
Born : 6th October1846. In Cootehill, County Cavan, Ireland.
Married : 11th October 1873. To Mary Ann Wright in Dernakesh Chapel, Parish of Drumgoon,
County Cavan, Ireland.
Died : 4th June, 1922. Waihi Hospital, New Zealand.
James Lockington was born near the town of Cootehill, County Cavan, Ireland and was baptised in the Cootehill Presbyterian Church. He was the son of Charles and Isabella (nee McRea) Lockington who owned a farm in the townland of Drummerkillew in the parish of Killsherdeny (Known locally as "Kill") about four miles out of Cootehill. James gave his residence as being in the Parish of Killsherdeny at his marriage.
It is said that James started planning to migrate to New Zealand in the 1870s. He contacted George Vesey Stewart who was the organiser of the planned Ulster settlement in Katikati. However the program was delayed for a year but James kept to his plan of sailing to New Zealand at the end of 1873 on his honeymoon.
On 11th October 1873, James married Mary Anne Wright, also from Cootehill in the Parish of Drumgoon (Chapel of Dernakesh) and they migrated as formal immigrants a few days later to New Zealand. The voyage out was their honeymoon. They sailed from London on October 19th 1873, in the "Lauderdale" a barque of 851 tons skippered by a Captain True. Unfortunately the start of the voyage was marred by a collision with the Brigantine "Messenger", so they had to put into Ramsgate for repairs.
They set sail again on the 24th October, crossed the equator on the 22nd of November, passed The Cape on the 18th December and sighted the Three Kings on the 25th January 1874. Five days later the Barque entered port after a pleasant run of ninety days, land to land.
They arrived in Auckland on 30.1.1874. The local newspaper, the "Daily Southern Cross" carried a notice on the following day announcing that:-
"The immigrants per Lauderdale will be landed tomorrow morning, and will be open for selection at the barracks at 4 pm. - Edward L. Green, Immigration Officer."
The Lockingtons settled in “Irishtown” in Thames shortly after their arrival. It is said that James Lockington was hired on his arrival in Auckland by C.J. Stone to work in Thames. CJ imported hundreds of labourers on his own behalf to work in his gold mines and timber mills and once brought out five hundred miners from Cornwall to work in his Thames mines. Robert Stone the shipbuilder was a brother of CJ and was managing CJ's interests in Thames at that time. His granddaughter Elsie Stone married a son of James Lockington so it seems reasonable to assume that the Stone and Lockington families became acquainted in the early Thames days.
It was while living in Thames that news arrived of the ship "Carisbrooke Castle" that was due in Tauranga with Northern Irish settlers who were starting a new planned settlement at Katikati. James walked from Thames to Katikati in the latter half of 1875 to greet the new arrivals and the story goes that he met the new settlers on the day that they arrived to inspect and select their land. It is also said that many of the new arrivals were old friends of the Lockingtons. James' obituary says that he piloted the first party from Tauranga to Katikati but it is probably more accurate just to say that he was present.
His daughter in law, Elsie Grace Lockington wrote much later; "He took his wife and child to Tauranga shortly after that meeting and they came up to Katikati in one of the small boats that conveyed the settlers to their new homes." (They sailed from Thames to Tauranga. There was probably a regular shipping service from Auckland to Tauranga that called in at Thames as there was no road north from Tauranga at that time.)
They remained in Katikati to manage one of the farms when the allotted owner, Thomas Sandford, declined to stay in Katikati. James later bought the 87acre farm, which was just on the north side of the Uretara River from the present Katikati township and west of the present railway bridge. It extended from the river to what is now McMillan Street. In later years the railway station was built on the farm, on the river flat below the homestead. At first they lived in a flax whare, until their house was built where it still stands today.
A contemporary description of Katikati written in December 1878 has "....several settlers' houses can be seen, the nearest being those of Messrs Hyde, Lockington, Turner, and Stewart; of these farm holdings Mr. Lockington appears to have done the best work. He has 80 acres of land, a good deal of which was swamp, into which he asserts a horse would plunge head under; this he has drained entirely by himself, and it now grows 7 acres of oats, 5 of potatoes, and 4 of clover, all substantially fenced. The clover is at least three feet high, and the oats seem to be the strongest on the whole block. Mr Lockington is extremely proud of his farm and as he has employed no labour whatever, he has certainly done wonders."
The government valuation of the Lockington farm in 1882 was 500 pounds. In November of 1882, James signed up as a trustee and as a committee member of the Katikati public library. This must have been a proposed library, given the early date. Also named were George Vesey Stewart, the founder of the Katikati settlement project, and Eddie Gilbert.
The Lockingtons donated land to the community in 1881 for a hall to be built. It was built as an "Orangemens'" hall but later became a public hall. It "was at the end of the road, over the main road, south of the Presbyterian Church." (from Roy).
James Lockington introduced the first cows to Katikati after making the purchase in Tauranga. His daughter-in-law, Elsie Grace Lockington, later described the effort required to get the cows to Katikati. "He walked to Tauranga, bought a cow, and proceeded to drive her home. however, a little way along the road she ran into a swamp, and refused to move. So back he went to Tauranga and bought another cow. But she joined the other one in the swamp, and there they were, both refusing to move. Then Mr Lockington walked (there was no hitch-hiking in those days) to the home of his brother-in-law, Mr Joseph Slevin, at Aongatete, and after a short sleep, the two men set out, both on Mr Slevin's only horse, and, with a rope, towed the two rebels home."
During the later depression James took the initiative of taking produce from his and other farms by wagon through to the gold boom town of Waihi. Elsie Grace Lockington, later wrote: "He owned a dray and an old white horse called Charlie, and on the homeward journey he would secure the reins to the front of the dray and go to sleep, while Charlie brought him safely home. In this he was luckier than Mr John McCauley, another early settler, for his horse and dray went over the bank in the Athenree Gorge, and Mr McCauley was killed."
She also wrote that "....The most popular game however was football. The games were held on Mr Lockington's flats, near the river..."
James must have prospered as he was later able to lease 110 acres north of Katikati on Willoughby's Road. He had a beach cottage at Waihi Beach and was able to assist his son James to buy a farm (Slevin’s at Aongetete). Another son, William (Uncle Billy) had a farm north of Katikati, on the western side of the main road. It stretched from Woodlands Road to McMillans Road. (Was that the 300 acre farm?). James also owned a share in another farm. (Was it in Thames?).
The Lockingtons were able to take a trip back to Ireland in later life. Their daughter Essie who was not yet married accompanied them. According to Dorothy Lockington they were quite disappointed with conditions back in Ireland during their visit. (Did they sail on the "Margaret W" to or from Ireland? Stella associates that ship with the Lockingtons).
James built some shops in Waihi, near Moreton's garage. They were burned down but it is said that relatives back in Ireland sent money out and James was able to rebuild.
James Lockington died in Waihi Hospital on 4th June, 1922. His home then was in Toomey Street, Waihi.
Two sisters of James Lockington migrated to New Zealand and married there. Sally Anne, who was born about 1851, married Joseph Slevin in N.Z. on 8th May 1884. They had four sons and one daughter according to Niol’s "Cyclopedia of N.Z. 1900". Joseph had migrated to N.Z. with his mother and her brother, Richard Roorke, on the "Carisbrooke Castle" in 1875. (See "An Ulster Plantation"). The other sister, Isobel Lockington who was born about 1856 married Franz Roering. They had no children.
Note that Joseph Slevin farmed "Cherry Mount" which later became (or became part of) James Henry Lockington's farm on Lockington's Road Aongetete. The Cherry Mount home was where Atkinson's farm was in more recent times but the house itself was moved downhill to become James Henry's homestead. (It has since been demolished, but the house of Roy Lockington's share milkers is now on the site). After a few years at Aongatete the Slevins moved to live in Waihi.
| Additional Information | ||
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| Date of Birth | 6th Oct 1846 | |
| Date of Death | 4th Jun 1922 | |
