George Henry Moore (12 October 1812 – 7 July 1905), derogatorily known as Scabby Moore, was a New Zealand
runholder and proprietor of the Glenmark estate.
Early life
Moore was born at Billown near
Castletown, Isle of Man on 12 October 1812. He was baptised at Malew on 1 January 1813. In about 1830, he emigrated to
Tasmania
Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...
with his friend
Robert Kermode and then worked on
Mona Vale Station owned by William Kermode (Robert's father). Moore married Anne Kermode, the owner's daughter, at
Avoca. They had four children, including
Annie (his only surviving child and eventual heiress). He was later the owner of Glenmark Station north of
Waipara
Waipara is a wine and tourism district in Canterbury, New Zealand, on the banks of the Waipara River (Canterbury), Waipara River. Its name translates to "muddy water", ''wai'' meaning water and ''para'' meaning mud.
It is at the junction of Ne ...
, which for a time was New Zealand's largest sheep run.
Settling New Zealand
Moore went to New Zealand in 1853 to prospect for land. With funds put up by Robert Kermode, he purchased large landholdings in North Canterbury (including Glenmark). Upon his return to Tasmania, a company was set up under the name Moore and Kermode, with Moore to be the manager and William Moore (his son), Robert Kermode, and Dr
John Lillie. The partnership also bought land in mid-Canterbury (
Wakanui, Rokeby, and
Longbeach) in the
Ashburton District
Ashburton District is a Districts of New Zealand, territorial authority district in the Canterbury Region of the South Island of New Zealand. It encompasses the town of Ashburton, New Zealand, Ashburton, a number of small towns and settlements an ...
, but this had been sold again by the mid-1870s.
Heritage New Zealand
Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (initially the National Historic Places Trust and then, from 1963 to 2014, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust; in ) is a Crown entity that advocates for the protection of Archaeology of New Zealand, ancest ...
has four separate listings on Glenmark Station. Moore had a mansion constructed for him, which took seven years to build. It was finished in 1888, but burned out on 23 January 1891. The two-storey house had cost around £15,000 to build and the furniture was valued at around £10,000; there was no insurance.
The ruins have a Category II classification.
The horse stables, built of concrete in ca. 1881 for up to 50 horses, gave expression to his wealth. The stables are of considerable technological importance (due to the early use of concrete) and have a Category I listing.
The Glenmark Station Lodge is listed as a Category II building and still in use.
The Station Manager's House is disused these days and registered as Category II.
Death
Moore died at
Christchurch
Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...
in 1905, having been blind for several years.
His estate was valued by probate at £253,000.
With her inheritance, his daughter purchased a property in Christchurch, which she renamed
Mona Vale after her mother's property.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, George Henry
1812 births
1905 deaths
Manx emigrants to New Zealand
New Zealand farmers