Captain John Jermyn Symonds (4 January 1816 – 3 January 1883) was a 19th-century Member of Parliament in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, New Zealand. He purchased land for the

New Zealand Company The New Zealand Company, chartered in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom, was a company that existed in the first half of the 19th century on a business model that was focused on the systematic colonisation of New Ze ...

and was later a judge of the Native Land Court.

Biography

Symonds was born in 1816 as the youngest son of the family. His father was Sir William Symonds. On the recommendation of Lord Normanby, he joined the survey department in

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

in 1839. He arrived at

, New Zealand, on 1 October 1840 to join his elder brother

William Cornwallis Symonds Captain William Cornwallis Symonds (1 August 1810 – 23 November 1841) was a British Army officer who was prominent in the early colonisation of New Zealand. Biography Symonds was born at Lymington, Hampshire in 1810, the eldest son of W ...

, but his brother drowned in a boating accident in November 1841. For a while, he was acting protector of aborigines and was in charge of purchase of land from

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

, and the survey of that land. In 1843, he obtained a commission as Ensign in the 40th (the 2nd Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot, then stationed in India. However, he never joined the regiment but remained in New Zealand. In 1844, he purchased the Otago block with

Frederick Tuckett Frederick Tuckett (1807–1876) was a New Zealand surveyor, explorer and New Zealand Company agent. He was born in Frenchay, Gloucestershire, England in about 1807. He surveyed Nelson and Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most popul ...

on behalf of the

. Sometime in 1844, he transferred to the 99th (Lanarkshire) Regiment of Foot, then stationed in Australia. In April 1845, he joined his regiment in Sydney, only to return to New Zealand with the 99th Regiment at the end of May 1845. He took part in the

Flagstaff War The Flagstaff War, also known as Heke's War, Hōne Heke's Rebellion and the Northern War, was fought between 11 March 1845 and 11 January 1846 in and around the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. The conflict is best remembered for the actions of H� ...

and was present at the Battle of Ohaeawai and fall of

Ruapekapeka The Battle of Ruapekapeka took place from late December 1845 to mid-January 1846 between British forces, under command of Lieutenant Colonel Henry Despard, and Māori warriors of the Ngāpuhi iwi (tribe), led by Hōne Heke and Te Ruki Kawi ...

. In January 1846, he became private secretary to Governor

George Grey Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Gov ...

. The governor transferred an island in the

Firth of Thames The Firth of Thames () is a large bay located in the north of the North Island of New Zealand. It is the firth of the rivers Waihou and Piako, the former of which was formerly named the Thames River, and the town of Thames lies on its south ...

to Symonds to create a test case regarding the Crown's pre-emptive right of purchase to

land deriving from the

Treaty of Waitangi The Treaty of Waitangi (), sometimes referred to as ''Te Tiriti'', is a document of central importance to the history of New Zealand, Constitution of New Zealand, its constitution, and its national mythos. It has played a major role in the tr ...

; in '' R v Symonds'', the court decided in favour of the Crown's case. In 1847, he was one of the founding members of the Auckland Savings Bank. He returned to England in 1848, where he married in 1849. He came back to New Zealand in 1849 in charge of a detachment of the

Fencibles The Fencibles (from the word ''defencible'') were British regiments raised in the United Kingdom, Isle of Man and in the colonies for defence against the threat of invasion during the Seven Years' War, the American War of Independence, the Fren ...

, which he settled in

Onehunga Onehunga is a suburb of Auckland in New Zealand and the location of the Port of Onehunga, the city's small port on the Manukau Harbour. It is south of the city centre, close to the volcanic cone of Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill. Onehunga is ...

. He became a justice of the peace in 1853, was appointed Native Secretary in 1855, and became Onehunga's

resident magistrate A resident magistrate is a title for magistrates used in certain parts of the world, that were, or are, governed by the British. Sometimes abbreviated as RM, it refers to suitably qualified personnel—notably well versed in the law—brought int ...

and returning officer in 1856. He resigned from those roles when he was elected to represent the Pensioner Settlements electorate from to 1860, when he retired. In 1861, he was again appointed Resident Magistrate. He was a judge of the Native Land Court from 1862 to his retirement in 1882. Symonds died suddenly on 3 January 1883. He was ill for only half an hour and in the beginning did not think it necessary to call for his son-in-law, who was a doctor. He was survived by his wife, four daughters, and one son. His wife (Alethia Seymour, née Wilson) died in November 1898. Symonds Street in Onehunga is named after him, as well as Symonds Bay in Laingholm. Symonds Street and

Symonds Street Cemetery Symonds Street Cemetery is a historic cemetery and park in central Auckland, New Zealand. It is in 5.8 hectares of deciduous forest on the western slope of Grafton Gully, by the corner of Symonds Street and Karangahape Road, and is crossed by t ...

in Auckland are named after his brother.

Notes

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Symonds, Jermyn 1816 births 1883 deaths 19th-century New Zealand politicians Colony of New Zealand judges Māori Land Court judges Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for Auckland electorates Jermyn