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

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...

, New Zealand. He purchased land for the

New Zealand Company The New Zealand Company, chartered in the United Kingdom, was a company that existed in the first half of the 19th century on a business model focused on the systematic colonisation of New Zealand. The company was formed to carry out the principl ...

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 ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

in 1839. He arrived at

, New Zealand, on 1 October 1840 to join his elder brother William Cornwallis Symonds, 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, and the survey of that land. In 1843, he obtained a commission as Ensign in the

40th (the 2nd Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot The 40th (the 2nd Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1717 in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 82nd Regiment of Foot (Prince of Wales's Volunteers) ...

, then stationed in India. However, he never joined the regiment, but remained in New Zealand. In 1844, he purchased the

Otago block Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government regi ...

with Frederick Tuckett on behalf of the

. Some time 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 A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and fo ...

and fall of Ruapekapeka. 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, G ...

. The governor transferred an island in the Firth of Thames to Symonds to create a test case regarding the Crown's pre-emptive right of purchase to Māori land deriving from the

Treaty of Waitangi The Treaty of Waitangi ( mi, Te Tiriti o Waitangi) is a document of central importance to the history, to the political constitution of the state, and to the national mythos of New Zealand. It has played a major role in the treatment of the M ...

; 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 Crown colony, colonies for defence against the threat of invasion during the Seven Years' War, the American War of Independe ...

, 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 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. Symonds Street and Symonds Street Cemetery in Auckland are named after his brother.

Notes

References

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