Joseph Thomas (surveyor)
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Captain Joseph Thomas (1803–?) was a British explorer and the chief surveyor for Lyttelton,
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and
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in New Zealand. He took up surveying after service in the
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, gaining the rank of lieutenant. In the 1840s, he explored many parts of New Zealand and worked 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 ...
. This gained him employment with the
Canterbury Association The Canterbury Association was formed in 1848 in England by Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), members of parliament, Peerage of the United Kingdom, peers, and Anglicanism, Anglican church leaders, to establish a colony in New Zealand. The se ...
, which sent him to New Zealand in 1848. Thomas' role was to find a suitable site for their proposed settlement, and what became the
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region with Christchurch as its capital was the result of his efforts. He was dismissed in early 1851 over quarrels with
John Robert Godley John Robert Godley (29 May 1814 – 17 November 1861) was an Anglo-Irish statesman and bureaucrat. Godley is considered to be the founder of Canterbury, New Zealand, although he lived there for only two years. Early life Godley was born in Dubl ...
, the agent of the Canterbury Association, just after the first settlers had arrived in the colony. Thomas' life after 1853 is unknown. Having allowed for Hagley Park as a generous central city green space is regarded as his major achievement, and it is his lasting legacy.


Early life

Thomas was born in
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, England, in 1803. At age 13, he was an
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in the 101st Regiment. In 1819, he was admitted to the
Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC) was a United Kingdom, British military academy for training infantry and cavalry Officer (armed forces), officers of the British Army, British and British Indian Army, Indian Armies. It was founded in 1801 at Gre ...
and in November 1822, he joined the
87th Regiment of Foot The 87th (Royal Irish Fusiliers) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1793. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 89th (Princess Victoria's) Regiment of Foot to form the Princess Victoria's (Roya ...
. He served in India and in November 1827 transferred to the 19th (1st Yorkshire, North Riding) Regiment of Foot for service in the
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. Thomas left the army in 1833 with the rank of lieutenant, and worked in North and South America as a surveyor and mining engineer. He returned to England in 1839.


New Zealand

Thomas purchased land in
Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...
from 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 arrived there on the ''Adelaide'' on 7 March 1840. As the land proved to be unavailable, he ventured into fishing and whaling, but in 1841 accepted a survey position under
William Mein Smith William Mein Smith (also known as Kapene Mete; 1798 – 3 January 1869) was a key figure in the settlement of Wellington, New Zealand. As the Surveyor General for Edward Gibbon Wakefield, Edward Wakefield's New Zealand Company at Port Nichols ...
. Thomas undertook work in
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and
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, but together with most of his colleagues, he was sacked by chief surveyor Samuel Brees in March 1843. In the following year, he was engaged to undertake survey work in the
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region under
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 ...
, but the work was postponed and he explored parts of the
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instead.


Canterbury surveys

He returned to England and soon after in 1848 was appointed by the
Canterbury Association The Canterbury Association was formed in 1848 in England by Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), members of parliament, Peerage of the United Kingdom, peers, and Anglicanism, Anglican church leaders, to establish a colony in New Zealand. The se ...
as their chief surveyor for their planned settlement in
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. His formal employer was the New Zealand Company, as the Canterbury Association had not received its charter. He left England on 6 July 1848 together with the surveyors Thomas Cass and
Charles Torlesse Charles Obins Torlesse (2 May 1825 – 14 November 1866) was a prominent surveyor for the Canterbury Association in Canterbury, New Zealand. Biography Torlesse was born in Stoke-by-Nayland, Suffolk, England, in 1825. He was the eldest son of ...
, and arrived in
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on 5 November. Thomas' remit included to find the site of the settlement anywhere in New Zealand, and it appears that the Canterbury Association expected that land in the
Wairarapa The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service t ...
be taken up, but he was instructed to obtain the consent of both the
Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
(
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 ...
) and of
Bishop Selwyn George Augustus Selwyn (5 April 1809 – 11 April 1878) was the first Anglican Bishop of New Zealand. He was Bishop of New Zealand (which included Melanesia) from 1841 to 1869. His diocese was then subdivided and Selwyn was metropolitan bishop ...
. Other instructions to Thomas included that the settlement should have a land area of at least , with at least of that available for agriculture. The settlement could be at the coast or inland, but any coastal settlement required a good harbour, and the port should preferably be the capital. The capital was to be called
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 ...
. Thomas may have had preconceived ideas about the location of the desired settlement, as he mentioned to a Nelson settler that the question is about " Port Cooper or nothing", with the name referring to what is now known as Lyttelton. In Nelson, he organised a copy of the report written by George Duppa of his 1841 exploration of Port Cooper and the adjacent plains. He reported to the Canterbury Organisation that the land question between
Kaikōura Kaikōura (; ) is a town on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand, located on New Zealand State Highway 1, State Highway 1, north of Christchurch. The town has an estimated permanent resident population of as of . Kaikōura is th ...
and Otago had been resolved (through
Kemp's Deed Kemp's Deed, was a contract signed on 12 June 1848 by Henry Tacy Kemp, Tacy Kemp, representing the New Zealand Company on behalf of the British Crown, and 40 leading Māori of the Ngāi Tahu iwi. It was the basis of the Canterbury Purchase, on th ...
, where the New Zealand Company had bought the land of the
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), whereas the government was still trying to purchase the land in the Wairarapa from the Māori, hence lessening delays "should we decide on Port Cooper". Thomas went to Wellington next, where he arrived on 21 November 1848. He met with the governor, who advised him that Captain
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of HMS ''Acheron'' had just finished a survey of the coast of
Hawke's Bay Hawke's Bay () is a region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region is named for Hawke Bay, which was named in honour of Edward Hawke. The region's main centres are the cities of Napier and Hastings, while the more rural ...
, and that he had instructed him to survey the coast near Port Cooper. William Fox as the New Zealand Company's agent accompanied the three surveyors on the journey, and they reached Port Cooper on 15 December 1848. They undertook a very thorough exploration of the various parts of what is now Canterbury, from near the Waipara River in the north to the
Ashburton River / Hakatere The Ashburton River / Hakatere is a river in the Canterbury region of New Zealand, flowing across Mid Canterbury from the Southern Alps to the Pacific Ocean. The official name of the river was amended to become a dual name by the Ngāi Tahu Cl ...
in the south, from the coast to the foothills of the
Southern Alps The Southern Alps (; officially Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana) are a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand, New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the range's western side. The n ...
. Thomas himself explored
Banks Peninsula Banks Peninsula () is a rocky peninsula on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand that was formed by two now-extinct volcanoes. It has an area of approximately . It includes two large deep-water harbours — Lyttelton Harbour a ...
on foot and went to Port Levy, Pigeon Bay,
Akaroa Akaroa is a small town on Banks Peninsula in the Canterbury Region of the South Island of New Zealand, situated within a harbour of the same name. The name Akaroa is Ngāi Tahu, Kāi Tahu Māori language, Māori for "Long Harbour", which woul ...
,
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and back via the inland shore of
Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora is a shallow coastal lake or waituna, in the Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury region of the South Island of New Zealand. It is directly to the west of Banks Peninsula, separated from the Pacific Ocean by the long, ...
. Their own report was supplemented by a report from the Deans brothers, who at that time were the only white settlers on the
Canterbury Plains The Canterbury Plains () are an area in New Zealand centred in the Mid Canterbury, to the south of the city of Christchurch in the Canterbury region. Their northern extremes are at the foot of the Hundalee Hills in the Hurunui District, and ...
, with their farm located at
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. Thomas and Fox jointly approved land holdings for two parties of settlers already in the area, who had paid for land in the Wellington area which had not been available. The Deans brothers were granted , and the Rhodes brothers ( William Barnard and
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) were granted in Purau. Fox reported the following to T. C. Harrington, the secretary of the New Zealand Company:
Mr Thomas not only concurred in these arrangements, but was anxious to have them entered into, believing, as I do, that the presence of Messrs Deans and Mr George Rhodes with their stock and farms and their knowledge of climate, seasons, etc., will prove most valuable to the Canterbury immigrants in the early days of the settlement. They are all experienced settlers, hardy pioneers, and intelligent, respectable gentlemen.
Everything proved very satisfactory for a new settlement, and the only possible obstacle was whether the harbour itself was going to be part of the land claim that the French initiative that resulted in the settlement of Akaroa had made. Fox applied to the governor for a ruling. During May 1849, both the Bishop and the Governor gave their approvals of the settlement for the Canterbury Association, and Grey thus confirmed that Port Cooper was not going to be part of the French land claim any longer. To conform with his instructions, Thomas initially placed the settlement's capital at the head of
Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō Lyttelton Harbour / Whakaraupō is a major inlet on the northwest side of Banks Peninsula, on the coast of Canterbury, New Zealand; the other major inlet is Akaroa Harbour, which enters from the southern side of the peninsula. Lyttelton Har ...
at the present-day
Teddington Teddington is an affluent suburb of London in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Historically an Civil parish#ancient parishes, ancient parish in the county of Middlesex and situated close to the border with Surrey, the district became ...
. To meet the required for Christchurch, partial reclamation would have been necessary. The
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were to be placed at what is now Charteris Bay, and the Government Domain was to be near present-day
Governors Bay Governors Bay is a small town in Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury, New Zealand. Geography The settlement of Governors Bay is located on Banks Peninsula near the head of Lyttelton Harbour. It is connected via Governors Bay Road to Lyttelton ...
. But all of this was subject to the cost estimate for the land reclamation being affordable, which it was not. Thomas' first sketch map from 1849 commemorated about 30 members of the Canterbury Association. A reproduction of his sketch map is shown above, and the table identifies the localities named by him, together with their present name. Notable names that have changed were two major rivers, the Courtenay (now Waimakariri) and Cholmondley (now
Rakaia Rakaia is a town sited on the southern banks of the Rakaia River on the Canterbury Plains in New Zealand's South Island, approximately 57 km south of Christchurch on State Highway 1 and the Main South Line. Immediately north of the townsh ...
). The Avon River had already been named by the Deans Brothers; Godley was instructed in 1850 by the Canterbury Association to rename it as the Shakespeare River, but the original use prevailed. Thomas' intention was to initially build four towns: Lyttelton was to be the port town, placed at present-day
Rāpaki Te Rāpaki-o-Te Rakiwhakaputa, commonly known as Rāpaki or Rapaki, is a small settlement within the Lyttelton Harbour basin. Rāpaki is one of four Banks Peninsula rūnanga (communities) based around marae (tribal meeting grounds). The Rāpak ...
, Christchurch was to go at the head of the harbour, Stratford was to be built at that point on the Avon River that could just be reached by boat, and Mandeville would be placed on a large island within the Courtenay (Waimakari) River. It was quickly realised that land reclamation at the head of the harbour was too expensive, and the capital Christchurch was instead placed at the location that had been earmarked for Stratford. Mandeville was never built, and the land at Rāpaki was not available, as it had been promised to Maori as a reserve. Sites for other town, to be built later, were identified for
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(near where the
Selwyn River / Waikirikiri The Selwyn River (, officially gazetted as Selwyn River / Waikirikiri) flows through the Selwyn District of Canterbury in the South Island of New Zealand. Description The river has its source in the Southern Alps and flows east for before e ...
flows into
Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora is a shallow coastal lake or waituna, in the Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury region of the South Island of New Zealand. It is directly to the west of Banks Peninsula, separated from the Pacific Ocean by the long, ...
; it was later built in a different location),
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(where the college was supposed to be located; the college was built in Christchurch instead), and Buccleugh (which was never built, but which exists as an uninhabited locality named Buccleuch at ). The three towns that were surveyed were first Lyttelton, then Sumner, and lastly Christchurch. Except for early survey work in Lyttelton, which was done by Thomas and Torlesse, the work was done by
Edward Jollie Edward Jollie (1 September 1825 – 7 August 1894) was a pioneer land surveyor in New Zealand, initially as a cadet surveyor with the New Zealand Company. The Christchurch Central City is laid out to his survey. Biography Jollie was born in ...
, who explains in his diary how the streets got their names:
The names of the streets of the three towns I surveyed were taken from Bishoprics and the way it was done was this; as soon as I completed the map I took it to Thomas who putting on his gold spectacles and opening his would read out a Bishop's name to hear if it sounded well. If I agreed with him that it did, I put the name to one of the streets requiring baptism. Lyttelton being the first born town got the best names for its streets, Sumner being next had the next best and Christchurch being the youngest had to be content with chiefly Irish and Colonial bishoprics as names for its streets. This accounts for, what to anyone not knowing the circumstances, appears strange, viz: that many of the best English Bishoprics are not represented while Irish and Colonial ones are. Sumner in fact died too late for the names there used to be again employed in Christchurch.
What Jollie referred to with 'Sumner dying' refers to the fact that the survey was not used, as Godley put the proposal on hold. Instead, the land in Sumner was sold as a rural block. When it was subdivided in the 1860s, the original survey was not used. Thomas was also tasked with organising and supervising the work that was necessary to prepare the settlement for the settlers. Work was under way on the road from Lyttelton to Sumner when
John Robert Godley John Robert Godley (29 May 1814 – 17 November 1861) was an Anglo-Irish statesman and bureaucrat. Godley is considered to be the founder of Canterbury, New Zealand, although he lived there for only two years. Early life Godley was born in Dubl ...
arrived in April 1850. Godley was the agent for the Canterbury Association, and he put an immediate stop to the works, as available funds had been used up; instead, a walking track was built over the Port Hills that became known as the
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. When the first settlers arrived from December 1850 on the
First Four Ships The First Four Ships refers to the four sailing vessels chartered by the Canterbury Association which left Plymouth, England, in September 1850 to transport the first English settlers to new homes in Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury, New Zea ...
, Thomas was blamed for the unfinished work. There was constant tension between Thomas and Godley, and Thomas was dismissed by the agent of the Canterbury Association in January 1851. Some of the most severe criticism was that there was no church for the settlers, but after the first church was completed in May 1852, an editorial in the ''
Lyttelton Times The ''Lyttelton Times'' was the first newspaper in Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury, New Zealand, publishing the first edition in January 1851. It was established by the Canterbury Association as part of its planned community, planned settlem ...
'' defended his decision to focus on the necessary infrastructure first.


Later years

Thomas moved to Wellington and applied for land in the North Island. Instead, he left for England on 6 April 1852 on the ''Midlothian'' to plead his case to the management committee of the Canterbury Association but nothing came of this. During the year in England, he married. He returned to New Zealand and in 1853, he sold his assets to take employment with a mining company in
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, Australia. It is not known exactly what he did after this; according to some reports, he died while in Wellington sometime during the 1880s, whilst others say that he died in
Victoria, Australia Victoria, commonly abbreviated as Vic, is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state (after Tasmania), with a land area of ; the second-most-populated state (after New South Wales), with a population of over 7 million; ...
at an unknown date.


Notes


References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Joseph 1803 births Ashburton, New Zealand Canterbury Association Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Green Howards officers New Zealand surveyors Military personnel from Worcester, England Year of death unknown British emigrants to New Zealand