The Rosanna Settlers, by Hilda McDonnell
Thomas Shepherd and friends | |
Contents: introduction | chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Journal | Sources |
In 1825 the New Zealand Company directors gave command of their venture to James Herd who, as we have seen, had been in New Zealand before. Six officials were assigned to accompany him on the Rosanna: an agricultural superintendent, a marine surveyor, two clerks, a surgeon and an interpreter. A document in the Archives Office of New South Wales listed those on the Rosanna when the ship got to Sydney. A descendant of Thomas Shepherd, Una Shepherd Price, included the list in My family of Shepherds (1988), published for the Australian bi-centenary:
Alexander Gray, the blacksmith mentioned by Captain Dillon, was not on board the Rosanna when it reached Sydney, having jumped ship at the Bay of Islands. So he was not on the list. Neither was “a blackman,” shipped by Captain Herd while in New Zealand. He was probably from America and was not one of the New Zealand Company people.
Thomas Shepherd (1779-1835), agricultural superintendent to the New Zealand Company, was a nurseryman and landscape gardener. He was born at Kembach, Fife, though one source gives his birthplace as Balcarres (Balcarres House was the home of the Earl of Crawford). Thomas was the son of Alexander Shepherd and Helen Galloway. He was baptised on 21 March 1779 in the parish of Cults, Fife where his parents were married, Fife being in the Lowlands of Scotland. Shepherd served his time at Lord Crawford’s under his father’s tutelage. He later took a position with a Mr White, a leading landscape gardener. This was probably Thomas White (1736?-1811), a pupil of “Capability” Brown, or his son, also Thomas White (1764?-1836). While working for White Shepherd designed parks and gardens in Scotland and England. “It was Mr White’s plans,” wrote Shepherd, “seen by me in my youth which first gave me a taste for landscape gardening…I received lessons from him for one year in the art of landscape painting." Thomas Shepherd left Scotland as a young man and settled in London. There he acquired an extensive plant nursery in the outlying suburb of Hackney. He married Sarah Josling and his children were baptised at St John, Hackney: son Alexander on 10 June 1808, followed by Thomas Galloway (19 October 1810) and John Joselin (17 May 1812); daughter Elizabeth Joselin was born two years later. His son John and daughter Elizabeth Shepherd were to travel with their father on the Rosanna to New Zealand. In March 1824 Thomas Shepherd’s second wife Jane gave birth to a son, Thomas William. Scots-born Jane Susan Henderson was a daughter of David Henderson and Susan Cockburn. Just before the Rosanna voyage Jane’s sister Isabella was married in Scotland to Robert Bell. Isabella and Robert Bell came to New Zealand on the Rosanna with their relatives, the Shepherds. Based at Hackney Thomas Shepherd landscaped nearly a hundred parks, pleasure grounds and gardens in England. He also supervised the execution of works he had designed. The landscape gardener Humphrey Repton (1752-1818) was a neighbour of Shepherd’s for some years. For nearly twenty years until his death Repton lived at the villlage of Hare Street in Essex. Shepherd received rents from land owned at Worthing, Essex. Repton published Sketches and hints on landscape gardening (1795) and An enquiry into the change of taste in landscape gardening and architecture (1806). Shepherd gave lectures on similar subjects in Sydney. These were later published as small pamphlets. Humphrey Repton became deeply influenced by drawings and acquatints of India produced by Thomas Daniell and his nephew William Daniell (1769-1837) from their journeys in India between 1786-1794. This was reflected in Repton’s designs for the pavilion at Brighton completed in 1808 for the Prince of Wales (later George IV). William Daniell was responsible for An Elevated View of the New Dock at Wapping, engraved about 1800. This gave a sweeping view of the river Thames, crowded with shipping. The travelling artist Augustus Earle who met some of the Rosanna settlers in New Zealand, may have been instructed in the rudiments of painting by the Daniells. Earle’s sister Phoebe (born 1790) knew William Daniell. Phoebe Earle was appointed Flower Painter to Queen Charlotte. A portrait in the National Gallery, London: Thomas Daniell R.A., was painted by the artist David Wilkie, of whom more later. Another artist in the family was William’s brother Samuel Daniell (1775-1811). He saw service with the East India Company, went to Africa, and visited the Cape of Good Hope during the first British occupation, serving in 1801 under Governor Francis Dundas. He then spent some years in Ceylon (Sri Lanka), where he died. His African scenery and animals (1804-5) and Picturesque illustrations of Ceylon (1808) created great interest. At the beginning of the 1820s Thomas Shepherd gave evidence before a House of Commons Committee on the state of the agricultural labourers of England and on the best means of lessening the poor rate then levied on parishes. This was probably the committee William Huskisson was appointed to.
Early in 1825 Alexander McLeay, described as one of Thomas Shephed’s earliest friends, was appointed the principal civil servant in Sydney. In London McLeay had been Secretary of the Linnaen Society from its foundation up to 1825, and had corresponded with botanists and naturalists allover the world. Naturalist William Swainson, later to settle in Port Nicholson, New Zealand, had written to McLeay in 1817 from Brazil. William’s father, J.T.Swainson, Collector of Customs at Liverpool, England, was a foundation member of the Linnaen Society. In 1823 Alexander McLeay spent five months in Scotland. In December 1824 he was offered the position of Colonial Secretary of New South Wales. “I felt and considered for a fortnight before accepting it,” he wrote. One of those who urged him to accept was Vice-Admiral Sir Courtenay Boyle, soon to become a director of the New Zealand Company. On 8 January 1825 Boyle wrote to McLeay urging him to accept the position. McLeay’s appointment was announced in June 1825. McLeay, his wife, and some of their large family left for Sydney later that year. Before sailing for New SouthWales McLeay had his portrait painted by Sir Thomas Lawrence. It was presented by subscribers and hung for many years in the Linnaen Society rooms in London. |