Everard Francis Buckworth (1853-1902)

Everard Francis Buckworth was the second son of the Rev. Thomas Everard Buckworth and Charlotte Sarah Buckworth (née Garthon). Thomas was the Rector of Norbury, Shropshire and later Evenlode, Worcestershire.

The Buckworth family had first come to prominence in London, when John Buckworth, a London alderman and merchant was knighted in 1687. His son John Buckworth, the High Sheriff of London was made a baronet in 1697. The baronetcy is still in existence in 2011.

Everard Buckworth was a ‘remittance man’¹ - a term used for the many surplus sons of Victorian Britain who were sent to the colonies. They were sent a regular ‘remittance’ as a condition of living abroad.

Everard Buckworth arrived in Tauranga on board the SS Hāwea from Auckland on 31st May 1878. By January 1879 he was clerk of the course for the annual Tauranga races and in November 1880 he married Mary Leech. In 1884 her sister, Katherine Rebecca Leech married Tom Dalzell, ex Armed Constabulary of Ōpōtiki.

The 1881 Electoral Roll noted that Everard Buckworth was a freeholder of Te Puna, Tauranga. However, The Bay of Plenty Times of 12th November 1881 reported that, “A meeting of creditors in the estate of Mr. Everard F. Buckworth was held yesterday. The debtor, who is a settler near Tauranga, came up for his discharge. The trustee's report was read, from which it appeared that the debtor had received considerable sums of money from his relatives, all of which had been sunk in his farm at Tauranga. He also borrowed considerable sums, but the result was unfortunate, and he is now in charge of the farm and stock on behalf of one of the secured creditors. After considerable discussion the creditors passed the usual resolution, recommending the discharge of the debtor from his liabilities.”

The Bay of Plenty Times of 26th November 1881 then noted the sale of Mr. E. F. Buckworth’s improved farm at Te Puna for £3250. The family appears to have moved to Kopeopeo, Whakatāne as The Bay of Plenty Times of 21st September 1882 reported that they had been shown plans for the dwelling house which was being built for George Simpkins for his new tenants, the Buckworth brothers² at Meadow Bank Farm.

Western Bay of Plenty, Emily Surtees image collection

By November 1887 Everard was living in Katikati and had taken over the lease of Denis Foley’s farm at Rereatukahia. At the same time The Bay of Plenty Times of 25th November reported that Tom Dalzell had bought the Junction House Hotel adjoining Mr. Buckworth’s lease. The Bay of Plenty Times of 18th January 1888 reported that, “The Te Aroha Track is becoming noted as a quick means of travelling between Auckland and this district. About a week ago Mr. Buckworth left the North Shore at 7am, caught the Te Aroha train from Auckland, rode over the range by the track and had tea at 8pm the same day at Mr Dalzell’s Junction Hotel, thus doing the long journey in thirteen hours.”

Everard purchased the farm from Denis Foley in July 1888 but life was not all well. The Bay of Plenty Times of 22nd August 1888 noted that “Mr Buckworth, a gentleman who has but recently settled in our midst and who therefore ought to have been treated with all the courtesy due to a newcomer…” had his flock of turkeys stolen as well as an iron ploughshare of a particular type which to replace needed a special journey to Tauranga. The newspaper continued “Of course the number of people in the settlement who would do such a mean cowardly thing is very small, and I am glad to say on this occasion the thieves are well known.”

On 1st April 1891 Everard Buckworth took over the Junction House from Tom Dalzell who then moved to Uretara to take over the hotel formerly owned by Bernard Macdonnell. The Bay of Plenty Times advertisement read:

On 18th June 1896 during the Bay of Plenty gold boom, Everard Buckworth applied for miner’s rights for the Waitakohe³ Junction Special Claim of 100 acres on the Katikati side of Thompson’s Track. At around the same time while shooting pheasants in the company of two of his sons they came across a natural hot spring at Rereatukahia. The spring was only small and seeped from the gravel into a pool eighteen inches across. Everard then took up the 100 acres and developed the springs with a swimming pool and a small enclosed ladies’ bath.

The Bay of Plenty Times of 17th November 1897 reported that the “Rereatukahia hot springs possess medicinal and highly curative mineral properties and thanks to the enterprise of Mr. Buckworth are likely soon to be accessible to settlers and visitors who will be sure to arrive as soon as the County Council grant for road making thereto has been applied.”

On 11th November 1898 The Bay of Plenty Times reported that the Katikati Road Board had received a reply from the Minister of Lands replying to the suggested purchase of the Katikati hot springs, known as Buckworth’s, as a sanatorium. The Minister said that there were no funds at present available and that the parliamentary session was too far advanced to ask for a vote this year at least.

On 29th November 1899 The Bay of Plenty Times reported on a visit made to the Katikati hot springs – “Last week being in Katikati, with an hour to spare, I filled the time by a visit to Mr. Buckworth's Hot Springs. I had often heard of the existence of these and had pictured to myself a pool of lukewarm water, at or near the river level, with unattractive surroundings. On arrival I was most agreeably surprised to find that facts bore about the same relation to my mental picture, that a painting by an artist would to the daub a child would make if given a brush and a box of colours.

“I found the principal spring situated on a nice flat, about thirty feet above the river level, with a temperature of 96 deg. Fah., flowing at the rate of about thirty seven gallons per minute and clear as crystal. This spring was enclosed and covered and the hot water led by pipes to a commodious concrete swimming bath of considerable dimensions, provided with dressing compartments, all enclosed with a high corrugated iron fence. Ample provision was made for emptying the bath as often as desirable by a discharge pipe from the floor, the operation taking twenty minutes. The bath is about four feet deep and the water so clear that a book held at the bottom could be read from the surface. The temperature in the open bath was over 90 deg. Fah. quite warm enough for a swimming bath.

“What most attracted my attention and admiration was the surroundings. Nature has endowed the spot most bountifully with shade trees, sites for buildings, a running stream, cool shady bathing places, etc. The outlay of a little capital in buildings, tennis ground and landscape gardening, would make it a charming spot for a week's sojourn or for picnic parties.”

Buckworth’s hot springs were advertised as part of Katikati’s attractions by Charles F. Wigley of the Talisman Hotel from April 1901 until March 1906. The Katikati Road Board applied numerous times for improvements to be made to the Te Aroha Road to the hot springs and on to Te Aroha but was rejected. It appears the pool fell into disrepair and the Katikati Domain Board eventually took control establishing a Hot Springs Reserve. A pool and camping ground were provided and the springs later became known as the Sapphire Springs.

Everard Buckworth died in 1902 from pneumonia and was buried at the Katikati cemetery. In the 1902 Electoral Roll Mary Buckworth was listed as Junction Boarding House and Proprietress of the Mineral Springs and Baths. By 1916 she was living in Leichhardt, New South Wales.

Notes:

1.     (1993) Hartley, Nell. Colonial Outcasts - a Search for Remittance Men. (Arrow Press Ltd.)

2.    Everard’s brother, Charles Marshall Buckworth. who married Emily Maria (Maraea) Fulloon. She was the daughter of James Francis Fulloon, also known as Hemi Te Mautaranui who had been born at Whakatāne in 1840. He was the son of Charles Fulloon and Koka Te Mautaranui (Ngati Awa, Tūhoe).

3.    Now spelt as Waitekohe.

Sources:

Heather Stephenson (Napier.)

Parham W T. James Francis Fulloon – a Man of Two Cultures. (1985 Whakatāne and District Historical Society.)

Parham, W T. Fulloon, James Francis 1840 - 1865 IN Dictionary of New Zealand Biography.

The Bay of Plenty Times.

‘Everard Francis Buckworth (1853-1902)’ was written for the Memoir & Local History Competition 2011, run annually by the New Zealand Society of Authors (Bay of Plenty Region) with support from Tauranga Writers.