Horatio Gordon Robley
Encyclopedia
Horatio Gordon Robley was a soldier, artist and collector of Mokomokai
and antiquities.
Robley was born at Funchal
, Madeira
on 28 June 1840, the son of Captain John Horatio Robley and Augusta June Penfold. Robley followed in his father's footsteps and became a professional soldier. However he also inherited his mother's artistic skills and became an accomplished sketcher and watercolourist.
In 1858 he purchased an ensign
cy in the 68th Durham Light Infantry
for 450 pounds. After a short period of training in Ireland he joined his regiment in Burma where he remained for nearly five years. He took every opportunity to observe the people and learn the language. In addition to his military duties Robley continued with his sketching and made visits into the countryside to document daily life. When sketching Buddhist temples he became friendly with several Buddhist monks and had an image of Buddha tattooed in red on his right arm. This was the start of a lifelong interest in the practice of tattoo
ing. The numerous sketches made during this period formed the basis for his illustrations some years later, when he was asked by the firm Cassells & Co. to contribute to their publication, Races of Mankind.
In 1860 Robley was sent home to England for a period of sick leave. He began to specialise in rifle shooting, applying for and being granted a term in the School of Musketry. Rejoining his regiment he was present at the siege of Delhi
(1857); afterwards, at Rangoon, he assumed command of the guard of King Bahadur Shah
.
In 1863 the 68th Regiment left Burma for the New Zealand land wars
and landed at Auckland
, New Zealand
on 8 January 1864. Again displaying a desire to absorb his new surroundings, Robley purchased a Māori
vocabulary and other books about Māori. In the following April, Robley took his troops to Tauranga
to join General Cameron's forces attacking Pukehinahina also known as Gate Pā. His talent at sketching contributed to the campaign immediately, as he made a sketch with such accuracy of the inland view to the south-west that the troops were able to outflank the enemy's position.
He remained at Tauranga for 19 months until the beginning of 1866 during which time he continued drawing. He completed a series of detailed sketches of the Māori defences at Pukehinahina, Māori wounded, surrenders and other scenes of the time. He continued his interest in tattooing and completed accurate sketches of the tattoo designs of the wounded and dead. Several of these scenes were later reproduced in the Illustrated London News between 1864 and 1867.
During his time in New Zealand he met Herete Mauao and they had a son whom they named Hamiora Tu Ropere.
His regiment was withdrawn from Tauranga early in 1866 and sailed from Auckland arriving back in England at Spithead on 28 June 1866. In 1870 Robley purchased a captaincy for £1,100, and on 4 February 1871 transferred to the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
. He remained on Home Service until 1880, when he was promoted to major and dispatched to Mauritius
. Later he was sent to South Africa and saw service in Cape Colony, Natal and Zululand. He then went to Ceylon where, in 1882, he was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel and assumed command of the regiment. He wrote his regiment's history. In 1887 he retired from the Army with the rank of Major-General and returned to live in London.
Continuing with writing after his retirement he returned to his interest in tattoos and wrote two books relating to his time in New Zealand, Moko or Maori Tattooing in 1896 and Pounamu: Notes on New Zealand Greenstone. In the first book, as well as demonstrating and explaining the art of Māori tattooing, he also wrote chapters on the dried tattooed heads or Mokomokai
. Robley decided to acquire as many examples of Mokomokai as possible, and at length built up a unique collection of 35 heads. In 1908 he offered them to the New Zealand Government for £1,000; his offer, however, was refused. Later, with the exception of the five best examples which Robley retained, the collection was purchased by the American Museum of Natural History
, New York, for the equivalent £1,250. In 1998, after an approach by Robley's descendants and Dalvanius Prime
, the Museum of Natural History repatriated these to New Zealand.
Robley also collected Māori antiquities. Some of his collection was purchased by the collector William Ockelford Oldman
whose collection was purchased by the New Zealand Government in 1948.
Robley maintained a lively correspondence with a number of New Zealanders and maintained close links with New Zealand House
during his lifetime. He died in London on 29 October 1930.
Mokomokai
Mokomokai are the preserved heads of Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, where the faces have been decorated by tā moko tattooing. They became valuable trade items during the Musket Wars of the early 19th century.-Moko:...
and antiquities.
Robley was born at Funchal
Funchal
Funchal is the largest city, the municipal seat and the capital of Portugal's Autonomous Region of Madeira. The city has a population of 112,015 and has been the capital of Madeira for more than five centuries.-Etymology:...
, Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
on 28 June 1840, the son of Captain John Horatio Robley and Augusta June Penfold. Robley followed in his father's footsteps and became a professional soldier. However he also inherited his mother's artistic skills and became an accomplished sketcher and watercolourist.
In 1858 he purchased an ensign
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
cy in the 68th Durham Light Infantry
Durham Light Infantry
The Durham Light Infantry was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1968. It was formed by the amalgamation of the 68th Regiment of Foot and the 106th Regiment of Foot along with the militia and rifle volunteers of County Durham...
for 450 pounds. After a short period of training in Ireland he joined his regiment in Burma where he remained for nearly five years. He took every opportunity to observe the people and learn the language. In addition to his military duties Robley continued with his sketching and made visits into the countryside to document daily life. When sketching Buddhist temples he became friendly with several Buddhist monks and had an image of Buddha tattooed in red on his right arm. This was the start of a lifelong interest in the practice of tattoo
Tattoo
A tattoo is made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattoos on humans are a type of body modification, and tattoos on other animals are most commonly used for identification purposes...
ing. The numerous sketches made during this period formed the basis for his illustrations some years later, when he was asked by the firm Cassells & Co. to contribute to their publication, Races of Mankind.
In 1860 Robley was sent home to England for a period of sick leave. He began to specialise in rifle shooting, applying for and being granted a term in the School of Musketry. Rejoining his regiment he was present at the siege of Delhi
Siege of Delhi
The Siege of Delhi was one of the decisive conflicts of the Indian rebellion of 1857.The rebellion against the authority of the British East India Company was widespread through much of Northern India, but essentially it was sparked by the mass uprising by the sepoys of the units of the Army which...
(1857); afterwards, at Rangoon, he assumed command of the guard of King Bahadur Shah
Bahadur Shah
Bahadur Shah may refer to*Bahadur Shah of Gujarat *Bahadur Shah I , Mughal Emperor*Bahadur Shah II , the last Mughal Emperor and final ruler of the Timurid dynasty...
.
New Zealand land wars
The New Zealand Wars, sometimes called the Land Wars and also once called the Māori Wars, were a series of armed conflicts that took place in New Zealand between 1845 and 1872...
and landed at Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
on 8 January 1864. Again displaying a desire to absorb his new surroundings, Robley purchased a Māori
Maori language
Māori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
vocabulary and other books about Māori. In the following April, Robley took his troops to Tauranga
Tauranga
Tauranga is the most populous city in the Bay of Plenty region, in the North Island of New Zealand.It was settled by Europeans in the early 19th century and was constituted as a city in 1963...
to join General Cameron's forces attacking Pukehinahina also known as Gate Pā. His talent at sketching contributed to the campaign immediately, as he made a sketch with such accuracy of the inland view to the south-west that the troops were able to outflank the enemy's position.
He remained at Tauranga for 19 months until the beginning of 1866 during which time he continued drawing. He completed a series of detailed sketches of the Māori defences at Pukehinahina, Māori wounded, surrenders and other scenes of the time. He continued his interest in tattooing and completed accurate sketches of the tattoo designs of the wounded and dead. Several of these scenes were later reproduced in the Illustrated London News between 1864 and 1867.
During his time in New Zealand he met Herete Mauao and they had a son whom they named Hamiora Tu Ropere.
His regiment was withdrawn from Tauranga early in 1866 and sailed from Auckland arriving back in England at Spithead on 28 June 1866. In 1870 Robley purchased a captaincy for £1,100, and on 4 February 1871 transferred to the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland is an infantry battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland....
. He remained on Home Service until 1880, when he was promoted to major and dispatched to Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
. Later he was sent to South Africa and saw service in Cape Colony, Natal and Zululand. He then went to Ceylon where, in 1882, he was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel and assumed command of the regiment. He wrote his regiment's history. In 1887 he retired from the Army with the rank of Major-General and returned to live in London.
Continuing with writing after his retirement he returned to his interest in tattoos and wrote two books relating to his time in New Zealand, Moko or Maori Tattooing in 1896 and Pounamu: Notes on New Zealand Greenstone. In the first book, as well as demonstrating and explaining the art of Māori tattooing, he also wrote chapters on the dried tattooed heads or Mokomokai
Mokomokai
Mokomokai are the preserved heads of Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, where the faces have been decorated by tā moko tattooing. They became valuable trade items during the Musket Wars of the early 19th century.-Moko:...
. Robley decided to acquire as many examples of Mokomokai as possible, and at length built up a unique collection of 35 heads. In 1908 he offered them to the New Zealand Government for £1,000; his offer, however, was refused. Later, with the exception of the five best examples which Robley retained, the collection was purchased by the American Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world...
, New York, for the equivalent £1,250. In 1998, after an approach by Robley's descendants and Dalvanius Prime
Dalvanius Prime
Maui Dalvanius Prime was a New Zealand entertainer and songwriter. His career spanned 30 years. He mentored many of New Zealand's Māori performers, and was a vocal and forthright supporter of Māori culture.-Early life:...
, the Museum of Natural History repatriated these to New Zealand.
Robley also collected Māori antiquities. Some of his collection was purchased by the collector William Ockelford Oldman
William Ockelford Oldman
William Ockelford Oldman was a British collector and dealer of ethnographic art and European arms and armour. His business W.O. Oldman, Ethnographical Specimens, London was mostly active between the late 1890s and 1913....
whose collection was purchased by the New Zealand Government in 1948.
Robley maintained a lively correspondence with a number of New Zealanders and maintained close links with New Zealand House
New Zealand House
The High Commission of New Zealand in London is housed in a skyscraper known as New Zealand House in The Haymarket, London, off Pall Mall...
during his lifetime. He died in London on 29 October 1930.