James Mckenzie
Encyclopedia
James Mckenzie possibly born in Ross-shire
, Scotland
, in 1820 was a New Zealand
outlaw
who has become one of the country's most enduring folk hero
es. The correct spelling of Mckenzie is unclear and he is variously referred to as James, John or Jock. His surname has been spelt as both 'MacKenzie' and 'McKenzie' - the latter being more commonly used. He may also have had at least one alias, John Douglass.
Mckenzie emigrated to Australia
in about 1849, arriving in Melbourne
where he purchased a team of bullocks for carrying goods to the gold-diggings. He managed to save £1,000 and moved to New Zealand, arriving at Nelson
. He worked as a drover in Canterbury before moving on to Otago
where he applied for a land grant in the Mataura
district.
In March 1855, Mckenzie was caught stealing 1,000 sheep from Levels Station, north of Timaru
. After escaping his accusers, he walked 160 kilometres (100 mi) to Lyttelton
, where he was caught by the police. He was subsequently sentenced to five years hard labour after being found guilty by a Lyttelton Supreme Court jury in April 1855.
He escaped from prison on at least two occasions, in May and June 1855, neither escape lasting more than three days, after which he was placed in irons and closely watched. In September 1855, the Christchurch resident magistrate investigated Mckenzie's case and found serious flaws in the police inquiry and trial. Mckenzie was given an unconditional pardon on 11 January 1856 after spending only nine months in prison.
After being freed, Mckenzie sailed for Australia from Lyttelton in January 1856, but nothing certain is known of his later life.
is named in his honour.
A novel based partly on Mckenzie's life, Chandler's Run, by Denise Muir, was published in 2008.
New Zealand's folk musician Mike Harding
made him the subject of his 'McKenzie Song' ballad, originally composed by Kath Tait in 1973 as 'McKenzie's Ghost'.
Ross-shire
Ross-shire is an area in the Highland Council Area in Scotland. The name is now used as a geographic or cultural term, equivalent to Ross. Until 1889 the term denoted a county of Scotland, also known as the County of Ross...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, in 1820 was a 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...
outlaw
Outlaw
In historical legal systems, an outlaw is declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, this takes the burden of active prosecution of a criminal from the authorities. Instead, the criminal is withdrawn all legal protection, so that anyone is legally empowered to persecute...
who has become one of the country's most enduring folk hero
Folk hero
A folk hero is a type of hero, real, fictional, or mythological. The single salient characteristic which makes a character a folk hero is the imprinting of the name, personality and deeds of the character in the popular consciousness. This presence in the popular consciousness is evidenced by...
es. The correct spelling of Mckenzie is unclear and he is variously referred to as James, John or Jock. His surname has been spelt as both 'MacKenzie' and 'McKenzie' - the latter being more commonly used. He may also have had at least one alias, John Douglass.
Mckenzie emigrated to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in about 1849, arriving in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
where he purchased a team of bullocks for carrying goods to the gold-diggings. He managed to save £1,000 and moved to New Zealand, arriving at Nelson
Nelson, New Zealand
Nelson is a city on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay, and is the economic and cultural centre of the Nelson-Tasman region. Established in 1841, it is the second oldest settled city in New Zealand and the oldest in the South Island....
. He worked as a drover in Canterbury before moving on to Otago
Otago
Otago is a region of New Zealand in the south of the South Island. The region covers an area of approximately making it the country's second largest region. The population of Otago is...
where he applied for a land grant in the Mataura
Mataura
Mataura is a town in the Southland region of the South Island of New Zealand. Mataura has a meat processing plant, and until 2000 it was the site of a large pulp and paper mill....
district.
In March 1855, Mckenzie was caught stealing 1,000 sheep from Levels Station, north of Timaru
Timaru
TimaruUrban AreaPopulation:27,200Extent:Former Timaru City CouncilTerritorial AuthorityName:Timaru District CouncilPopulation:42,867 Land area:2,736.54 km² Mayor:Janie AnnearWebsite:...
. After escaping his accusers, he walked 160 kilometres (100 mi) to Lyttelton
Lyttelton, New Zealand
Lyttelton is a port town on the north shore of Lyttelton Harbour close to Banks Peninsula, a suburb of Christchurch on the eastern coast of the South Island of New Zealand....
, where he was caught by the police. He was subsequently sentenced to five years hard labour after being found guilty by a Lyttelton Supreme Court jury in April 1855.
He escaped from prison on at least two occasions, in May and June 1855, neither escape lasting more than three days, after which he was placed in irons and closely watched. In September 1855, the Christchurch resident magistrate investigated Mckenzie's case and found serious flaws in the police inquiry and trial. Mckenzie was given an unconditional pardon on 11 January 1856 after spending only nine months in prison.
After being freed, Mckenzie sailed for Australia from Lyttelton in January 1856, but nothing certain is known of his later life.
In history and fiction
The New Zealand area known as Mackenzie CountryMackenzie Basin
The Mackenzie Basin , is an elliptical intermontane basin, located in the Mackenzie and Waitaki Districts, near the centre of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the largest such basin in New Zealand...
is named in his honour.
A novel based partly on Mckenzie's life, Chandler's Run, by Denise Muir, was published in 2008.
New Zealand's folk musician Mike Harding
Mike Harding (New Zealand)
Mike Harding is a well-known New Zealand folk musician born in 16 July 1952, now living in New Plymouth, Taranaki.- Musician :Growing up in Eketahuna, Harding practised his music in "the streets, markets and clubs of Auckland in the early 1980s", before he describes himself as having spent a "Time...
made him the subject of his 'McKenzie Song' ballad, originally composed by Kath Tait in 1973 as 'McKenzie's Ghost'.
Further reading
- Mackenzie of the Mackenzie Country, Beattie, H. (1946)
- Old Christchurch in Picture and Story, Andersen, J. C. (1949)
- South Canterbury, Gillespie, O. A. (1958).