Richard Barton
Encyclopedia
Richard Barton was the first European resident of Trentham, Upper Hutt
, in New Zealand
. He was born on 30 August 1790 in Newport, Isle of Wight
. He arrived in Wellington in 1840 on the "Oriental", the second of four early settler ships, and in 1841 purchased 100-acres for a farm in the Upper Hutt Valley. He named his estate Trentham in honour of the Duke of Sutherland
, one of whose subsidiary titles is Viscount Trentham, of Trentham
in the County of Stafford
. (Before emigrating to New Zealand, Barton had been Supervisor at the then Trentham Hall.) Much of his former estate is now Trentham Memorial Park
, which includes the native bush remnant known as Barton's Bush
. The surrounding suburb of Trentham also takes its name from his estate. Exactly when Barton and his family began living on the Trentham estate is unclear from various historical sources. Although he appears to have built a slab house on his purchase around 1841, the Trentham Parish histories indicate that he and his third wife, Hannah, whom he married about 1843, only settled on the estate in 1846. During the intervening 5 years it seems Barton may have assisted, perhaps supervised, the surveying the surrounding country for the Wellington Company. The Barton homestead was located near the corner of the Main Road (now Fergusson Drive) and Camp Road (now Camp Street) and overlooked what is now Trentham Memorial Park. Barton appears to have acquired more land, as his estate is described as lying to the west of the Main Road from Quinn's Post to Silverstream on both sides of the river. By 27 December 1861, Barton is described as the chief landowner and magistrate of the district. This being when arrangements were being made to establish an Anglican church mission at Trentham. Early in 1862 it appears that Barton extended his own house to accommodate the church missionaries as well as donating land for the establishment of a church. Richard Barton died on 20 August 1866 and was buried in Upper Hutt at St John's Anglican Church cemetery.
Upper Hutt
Upper Hutt is a satellite city of Wellington. It is New Zealand's smallest city by population, the second largest by land area. It is in Greater Wellington.-Geography:Upper Hutt is 30 km north-east of Wellington...
, in 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...
. He was born on 30 August 1790 in Newport, Isle of Wight
Newport, Isle of Wight
Newport is a civil parish and a county town of the Isle of Wight, an island off the south coast of England. Newport has a population of 23,957 according to the 2001 census...
. He arrived in Wellington in 1840 on the "Oriental", the second of four early settler ships, and in 1841 purchased 100-acres for a farm in the Upper Hutt Valley. He named his estate Trentham in honour of the Duke of Sutherland
Duke of Sutherland
Duke of Sutherland, derived from Sutherland in Scotland, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom held by the head of the Leveson-Gower family. It was created by William IV in 1833 for George Leveson-Gower, 2nd Marquess of Stafford...
, one of whose subsidiary titles is Viscount Trentham, of Trentham
Trentham, Staffordshire
Trentham is a suburb of Stoke-on-Trent, located to the south-west of the city centre and to the south of the neighbouring town of Newcastle-under-Lyme. Although the majority of Trentham is within the city limits, it is mostly separated from the main urban area by surrounding open space and the...
in the County of Stafford
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
. (Before emigrating to New Zealand, Barton had been Supervisor at the then Trentham Hall.) Much of his former estate is now Trentham Memorial Park
Trentham Memorial Park
Trentham Memorial Park is a large park and a major sport and recreation ground in Trentham, a suburb of Upper Hutt, in the Wellington region of New Zealand....
, which includes the native bush remnant known as Barton's Bush
Barton's Bush
Barton's Bush, in Trentham Memorial Park, is the largest remaining area of lowland mixed podocarp/broadleaf forest in the Hutt Valley of New Zealand...
. The surrounding suburb of Trentham also takes its name from his estate. Exactly when Barton and his family began living on the Trentham estate is unclear from various historical sources. Although he appears to have built a slab house on his purchase around 1841, the Trentham Parish histories indicate that he and his third wife, Hannah, whom he married about 1843, only settled on the estate in 1846. During the intervening 5 years it seems Barton may have assisted, perhaps supervised, the surveying the surrounding country for the Wellington Company. The Barton homestead was located near the corner of the Main Road (now Fergusson Drive) and Camp Road (now Camp Street) and overlooked what is now Trentham Memorial Park. Barton appears to have acquired more land, as his estate is described as lying to the west of the Main Road from Quinn's Post to Silverstream on both sides of the river. By 27 December 1861, Barton is described as the chief landowner and magistrate of the district. This being when arrangements were being made to establish an Anglican church mission at Trentham. Early in 1862 it appears that Barton extended his own house to accommodate the church missionaries as well as donating land for the establishment of a church. Richard Barton died on 20 August 1866 and was buried in Upper Hutt at St John's Anglican Church cemetery.