When a tug came along-a-side , the anchor
raised and a cannon fired, I wonder what the 11 and a half year old,2 young
Kitty Lochead thought. Three cheers were given and a great adventure had begun for those
hand selected emigrants from Paisley were on their way. to a new colony
Each person required a minimum of
clothing... Catherine would have 6 Shifts, 2 Flannel petticoats, 6 pairs of stockings 2
pairs of shoes and 2 gowns.[blankets,sheets and coverlets were not supplied ,by the ship
but mattresses and bolsters were]. She had her own towels, knives, Forks, a tin or pewter
plate, spoons and drinking mug. 3 Sailing conditions were cramped, food and
washing restricted, and allocated, and many difficulties of travel through tropic and sub
antarctic climates were experienced. The voyage turned out to be a race against the
"Jane Gifford" which sailed 10 days later, so that the vessel was driven through
the Roaring Forties "without mercy." The passengers battened down in the
‘tween decks.A rigorous ship-board life4
After 4 months at sea, young Kitty would have been delighted
to see, the Auckland harbourmaster, a sp
ruce little man , wearing white kid
gloves , a very good fellow by the name of Captain David Rough., 5come aboard
their ship.[ it being the first and larger of the two vessels arriving , was taken
possession of by the harbourmaster himself as pilot ]. It was a beautiful clear night, the
moon about full (can you imagine the excitement) but somehow "The Duchess" came to rest on a sandbank that has
variously been described "at Northhead" and / or "some distance back from
Milford Beach" (exactly where probably does not matter), but stuck they were , allowing the "Jane Gifford" to sail by , and
weigh anchor in Auckland Harbour first! On the 9th of October both ships were anchored in
the Waitemata Harbour, it was wet and windy.
How the illiterate calico-printer James Lochead from
Paisley Renfrewshire came to be the Occupant of a house belonging to the Colonial
Government, Occupation Labourer Locality Government domain, House made of Raupo 1
is not known for sure. He is given as Ranger/Keeper Auckland Domain C1845-1851. So there
on a rise above the (now Stanley St Tennis Courts) and below the Auckland Hospital about
opposite the end of Ayr St the Locheads set up home in the new colony. It is said that the
tree they tied their goat to, still stands.
It appears that the family remained in this raupo whare
until 1849 0r 50 when the family moved into a somewhat marvellous brick mansion, at Lot 25
Wakefield St.
James had bought the Section Lot 25 sec 32 for £ 21 It
was variously described, In the "New Zealander" for 1st October 1853 p1 there is
an advertisement TO LET A large and comfortable brick house, in Wakefield St ., containing
eight rooms , kitchen , servant’s room , small garden , well , etc.
and in the "New Zealander" of 1st July 1854 FOR
SALE A brick house, situated in Wakefield St Auckland erected upon allotment 25 section 32
. The above has only lately been built , and contains 14 rooms with 4 fireplaces, a good
bricked well , of water , is admirably adapted for the residence of a private family , or
with a small outlay , could be made into one of the most roomy Hotels in the city of
Auckland . In fact it is well adapted either for a private residence or business premises
., being situated in one of the best streets in the city and the main outlet to the
Country , at the Junction of eight roads , and in the immediate vicinity of the Market
place. For terms and particulars , apply to McDonald and Bradly , General Store Queen St
dated 30 June 1854 .
However years of crowded living in the small Raupo house had taken
their toll on the Lochead Family Father,Step mother and baby half sister Marion were all
to succumb to the dreaded scouge of tuberculosis in 1853. Ironic that after years of
hardwork,just when James appeared to be making some headway.He was to lose his life at the
relatively young age of 46,his wife 32 Marion a few months old. A pioneer’s lot was
not an easy one. The 3 being buried in an unmarked resting place Plots 123, 124 and 125 D
Grafton Cemetery..
At the time of Catherines marriage to Henry,he was listed
as Military bachelor From 1848 to sometime after 1863 Catherine would have
lived with her family,and members of the extended Family at Mahurangi. Her sister Isabella
husband William McDonald spent some time there, as did her half sister Mary with her
husband William Wyborn Lloyd Bradly..
Henry & Catherine’s eldest daughter Catherine was
born in December 1849 in Mahurangi, buth their second child Janet was born in Auckland in
Feb 1852 their son Henry George was born in Wakefield St Auckland in 1854, and this would
most likely have been in the home of her parents, prior to its sale.
It is known that Kitty took on the job of raring her twin
(half) brothers William Martin David Rough Lochead who wer not quite 6 years old when
their father died. Of course there was Elizabeth, aged 8 , Mary aged 12 and James 2 and
Janet 4 years old who all had to be looked after. (I guess married sister Isabella would
have helped )
One problem was solved on Christmas Day 1854 when
Kitty’s half sister Mary was wed to Capt William Wyborn Lloyd Bradly (he was 35 she
was 14 ) they were living at Mahurangi when their first child Emma was born in May 1856.
All of Kitty’s other children were born in Mahurangi
, between the years 1855 and 1864. It was in 1863 prior to the youngest childs birth, that
Henry suffered a fractured skull, which severely altered his mental state. In fact from
Feb 4 to Feb 23 1863 Henry Cowan Farmer of Mahurangi,was admitted to Auckland Public
Hospital on the recommendation of Capt Daldy,suffering from a fractured skull.He was
admitted again on 19 Jun 1863 until 13 July the same year
. About this time the family must have moved back to
Auckland, where we know that Henry spent most of his time in and out of various hospitals
and mental institutions.Namely Auckland Public Hospital, the Wesleyan home and Avondale
Lunatic Asylum. From 25 Nov 1864 until 27 Mar 1872 Henry was in the care of the Avondale
Asylum
Baby Charles Duplat COWAN would have been only a few
months old at this time ,and the eldest child a mere 15 years of age
From this time on Catherine would have had a hard
struggle. It is not known how the family managed,as any estate Henry had would have been
frozen until after his death.
In 1872 - 73 (Wises N.Z.Directory) gives Catherine as
having Broughton Hall Boarding house (Manukau Rd) Parnell In 1882 she had land valued at
£180.00 she was a seamstress.Her address in 1896 was listed as St Georges Bay Rd ,as it
was up until the time of her death in 1907.,but it is likely that she had been there since
the early 1870’s. Her daughter Catherine was married to Robert Henderson at the
residence in 1875. Her daughter Janet Pullman had a grocery store in St Georges Bay Rd
either from about 1882 when she signed an affidavit that she was the sole executrix, and
benificiery of her late husband Peter Webb Pullman a master mariner whose ship was lost in
the Tasman Ocean 1882,or else she may have been referring to the several years prior to
March 1882 when she and her husband had lived at Parnell before they moved to Foxton. The
house was on the left hand side, the seventh past Ruskin Lane and the 4th house up from
Garfield St .In 1985 there was a carpet factory on that site.
When Henry was released from Avondale in 1872 , it is
recorded that his wife and family fled the family home,as they feared for their safety.It
is also recorded, in police files that Henry Peter COWAN (all the police files list
him as Henry Peter Cowan)was living in an abandoned house in St Georges Bay
Rd. Could it have been the family home that he was residing in.? I have heard stories that
Catherine slept with a stick in her bed as she was fearful.At one stage Henry escaped from
Avondale and the police went to the home in case Henry arrived there, violent. There was a
Mr Dyer,that he was determined to "finish off",and reported him for threatening
violence.
. She also worked as a mid-wife up to the time her
daughter Mary died in 1893 of "Child Bed Fever" as it was called then. The
Midwife was usually blamed and not allowed to continue this work .There are also stories
within the family of her being the Midwife for the Mahurangi District including Kawau
Island during some of the years of Governor Grey.
Catherine Cowan died in 1907 and is buried in Purewa
Cemetery. Her daughter Mary,(Mrs Cross) is also buried there, as is Henry her eldest son.
Death Notice from N.Z.Herald Monday 18th February 1907.
COWAN On February 16th at her late residence St
Georges Bay Rd Parnell. Catherine relict of the late Henry COWAN aged 76 Internment
Private.
The Inscription on her tombstone
Front... In loving memory of Catherine Cowan (nee Lochead)
widow of Henry Cowan Born 1830 Died Feb 16th 1907.Arrived in N.Z. by ship "Duchess of
Argyle" 1842 Also Mary Brady Cross daughter of above Born 1862 died May 11 1896.
Side Inscription reads In memory of Henry Cowan Died Sep
`1931 in his 78th year.
(Catherine’s son)
Also his only sons killed in action Lt Henry Rawlings
COWAN 17th May 1915
Serg William Henry COWAN 15th Sep 1916.
Catherine or "Kitty" as she was
known was born in Scotland on 14th November 183
0 [her mother Elizabeth nee Skinner first wife of
James Lochead died] her father remarried another Elizabeth, (family name Hamilton) on 26th
April 1839 at Neilston Scotland1 She travelled to N.Z. in 1842 via the Sailing
Ship "Duchess of Argyle" a 667 ton , full-rigged wooden sailing ship. Built by
Muiress & Clarke at Greenock in 1841 for her owner J Leitch. Her overall length was
138 feet, her breadth 24.5 feet and her depth 19.9 feet.Her port of registry was Greenock,
her destined voyage at the time of her construction , was Clyde to Bombay via Auckland.
Just where most of the immigrants
landed is a matter for debate. The young town had three main bays, Official, Commercial,
and Mechanics, proof positive that the English class system had travelled half way around
the world. In theory the workers were to have landed at Mechanics Bay but with the two
ships anchored off Pt Brittomart it seems almost certain that landings were influenced by
wind and tide and that some migrants, after landing at Official Bay, had to walk along the
muddy foreshore to Mechanics Bay, where about thirty raupo houses had been erected--- in
the bay and on Parnell Rise--- for use of the immigrants. Governor Hobson had died about a
month previously, and the colony was in the grip of a depression. Not an ideal start to a
new life in a new land.