Outhwaite Family, Auckland

St Peter's College Oval and Outhwaite Park

The Outhwaite family were early settlers in Auckland and were an important family in the first eighty five years of the city's existence.^[1] Their influence still continues, especially in respect of two areas of land in central Auckland which are now Outhwaite Park and the site of St Peter's College,^[2] a nearby Catholic boys' secondary school. The family also enabled the creation of a conservation reserve in the Hen and Chicken Islands.

Thomas and Louise Outhwaite

Thomas Outhwaite was born at Ormside Hall in Westmoreland in 1805. He practised as a solicitor in Paris before coming to New Zealand in 1841 on the ship, the Tyne, with the first Chief Justice of New Zealand, Sir William Martin and Hon William Swainson, the first Attorney-General of New Zealand.^[3] Thomas Outhwaite was appointed as Registrar of the Supreme Court (now the High Court of New Zealand) for Sir William Martin and was the first person to hold that position which he took up on 1 January 1842. One of his most exciting experiences was during the trial of a Māori man for murder when 100 of the accused's supporters "... came rushing up the totally unformed street, shaking spears and brandishing tomohawks above their heads to rescue [the accused] from the clutches of the law. And they did rescue him, while the court sat petrified, unable to avert the lawless deed or arrest the doers, ... [this] in the very heart of the capital of the country."^[4] In 1843, Thomas Outhwaite, in company with Sir William Martin and Henry St. Hill, M.L.C. (Member of the Legislative Council), returned to Auckland overland on foot from Wellington, where they had gone on the Government brig "Victoria" (a three-week sea voyage), to hold a session of the court. The return trip occupied a period of six weeks.^[4] When Thomas Outhwaite retired in 1869, Sir George Arney, the second Chief Justice of New Zealand, paid tribute to Outhwaite's extraordinary firmness, patience, discretion and self-command.^[5] Outhwaite was very fond of music, and was the founder and conductor of the Sacred Harmonic Society, a forerunner of the Auckland Choral Society.^[6] He also acted a conductor of church choirs. He died on 14 July 1879.^[7]

It appears that Thomas Outhwaite and his family were living near the Auckland Domain by 1843. In 1844 he bought land and built a house on the south-western corner of Carlton Gore Road and Park Road opposite the Domain in the present-day Auckland suburb of Grafton.^[8] This land is now Outhwaite Park.^[8]

Thomas Outhwaite's wife was Marie H Louise Outhwaite (née Roget). She was French, from the city of Besançon. Thomas and Louise led a very active life in early Auckland. For example, in the winter of 1842, the wife of the first Governor of New Zealand, Mrs Hobson gave a ball at Government House. The weather was bad, the roads seemingly impassable, but the guests managed, against considerable odds to be present. Thomas Outhwaite wheeled Louise up to Government House in a wheelbarrow.^[9]

William Eugene Outhwaite

William Eugene Outhwaite was the second son of Mr Thomas Outhwaite. He studied law in the 1860s at Oxford. He received help in choosing a college and hospitality while he was in England from Cardinal Newman who was a friend of Bishop Pompallier, the first Catholic Bishop of Auckland.^[10] William Outhwaite died prematurely. The Cyclopedia of New Zealand (largely a vanity press) published this article about him. "Mr William Eugene Outhwaite B.A., Oxon., Barrister-at-Law of the Inner temple, and of the Courts of New Zealand, was a native of Auckland and second son of Mr Thomas Outhwaite ... . He was a man of rare abilities, genial nature, and much culture; but unfortunately he was obliged to go about on crutches, owing to an accident and subsequent rheumatism, contracted at Oxford where he was a good all round athlete. Though well qualified as a lawyer, he gave more attention to letters than to his profession. As a critic, he wrote under the name of 'Orpheus', and writers, musicians, singers, and actors recognised him as an authority. He was a lover and patron of all sport, over which he exercised a wide and popular influence. Mr Outhwaite died on 10 April 1900. Occur when it may, the death of a man so gifted and accomplished is naturally deeply deplored by his friends, but in Mr Outhwaite's case there was an added grief in the knowledge that his death was really the after result of injuries received a year before, when he was knocked down by a recklessly driven brake [i.e. a type of light carriage]."^[11]

Long lives

Marie H Louise Outhwaite died on 4 July 1905 (aged 91). Thomas and Louise had four children, two sons and two daughters. Victorine Outhwaite was born in Paris in 1837 (and perhaps named after the new Queen in London). Isa Outhwaite was born in Auckland in 1842. Charles Outhwaite was born in Auckland in 1845 and William Eugene (see above) was also born in Auckland in 1847. None of the four children married or had their own children. Victorine, Isa and Charles Thomas all died in the same year, 1925. Victorine Outhwaite died on 21 March 1925 at the age of 88. Charles Thomas Outhwaite died on 24 June 1925 aged 80. Isa Outhwaite died on 13 December 1925 aged 83.^[12] Marie H Louise, Victorine, Isa, Charles and William Eugene are interred in the Catholic section of Waikaraka Cemetery, Onehunga. Thomas Outhwaite is buried in the graveyard of St Stephen's Chapel, Judges Bay (an Anglican cemetery).

Isa Outhwaite

Isa Outhwaite was a noted artist. She exhibited in Auckland from 1875 until 1900.^[13] Isa and her mother were close friends of William Cowie (1831–1902), the first Anglican Bishop of Auckland (1869–1902) and of Mrs Cowie. Bishop Cowie wrote in relation to Friday 6 January 1888, " ... the evening, I held confirmation at the Church of the Epiphany. Before the last hymn, I presented a lay reader's licence to Mr. J. W. Tibbs [later fourth headmaster of Auckland Grammar School (1893–1922)]. On our way to the church, we paid some visits of adieu. One was to Madame Outhwaite, a French lady, and her daughters, who are amongst our oldest Auckland friends. Miss Isa Outhwaite is an accomplished artist, and has given us, as a parting gift, a beautiful painting, done by herself, of the lovely view from our balcony at Bishopscourt."^[14]

Isa Outhwaite (as was her mother Marie H Louise earlier) was also a close friend of Mother Suzanne Aubert, founder of the religious order, the Daughters of Our Lady of Compassion. Isa and Mother Aubert conducted a correspondence for many years.^[15] Isa was also very interested in the protection of animals and she was a prison "official visitor" and welfare worker for women prisoners.^[16]

It was Isa Outhwaite who left the house and land in Park Road to the citizens of Newmarket for the establishment of Outhwaite Park and the site on the other side of Khyber Pass Rd to the Catholic Bishop of Auckland for the establishment of St Peter's College. She also left money for the latter purpose. The family also owned interests in the Hen and Chicken Islands and Isa Outhwaite left these to the nation as a bird sanctuary.^[17]

Notes

1. ^ The Outhwaite Family and Outhwaite Park, Grafton website (accessed 29 July 2009)
2. ^ Rick Maxwell, St Peter's College, Auckland, Simerlocy Press, Auckland, 2008
3. ^ Thomas Outhwaite, G H Scholefield, A Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington, 1940, p. 140.
4. ^ ^{a b} Thomas Outhwaite, The Cyclopedia of New Zealand, The Cyclopedia Company Limited, Christchurch, 1902, Volume 2, p. 274.
5. ^ "Death of Mr Thomas Outhwaite", The New Zealand Herald, Monday, July 21, 1879, p. 3.
6. ^ Adrienne Simpson, Hallelujahs & History: Auckland Choral 1855-2005, Auckland Choral, 2005, p. 10.
7. ^ Scholefield, p. 140; Death of Mr Thomas Outhwaite, New Zealand Herald, Monday, 21 July 1879.
8. ^ ^{a b} Dinah Holman, Newmarket Lost and Found, The Bush Press of New Zealand, Auckland, 2001, pp. 60-62.
9. ^ Una Platts, The Lively Capital, Auckland 1840-1865, Avon, Christchurch, 1971, p. 48.
10. ^ Richard Dunleavy, FMS, "Cardinal Newman and his links to Pompallier and New Zealand", NZ Catholic, Dec. 14-20, 2008, p. 5; a full text version of this article can be found on the Grafton website (accessed 29 July 2009): [1]
11. ^ William Eugene Outhwaite, The Cyclopedia of New Zealand, The Cyclopedia Company Limited, Christchurch, 1902, Volume 2, p. 281.
12. ^ Isa Outhwaite, New Zealand Herald, Monday, 14 December 1925, p. 12.
13. ^ Una Platts, Nineteenth Century New Zealand Artists, Avon, Christchurch, 1980, pp. 186 and 187.
14. ^ W G Cowie, Our Last Year in New Zealand 1887, Keegan, Paul Trench and Co., London, 1888.
15. ^ Jessie Munro (ed) (with the assistance of Sister Bernadette Wrack), Letters on the Go: The Correpondence of Suzanne Aubert, Bridget Williams Books, Wellington, 2009.
16. ^ Jessie Munro, The Story of Suzanne Aubert, Auckland University Press, Auckland 1996, especially pp. 350-365; Bronwyn Dalley, Following the rules? Women's responses to incarceration, New Zealand, 1880-1920, Journal of Social History, Winter, 1993, pp. 318 and 319.
17. ^ C. P. Hutchison Q.C., Some Founding Fathers of Practice, from Robin Cooke Q.C., Portrait of a Profession, The Centennial Book of the New Zealand Law Society, Reed, Wellington, 1969, pp. 206 and 207.

References/Sources

• Thomas Outhwaite, The Cyclopedia of New Zealand, The Cyclopedia Company Limited, Christchurch, 1902, Volume 2, p. 274.
• William Eugene Outhwaite, The Cyclopedia of New Zealand, The Cyclopedia Company Limited, Christchurch, 1902, Volume 2, p. 281.
• Dinah Holman, Newmarket Lost and Found, The Bush Press of New Zealand, Auckland, 2001, pp. 60–62.
• Una Platts, The Lively Capital, Auckland 1840-1865, Avon, Christchurch, 1971, p. 48.
• Isa Outhwaite, New Zealand Herald, Monday, 14 December 1925, p. 12.
• C. P. Hutchison Q.C., Some Founding Fathers of Practice, from Robin Cooke Q.C., Portrait of a Profession, The Centennial Book of the New Zealand Law Society, Reed, Wellington, 1969, pp. 206 and 207.
• Pat Gallager, The Marist Brothers in New Zealand Fiji & Samoa 1876-1976, New Zealand Marist Brothers' Trust Board, Tuakau, 1976, pp. 96–97.
• Una Platts, Nineteenth Century New Zealand Artists, Avon, Christchurch, 1980, pp. 186 and 187.
• W G Cowie, Our Last Year in New Zealand 1887, Keegan, Paul Trench and Co., London, 1888.
• Jessie Munro, The Story of Suzanne Aubert, Auckland University Press, Auckland 1996, especially pp. 350–365
• Bronwyn Dalley, Following the rules? Women's responses to incarceration, New Zealand, 1880–1920, Journal of Social History, Winter, 1993, pp. 318 and 319.
• Jill Williamson, E E Burton and Dorothy Gardiner, Outhwaite Connections, Auckland Historical Journal, April 1997, No 69, pp. 21–26: comments on the oldest son of the family, Charles Thomas Outhwaite and his brief association with the legal profession, and on the history of their property in Park Road and which is now Outhwaite Park.
• Adrienne Simpson, Hallelujahs & History: Auckland Choral 1855-2005, Auckland Choral, Auckland, 2005.
• Rick Maxwell, St Peter's College, Auckland, Simerlocy Press, Auckland, 2008.
• Richard Dunleavy, FMS, "Cardinal Newman and his links to Pompallier and New Zealand", NZ Catholic, Dec. 14-20, 2008, p. 5.
• Jessie Munro (ed) (with the assistance of Sister Bernadette Wrack), Letters on the Go: The Correpondence of Suzanne Aubert, Bridget Williams Books, Wellington, 2009.

External links

• Auckland City Council - Outhwaite Park
• St Peter's College website
• Grafton website