John Robert Godley
John Robert Godley | |
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Denis Daly (grandfather) (grandson)James Daly, 1st Baron Dunsandle and Clanconal (uncle) Robert Daly (uncle) Sir Morgan George Crofton, 3rd Baronet (uncle by marriage) A. D. Godley (nephew) Alexander Godley (nephew) Charles Griffith-Wynne (father-in-law) Charles Wynne (brother-in-law) Hugh Godley, 2nd Baron Kilbracken |
John Robert Godley (29 May 1814 – 17 November 1861) was an
Early life
Godley was born in
Adult life
After graduating from university, Godley travelled over much of Ireland and North America. His travelling influenced and helped to form his ideas about the establishment and governing of colonies. In 1843 he was appointed
At this time, because of his extensive travel and ideas on the subject of colonisation Godley was asked by Edward Gibbon Wakefield, the owner of the New Zealand Company, to found a colony in New Zealand that would follow the beliefs of the Church of England. Godley was persuaded to lead this new colony because of his political connections, which helped to secure funds for the colony.
Four years later he and his family arrived in
He left Canterbury for England in December 1852. At a banquet held in his honour at Greenwich's Trafalgar Hotel, Godley gave an insightful overview of the progress made in Canterbury during the short time since its founding.[5] In England, Godley worked as a columnist and essayist for several newspapers. He mainly wrote about colonial reform, a subject clearly dear to his heart. He also was employed at the War Office. There he continued his argument for the self-governing of the British colonies.
Godley died on 17 November 1861 in London. A bronze
Godley's only son was Sir Arthur Godley, later created Baron Kilbracken. His nephew was General Sir Alexander Godley, the controversial commander of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) in WWI.
The house that had been built for Godley in Lyttelton was later demolished to make way for a building of the Plunket Society. The Plunket building was from 1943 and was damaged in the February 2011 earthquake. Upon its eventual demolition in June 2012, the post holes of Godley's house were discovered. Archaeologists believe that Godley's two-storey house had at least six rooms, which is substantial for a very early colonial building.[6][7]
References
- ^ 'The History of the Killegar Estate', by John Godley. In "Breifne" Journal, Vol X, No. 30 (2004), pp. 239-270
- ^ Hensley, Gerald. "Godley, John Robert". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
- ^ Carrington, C. E. (1950). John Robert Godley of Canterbury. Christchurch. pp. 42–44.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "Deputation to Mr Godley". Lyttelton Times. Vol. II, no. 97. 13 November 1852. p. 5. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
- ^ "The Canterbury Settlement". Lyttelton Times. Vol. IV, no. 157. 7 January 1854. p. 8. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
- ^ Sachdeva, Sam (17 May 2012). "Historic Plunket building could go". The Press. Christchurch. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
- ^ Turner, Anna (30 June 2012). "Recovering Lyttelton's Past". The Press. Christchurch. p. A13.