Remembering William Henry Sherwood Roberts

Remembering William Henry Sherwood Roberts.

Many of Oamaru’s early settlers are buried at the Oamaru Cemetery, most of the time the only reminder of the life of these settlers is the headstone that marks their grave. However William Henry Sherwood Roberts is one settler who left more than just a headstone; he was the author of a number of books documenting life in the Canterbury, Otago and Southland areas during early European settlement.

WHS Roberts was born in Pembrokeshire, Wales in October 1834. The son of Captain Thomas Turner Roberts of the East India Company Service, he was educated at the Palace School in Enfield, near London, and later went on to study both accountancy and surveying. Neither profession was right for Roberts, as he left for a life in New Zealand before completing his qualifications.

Roberts arrived in Nelson on the barque John Phillips on 6 May 1855 at the age of 21. He then travelled overland from Nelson to Invercargill, a journey almost as challenging as the boat trip to New Zealand. Once in Southland he became a squatter in the region and set up a cattle run, which he lost in 1857 after the new ‘Land and Lease’ law took effect. He then moved on to Otago, where he bought a run at Pomehaka, named Ardmore, which he again lost to Government sale in 1871. In 1872 Roberts bought farmland in Waipahi, where he remained for 6 years.

In December of 1878 Roberts moved to Oamaru where he purchased three acres of land in Meadowbank. Once here he commissioned the architecture firm of his friend, John Lemon, to design him a family home. The large wooden house, called Marapua, still stands today. The home has seen many changes over the years, in the 1940s the surrounding gardens were subdivided and Marapua itself was split into flats; over the years the building fell into disrepair. Aside from its once lavish gardens the exterior of the house has been restored and is now very close to its original look. It is currently the Chillawhile Backpacker hostel.

When Roberts first arrived in Oamaru he was employed as a commission agent, auctioneer and valuer. In 1880 he was elected as Councillor of the Severn Ward. During his time as a Councillor Roberts was known to be openly critical of the way public works were carried out and even charged a number of contractors with fraud.

Roberts was a Justice of the Peace for 21 years and a member of the Anglican Synod for six years. He was elected as one of the original directors of the Oamaru Woollen Factory in 1881 and was a member of the Hospital Committee in 1882 and the Licensing Committee in 1883. William Roberts was also a Freemason and achieved the status of Master Mason in June 1866.

Extracurricular activities aside, Roberts was best known for his literary pursuits. He published numerous historic volumes on topics relating to early European life in Southland, Otago and Canterbury including ‘Place Names and Early History of Otago and Southland’, ‘Nomenclature of Canterbury and Northern Provinces’, ‘Southland in 1856-57 with a Journey from Nelson to Southland in 1856’, ‘Early North Otago’, and ‘The History of Oamaru’, the latter considered an authority on the topic for many years.

William Henry Sherwood Roberts passed away at Marapua on 22 January 1917 aged 82. He was survived by his wife Emma and six children.

All information in this article comes from the Waitaki Museum and Archive and local sources.

Sources for this article:

Chillawhile Backpacker Hostel website (2009). ‘History’.

Cyclopedia of New Zealand, Vol. 4, Otago and Southland (1905). ‘Ex-Councillors’, p. 504.

Oamaru Mail (22 January 1917). ‘Obituary WHS Roberts’. P. 4

McCarthy, Conal (2002). ‘Forrester and Lemon of Oamaru, Architects’, p. 92.

Written by Shannan Carr, Curator of Archives, March 2009.