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The Early Canterbury Runs: Containing the First, Second and Third (new) Series

Lake Coleridge — (Runs 153 and 153A)

Lake Coleridge
(Runs 153 and 153A)

Lake Coleridge, which lies on the north side of the lake and runs up to the Harper River, was taken up in two runs of thirty-two and sixteen thousand acres on 20th August, 1855, by Barker, Harman, and Davie. Barker came out in one of the First Four Ships and was one of the first doctors to practise in Christchurch. Harman and Davie had another station in partnership near Lake Ellesmere, in my note on Which I have given some account of them.

Dr Barker seems to have bought out his partners very soon, and about 1860 sold Lake Coleridge to George Arthur Emileus Ross, who soon afterwards took Charles John Harper into partnership. Ross and Harper were partners in several stations in those days. Professor Sale was their manager at Lake Coleridge. Sometime, I think in 1864, they moved the homestead from the peninsula in the lake to where it is now. In 1866 Ross and Harper let the top end of their country to John Stanley Monck, who used it as a cattle station till 1869, after which he sold it back to Harper. This run was at the back of Mt. Ida, and the hut was at Lake Constance.

When Ross and Harper dissolved partnership in 1868, Harper who had been the managing partner took Lake Coleridge. He sold the station to Richard Marby Cotton about 1875. Harper afterwards had Hackthorne and Upper Hackthorne on the Ashburton Plains, and died in Ashburton in 1917.

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Cotton died in 1886, but his executors carried on the station until 1890, when they sold it to John Murchison, of Acheron Bank, whose family still owns both stations.

I have already given accounts of Ross and Harper. George Samuel Sale was their first manager. According to Who's Who in N.Z., he was born in 1831 at Rugby and educated there and at Cambridge. He was afterwards on the goldfields, and was Professor of Classics at Otago from 1870 till 1897. Monck was born in Berkshire in 1845 and came to New Zealand in 1863. After he sold his run he bought the land which is called Monck's Bay near Sumner, and lived there until his death in September, 1929. He was a great athlete and was the 'Mr K. 'of Lady Barker's books.