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Journal of the Nelson and Marlborough Historical Societies, Volume 2, Issue 6, 1995

Lewis Keele Horne: Colonial Doctor Of Dillons Point

Lewis Keele Horne: Colonial Doctor Of Dillons Point

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Introduction

Rarely is there a character who encapsulates so many ingredients of a true pioneer of 19th century New Zealand.

Lewis Keele Horne achieved academic success in England, was a hardened traveller, a loved medical doctor and a Local Body leader with an outstanding record of achievement in land development on his own account as a farmer. He is indeed a significant historical figure of Nelson and the Wairau.

This brief examination of his life brings into focus his confidence and assertiveness, his achievements as well as some of the controversies he pursued, and will quote how the Wairau settlers perceived his contribution and demise.

Origins and Arrival

The birthplace of Lewis Horne, on 16 November 1832, was at Isleworth on the banks of the Thames. He was a son of Randolf Horne and his second wife, Maria Keele Horne (nee Keele).

Lewis's immediate family consisted of 3 half siblings and 4 true siblings. His father was a solicitor in a partnership at Staines.

Lewis was able to attend Kings College School in London, going on to study medicine at St Thomas's Hospital where he gained the Diploma M.R.C.S. (Member of the Royal College of Surgeons).

Doctor Cotterell (later of Nelson, New Zealand) and Lewis Horne trained under the celebrated surgeon Le Gros Clark.

Lewis Keele Horne M.R.C.S. B.N. Holdawy.

Lewis Keele Horne M.R.C.S. B.N. Holdawy.

On 18 August 1854 Lewis Horne married Ellen Clifford. Ellen had been born in Canada, the daughter of Henry Clifford, a military man. Lewis was almost 22 years of age and Ellen only about 16 years.

Lewis was very enthusiastic about travel and before coming to Nelson in 1857 had visited Melbourne twice in the clipper ships Lightning and James Baines. In addition he had visited New Zealand on the Maori and had returned, remarkably, via China!

When Lewis and Ellen Horne arrived in Nelson they went to serve in the Collingwood district for a short time. Apparently this practice was disappointing and a promising invitation was received from the Wairau in 1858.

Beginnings in the Wairau

The invitation to Lewis and Ellen had come from Dr Stephen Muller, the first Resident page 4Magistrate of the Wairau District. The young couple had produced a baby sometime before arriving in the Wairau, but it had not survived.

To understand what the Wairau was like, it was, of course, an alluvial plain which was surveyed prematurely by the New Zealand Company in 1843 and successfully in 1848 by William Budge. In 1855 the European population was only 352 males and 185 females. The small population of Maori were victors and vanquished from the Ngatitoa invasion of circa 1827–30. Although the population had grown by 1858, and a settlement known as Beaver Station had been established in the early 1850s, the area was largely undeveloped, without good roads. The main artery of supply was the Opawa River, which allowed the visiting of small ships to the Beaver, later Blenheim.

Budge's Subdivision

Lewis and Ellen Horne established themselves in Blenheim in the loop of the Opawa River, where the surveyor William Budge had established a farm later called Riversdale. This area on the southern bank of the Opawa had been subdivided into 2 acre sections by Budge, and Lewis Horne bought one of these. Access to the property was by Dodson Street and by an appropriately named Horne Street! Lewis and Ellen had produced 2 children by this stage; Constance Fanny, born 1859 who had lived only a few weeks and George, born in 1860.

The Budge property was always in danger of flooding, as the origin of much of the Opawa River's flow was from the Wairau River at Conders Bend, near Renwick. It used to flow over and past the northern part of the loop and overflow directly to the Wairau River, near the sea at Dillons Point. The lessons of the flood threat to his first Wairau property stayed with Lewis Horne for the rest of his life and much of his career was to be expended in flood control and land conservation.

Budge's 1848 survey showing Lower Wairau. A. Dr Horne's 1862 2-acre purchase. B. Dr Horne's 1866 38.5-perch purchases (townhouse site) C. The 900 acres of freehold rural land held by Dr Horne by the end of 1875 X. Dr Horne's Dillons Point homestead.

Budge's 1848 survey showing Lower Wairau. A. Dr Horne's 1862 2-acre purchase. B. Dr Horne's 1866 38.5-perch purchases (townhouse site) C. The 900 acres of freehold rural land held by Dr Horne by the end of 1875 X. Dr Horne's Dillons Point homestead.

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During the period at the Budge property Lewis and Ellen produced 4 more children; Francis Edward 1862, Zoe 1863, Charles Randolf 1865 and Agnes Fanny 1866. The Hornes sold the property in 1866 to a Mr Humphrey.

Wairau Medical Practice

Lewis Horne assumed the role of medical practitioner, importing drugs by the cask on the ship Falcon to the Port of Wairau. One of the first recorded medical services rendered by Dr Horne was treatment for Mr W Robinson who had had an accident with a bullock dray. Dr Horne attended to Robinson's broken thigh.

Another of the tasks of a colonial doctor was to be a witness at a large number of inquests into untimely deaths that occurred amongst early settlers. In 1866 Dr Horne attended an inquest into the death of Robert George Guest, Big Bush (Grovetown).

A constant difficulty was the recovery of fees from various patients who were unwilling or unable to pay their fees. Dr Horne was never backward in pursuing them for fees in the Court and a number of cases are recorded with Dr Horne wanting to recover expenses and "demanding cash".

Dr Horne practiced on his own for some time, but later was with Dr Johnson and, more enduringly, with Dr Cleghorn.

'Townhouse' (Corner Grove Road and Nelson Street)

Lewis and Ellen Horne, with their 5 children, left the 2 acres at Riversdale, purchasing a smaller 38.5 perch property which was closer to the early settlement of Blenheim and not so prone to flooding. Its location in today's terms is at the northern end of the Blenheim railway yards.

Dr and Mrs Horne established a 2-storey house on the section and Drs Horne and Cleghorn shared a surgery in the Wall's Building, not far away to the south. The older children could attend Blenheim School and when one child, Francis Edward, was beaten by Schoolmaster Richard Morley in 1867 a charge was laid. Francis was 5 years of age at the time. In the same year Dr Horne had the sad task of taking part in the inquest on the drowning of Thomas Attwood of Sandhills Cottage at Riverlands.

The Hornes had another daughter, Beatrice, in 1867.

First Farm Purchase – Dillons Point

When Dr Horne was established at the townhouse he became interested in purchasing rural land in the area east of Blenheim known as Dillons Point. This 3000 acre area, enclosed by the lower reaches of the Wairau and Opawa Rivers, narrows to a point near the Wairau Bar in Cloudy Bay.

The 1848 section holder and 1851 Crown Grantee of the 150 acre section on the point had been Hon. Constantine Augustus Dillon who had died in 1853.

Dr Horne purchased No 7 section of 150 acres from Charles Stratford for two hundred and ten pounds. The section's north-east corner bordered the lower Wairau River and would have been in native vegetation and poorly drained. Indeed the soils there are quite saline and would have been a challenge to develop at any time. There were no fences or other improvements. Remarkably, by early 1868 Dr Horne had stocked the property with 850 sheep, probably being grazed on neighbouring sections. In February of that year a disastrous flood occurred which covered all the land east of Blenheim to the sea and all of Dr Horne's sheep disappeared out to sea!

When an employee of Dr Horne was busy digging a drain on the property he discovered moa bones a few inches below the ground. The bones were on display afterwards at Purkiss Hotel in Blenheim.

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Dillons Point had a few other early settlors established at the time of Dr Horne's first purchase. They were on the southern boundary, against the Opawa River. Starting from Blenheim, occupiers of the sections following the Opawa River were Charles Eyles, James Holdaway, James & William Greig, Charles Lucas and Mr Phillips. All these farmers had cleared land and were exporting small shipments of wheat to the growing market of Nelson.

Lewis and Ellen had further children; Lewis [unior in 1868 and Ernest in 1869. In 1868 George, not yet 8 years of age, died of diptheria – a common cause of death amongst young people at the time. Another daughter, Edith, was born in the 1870s.

The 1870s

The next decade was a period of intense activity for Dr Horne. He was appointed Medical Officer of the district in 1870. In 1871 he bought an adjoining 150 acre section in Dillons Point from the estate of an absent owner, George Lachlan, for one hundred and fifty pounds. This section was also undeveloped and it brought his rural holdings up to 300 acres, stretching to the Opawa River.

A Dillons Point landowner's wife, Mrs Charles Lucas, died in 1873 and Dr Horne conducted the post-mortem. Unlike today, details of the condition of the heart were fully published in the Marlborough Express!

Dr Horne's mother had died in England and her will was proven in 1874. Dr Horne was mentioned in the will, along with other family members, but it is hard to prove when he benefitted from the will. After 1874 he purchased a further four 150 acre sections in Dillons Point and embarked on an intensive programme of flood protection, stocking and other development for the rest of the 1870s.

The vendors of the four sections purchased in 1875 were No 9, Mr Harper, No 1, co-
Horne's homestead. Taken after 1900 when it had been reduced from 14 to 10 rooms. B. N. Holdaway.

Horne's homestead. Taken after 1900 when it had been reduced from 14 to 10 rooms. B. N. Holdaway.

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of J. Kidd, No 3, Smith Fowler and No 4, Mr Davies. Dr Horne now held 900 acres of rural land and turned his attention to reading and flood protection for the area of Dillons Point.

A founding member of the Omaka Road Board in 1875, he was an enthusiastic advocate for the improvement of reading to the Dillons Point settlers. With his medical practice, local authority work and his farm supervision, he was very busy.

A tragedy occurred when one of his farm workers, Alfred John Merrett, was riding a horse to move cows. He drowned in the Opawa River and his body was found by a Maori six weeks later at Whites Bay.

Dr Horne pressed for an improvement of Swamp Road, a direct route from Blenheim to his farm properties, which was often impassable and covered with water. Each settler put gates across it, because it was not fenced on each side. He also pressed for an extra road to follow the high ridges through the sections on the south side of Dillons Point. This road, surveyed in 1874, lined up with a bridge over the Opawa near his townhouse.

Dr Horne made section No 4 the homestead block for his farm properties and was able to get artesian water at a depth of 180 feet, with a head of 6 feet. A single storey homestead with 14 rooms was built, as well an ancillary farm buildings.

In January 1878 Dr Horne was elected to the Board of Conservators of the Lower Wairau District. In addition to his own drainage efforts on his farm properties, he encouraged the building of a long stopbank. This was to protect properties, including his own, from the overflow of water which originated at Conders Bend and spilled over the Opawa Loop at Budge's Riversdale Farm, flooding silt soils near the Opawa lower down.

When a diversion was being planned to divert flood water directly to the lower Wairau River, Dr Horne was very worried that it would affect his original farm purchase, Section No 7. As it happened the contractor, Mr Foster, failed physically and financially to complete the diversion. Dr Horne had Dillons Point settlers in mind when he accused the Blenheim Borough Council of not worrying if water spilt over Dillons Point, as long as it didn't affect the town.

Change of Heart

Lewis and Ellen Horne had three more children, Lillian Mary in 1873, Leonard in 1874 and Herbert Stacey in 1877. The family lived at Dillons Point where the pressure of work was great. Dr Horne farmed the 900 acres and leased another 750. He had 600 sheep, 33 head of cattle, 9 heavy horses and had established a "men's house", two large stables, chaff house, granary and milking yards. A garden and an orchard were also established and all the agricultural machinery needed to run a large farm was acquired. At least 100 acres were subdivided, with improved English grasses and adequate fencing.

In 1879 a disastrous fire destroyed the old part of Blenheim and burnt down the building where Drs Horne and Cleghorn had their surgery. However, due to the help of a number of men, their records were saved. Dr Horne moved his practice to a temporary dispensary next to Fell Bros., adjoining the Omaka Bridge. Tiring of all his medical, local authority and farming activities, he decided to put the farm properties on sale. An advertisement in the Marlborough Express listed all land, stock, plant and machinery. A postscript said "Owner wishing to leave Province". Unfortunately, the Chief Inspector of Sheep found scab infected sheep in Dr Horne's flock, along with those of Charles Eyles and S. Phillips, other Dillons Point settlers. By mid 1879 the property at Dillons Point had not sold and was offered for lease. The acreage advertised was 1650 acres, including leasehold. Mr Francis Terrill was the successful tenderer and he took on the lease with the possibility of ultimately purchasing it.

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Upwards of 90 to 100 persons attended the farm clearing sale at the homestead, bringing good prices. The stock, plant and machinery were all sold. The vessel Napier did a return trip to Blenheim to transport the sale clients.

Francis Terrill carried on with apparent success, although he had trouble keeping trespassers and shooters off the property, as much of it was in native flax and swamp.

Dr Horne decided to dissolve his partnership mutually with Dr Cleghorn and to carry on in an individual practice. He had to assess Eliza Fitzgerald on soundness of mind for the Resident Magistrate's Court and also gave sworn evidence in an assault case – Conway versus Ritson.

The common pioneer accidents, like being trampled by a horse, were treated by Dr Horne and when Mr Bartlett of Waihopai went under a horse still hanging onto the reins, he received appropriate treatment.

The 1880s

Another daughter, Jessica, was born in 1880 and this made quite a large family, even in those times.

Dr Horne's determination to go to Court on any dispute was repeated in a case where he alleged that a Mr R Taylor unlawfully detained his dog at Mahakipawa. He claimed five pounds, however the dog died, apparently still in detention.

In July 1880 a disastrous fire occurred at Renwick and Sergeant Kiely located Dr Horne, who travelled to Renwick to treat four badly burnt men. The treatment lasted from 4am to 9am.

Dr Horne kept up his activities on the Omaka Road Board to maintain and improve roads in Dillons Point. He fought against interests that were satisfied to see the area flooded to protect land out at Spring Creek and Tua Marina. As the 1880s progressed he started to sell off some of his 150 acre rural sections and by 1885 he only retained four, sections 1, 3, 6 and 9.

Dr Horne often stayed in the Criterion Hotel and was there in 1887 when there was a major fire. He was seen to escape, but went back in to try and save his 12 year old son, Leonard, and tragically died in the fire. Leonard had been taken care of by friends and survived. Although some bone remains were found, nothing could prove them to be human. Indeed, gossip at the time, heard by the Lucas family at Dillons Point, suggested that Dr Horne may have left the area by a river vessel! After all, Dr Horne did desire to "leave the province" when he leased out his rural properties in 1879.

However gossip is rarely reliable. He was indeed a loved Doctor, husband and father. All reports of his treatment of people showed that real sympathy and practical help were always given.

In the formal obituary in the Marlborough Express on July 1 1887, the writer stated: "During the last few years he has resided mostly on his country property and has acted more as a Consultant with his fellow practitioners in important cases, especially those of a surgical nature. Not only by them, but by the whole town and district, will the kindly minded gentlemen be missed. Not only medicine and surgery in times of sickness, but the kindly action in times of adversity and in the chamber of death, will be remembered at this sad time and go to the credit of him who was known by all of us so well and will be remembered affectionately as the 'old Doctor' a term which is in the Wairau is a household word".

In his will, dated 10 December 1885, his wife was appointed Executrix. It included a map of section 4, 150 acre homestead block of Dillons Point Farms. Apparently there was a long running challenge to this will, which was eventually referred to the Privy Council.

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Ellen Horne retired to a 2 storey home, where the Presbyterian Church is now in Alfred Street, Blenheim. She and her family acted as mortgagees for Dillons Point properties for many years. Ellen Horne died in 1902. The children became widely spread around New Zealand and the world, and so ended the pioneering life and influence of Lewis Keele Horne.

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to: Miss L.M. Morrin, Mr G.R. Holdaway, Mrs P. Moffat (UK), Mrs P. Jenkins, Mr G.W. Gamble (Blenheim), Mrs P. Oliver (Wellington), Alexander Turnbull Library (Wellington), Marlborough Express (Blenheim).