Walter Henry Barnett

Walter Henry (Harry) Barnett

(1 August 1844 - 7 May 1908)

The early years
There are some uncertainties over the identity and birth details of Walter Henry Barnett, who was known as Harry.

While some family documents suggest that Harry was born on 1 August 1844 in London, England, his son Arthur's military record states that Harry was born in Yorkshire, England. Other family records (from Harry's daughter, Rachel's line) suggest that he was actually born William Henry Walter Barnett on 27 April 1843 to boat builder, George Frederick Barnett (c1811 - 1878) and his wife Lydia Jackson (? - 1849), and was baptised as a two year old, on 15 June 1845 at St Mary's Church, Rotherhithe, south-east London. There is a record of a William Henry Walter Barnett (31 year old brazier) marrying 20 year old Emma Janes (dates unknown) on 18 July 1875. No further records can be found for them.

I believe it is highly unlikely that our Harry Barnett is one and the same as William Henry Walter Barnett for three reasons. Firstly because Harry's Intention to Marry Notice (1877) stated that he was 30 (possibly 32), which means puts his birth between 1845 and 1847. Secondly, Harry's marriage certificate says he was a bachelor at his wedding. Another third piece of evidence is Harry's death certificate which lists his father's name as John Barrett (dates unknown).

Family business gone wrong?
Harry's grand-daughter, Sylvia Bland, believed that Harry was a descendant of a French Huguenot family who may have been in the distilling business. Other family records indicate that Harry's family owned an ale brewing business in Britain and expanded it to include a vineyard and winery in France. It appears that Harry was sent across to France to run the operation there, where something went wrong causing shame to the family. As a result, Harry was sent by his family to New Zealand as a 'remittance man'. This meant that Harry's family would have sent him a regular stipend in order to guarantee that he would not cause further embarrassment by returning home.

Immigration to New Zealand
Harry immigrated to New Zealand, arriving either at the end of 1875 or early in 1876. His name has not been found on any ship manifest. We know he had only been in the country a short time because his application to marry, lodged in early 1877, stated that he had been in New Zealand just one year.

Family notes (from Rachel White's family) say that Harry was a ship's carpenter by trade. It may be that he immigrated to New Zealand as such, as ship's carpenters were part of a shipping crew, and employed to do maintenance on board during the voyage. Crew members were not listed on a ship's manifest at that time.

Marriage in New Zealand
On 10 February 1877, Harry lodged his intention to marry. The Intention to Marry Notice read as follows:

Harry BENNETT [sic], bachelor, a carpenter, aged 30 years living at Victoria Street, Auckland, length of residence 1 year, intends to marry Elizabeth LANFEAR, a spinster aged 23 years living at Victoria Street, Auckland, length of residence 2 years, at the Dwelling house of Mr. Archbold, Victoria Street, Auckland. Minister: Rev. R.B. Macnicol [sic].

Harry (32) married 23 year old English-born immigrant Elizabeth Lanfear (9 Oct 1853 - 17 Aug 1937) whom he met in Auckland. They married on 12 February 1877. The wedding celebrant was Alexander Macdonald and the ceremony took place at the home of Elizabeth's Irish friends, Thomas and Harriett Archbold (also known as Archibald) who lived on Victoria Street, Auckland. The Archbolds signed as witnesses to the marriage. They were an older couple, that Elizabeth knew from her voyage out to New Zealand. Prior to immigrating to New Zealand, the Archbolds lived in St Anne, Limehouse, London, with their grand-daughter. A copy of Harry and Elizabeth's marriage certificate is shown below, courtesy of L Prole.

A new start in Christchurch 
At the time of his marriage, Harry was working as a carpenter but shortly afterwards, Harry and Elizabeth moved to Christchurch, Canterbury, where he set up a second-hand trading business at 80 Oxford Terrace. He may have been inspired to take up this profession from Thomas Archbold who was a General Dealer.

Harry and Elizabeth's 11 children were:

• Rachel (Ray) Barnett (25 Oct 1877 - 10 Sep 1939)
• Harriet Louisa (Loo/Lou) Barnett (6 Nov 1878 - 22 Mar 1965)
• Isabella (Bell) Barnett (31 Aug 1880 - 16 May 1959)
• Emily (Em) Barnett (24 Aug 1882 - 2 July 1970)
• Sydney (Syd) Walter Barnett (26 June 1884 - 20 Aug 1971) 
• Alice Nellie Barnett (8 Aug 1886 - 4 Mar 1888)
• Chrissie Barnett (24 Dec 1888 - 8 Jan 1889) 
• Stanley (Stan) James Barnett (20 Dec 1889- 31 July 1964)
• Bertie (Bert) Edward Barnett (31 Dec 1891 - 8 Mar 1917)
• Arthur William Barnett (24 Oct 1895 - 27 Mar 1980)
• Baden (Bay/Barney) Thomas Barnett (29 Aug 1900 - 15 Jan 1993)

Starting a family

Harry and Elizabeth's first child, Rachel (Ray) Barnett, was born in Christchurch on 25 October 1877 barely nine months after they were married. A further four children were born to them there, Louisa (Loo/Lou) Barnett on 6 November 1878, Isabella (Belle) Barnett on 31 August 1880, Emily (Em) Barnett on 24 August 1882, and Sydney (Syd) Barnett on 26 June 1884.

Harry and Elizabeth with their three oldest children,
Rachel (Ray), Harriet Louisa (Lou), and Isabella (Bell).
Photo taken in 1880.
Photographer unknown.
(Photo courtesy of L. Prole.)

Harry in court
While Elizabeth was busy taking care of the children, Harry ran a second hand shop. Perhaps the following newspaper story of a Walter Barnett who failed to report to the Supreme Court in Christchurch, for jury duty refers to him. The Star of 2 April 1883, Issue 4656, reported that he was fined 40s for his failure:

The follow-up story on this incident is interesting for reasons which will become apparent. The Lyttleton Times, 4 April 1883 reported that Walter Barnett appeared in the supreme court to answer for his absence, telling the judge that he had been suffering from delirium tremens (severe symptoms of alcohol withdrawal). The judge accepted the explanation and excused him. The story is reported here:

Shortly afterwards, a French woman named Angelica Loulope, was arrested for stealing a cane-bottomed chair from Harry's shop. The following report about the theft was published in The Star on Saturday 9 June, 1883:

Selling up
In 1884, it appears that Harry decided to return to Auckland. The following newspaper advertisement from The Star, 23 September 1884, lists all of the Barnett's household goods, including a horse, a dog with her pups, some chickens, and a family Bible, that were to be sold at auction prior to their relocation to Auckland:

It appears that it took several months for Harry to sell up and move north. The goods from the shop were advertised for sale in The Press (Christchurch) on Saturday 7 February 1885. The items were sold from the shop premises at 82 and 86 Oxford Terrace. Harry also tried to get someone to take over the remaining part of his lease, which was about two years.

Back to Auckland
By 1886, Harry had relocated his family to Auckland. The six youngest Barnett children were born there.

Sadly, daughters, Alice and Chrissie both died as infants. Alice died aged 18 months, in 1888 following four days of diarrhea followed by 15 hours of convulsions. Chrissie was a premature baby who died aged 15 day old, from 'exhaustion' in 1889. Both girls were buried at Waikumete Cemetery. Their death certificates both show that the Barnett family lived on James Street (St James Street), Arch Hill, Auckland. Alice's death certificate lists Harry's occupation as 'carpenter' and Chrissie's death certificate records him as a 'dealer'.

Harry Barnett
Photographer and date unknown.
(Photo courtesy of L Prole)

The 1890 Electoral Roll indicates that Harry was still living and working in Christchurch, while his family lived in Auckland. This may well be inaccurate.

According the the Richmond Road School register, Harry had his daughter, Em enrolled on 19 May 1891. He registered the family as living on Hepburn Street at the time.

Wises NZ Post Office Directories give the following locations for Harry:

• 1891 - James Street, Arch Hill (Kingsland). From Cracroft street, the house was after the Oxford Street intersection.
• 1892/93 - Richmond Road, on the right hand side from Ponsonby Road, and after the Brown Street intersection.
• 1898/99 - Howe Street - The house was situated after the Beresford Street intersection.
• 1900 - Beresford Street - The home was on the right hand side from Pitt Street, after the Day Street intersection and a few houses before Howe Street.
• 1902 - Arney Street 

The photograph below was taken at the end of 1895 or early 1896, when Arthur was just a few months old.

The Barnett family c 1885
Photographer unknown.
(Photo courtesy of L Prole)

We know from a letter written by Em, that Harry was frequently drunk and could be violent. Em's three older sisters left home as soon as possible, but Em felt obliged to stay for the sake of her mother. Later in life, Em wrote an interesting letter to her son Maurice Bland and his wife Irene, and in it spoke of the hardships she faced at home as a teenager. An excerpt is given below:

(Errors have not been corrected.)

July 6th 1964
31 Benfield Ave
Mt Albert SW2
Auckland NZ

My dear Maurice & Ire
It is early, and I haven't done much work but decided to write and ask if its too late to write to a lonely boy you asked me to write to some weeks ago. If you still know his address, and think it will be profitable to still write I'll do my best to write of a few experiences of a couple of instances of youngsters who've had (including me) unhappy experiences in the home of a drunken parent (my Dad) and in order to be obedient to a Godly Mother (and still live in the same home for her sake this was up to the age of 20) and though at times it was very very hard. I only succeeded through earnest prayer several times daily to resist running away from home. Circumstances grew worse and I pleaded with God "that if I stayed with Mother and not leave home, would God be so kind as to reward me?"This thought (that He would grant my request) kept me definitely from running away - though swearing and even a punch between the eyes which was painful indeed, was most humiliating, and very hard to bear, especially too, that my three older sisters had all cleared out without saying they were going. It was a heart break for dear Mum and when one day things got worse and worse with my Father, I said "Mum, can I leave home?" (I felt I couldn't stand another day of his growling.) She looked at me so pathetically and said with such entreaty "Oh! Emily don't you leave me." I'll never forget it. The Girls all were round about Wellington, and dear [Auntie] Bell to my surprise - just a few weeks before she died asked if I'd forgive her, for going away and leaving me in such an unhappy environment. I said "I never could blame you Bell as you went to protect your weaker sister Loo."  ... 

A wedding
Harry and Elizabeth's daughter Em (20), married Charles (Charlie) Robert Bland (38), on Wednesday 12 November 1902 at the home of Reverend C H Garland of the Methodist Church, who lived on Karangahape Road, Auckland Central. At the time Harry was working as a 'general dealer'. (It is interesting to note that Em's mother, Elizabeth, immigrated to New Zealand on the same ship as Charlie Bland and his family, the Rooparell, 1874.)

Accused
In the New Zealand Herald, 2 September, 1905, it is reported that a certain Walter Barnett was operating an illegal second hand business dealing in old bottles. It is unknown if this is our Walter Barnett, but it appears likely. The story is shown below:

According to the diary entries of Harry's daughter, Em, he was in a lot of pain, and slipping in and out of consciousness towards the end of his life. Em noted that Harry was taken by ambulance to the District Hospital on 5 May 1908, but succumbed on the evening of 7 May, aged 63. The death notice for Harry was printed in The Auckland Star Vol XXXXIX, Issue 110, on 9 May 1908:

Harry's funeral was held on 10 May 1908. His unmarked grave is at Waikumete Cemetery, Auckland, Wesley Division D, Row 2, Plot 20, nearby the graves of his infant daughters, Alice and Chrissy.

The Barnett family shared the following thank you message in The Auckland Star on Thursday 14 May 1908, page 10:

According to Harry's death certificate, he died of acute nephritis. It also says that prior to his death he worked as a night watchman.




*Arthur Barnett's military file says that Walter Henry Barnett was born in Yorkshire, England.

Bibliography

Ancestry.com. England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.

Anonymous. (1874, May 30). Arrival of the Rooparell from London. Auckland Star. 3 Retrieved from http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS18740530.2.15

Anonymous. (1883, April 2). Monday, April 2, 1883. The Star. 2. Retrieved from https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TS18830402.2.9

Anonymous. (1883, April 4). Town & Country. Lyttleton Times. 4. Retrieved from https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/LT18830404.2.20

Anonymous. (1883, June 9). Christchurch. This Day. The Star. 3. Retrieved from https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TS18830609.2.19.1

Anonymous. (1885, February 7.) Auctions. The Press. Retrieved from https:paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP18850207.2.26.2

Anonymous. (1884, September 23). Advertisements. The Star. 2. Retrieved from http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TS18840923.2.10.6

Anonymous. (1905, September 2). Police Court News. The New Zealand Herald. 7. Retrieved from https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19050902.2.69

Anonymous. (1908, May 8) Deaths. Auckland Star. 2. Retrieved from https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS19080508.2.20

Anonymous. (1908, May 14) Bereavement Card. Auckland Star. 10. Retrieved from https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS19080514.2.92

Auckland Council Burial Record for Walter Henry Barnett.
https://www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz/cemeteries/Pages/RecordDetails.aspx?recordId=9534A0A1E753379EDB466245E1E42594
Accessed 25 February 2020

Archives NZ REf: BDM 20/22 1877 Auckland p.70/54 (Microfilm R3594.



Acknowledgements

L Prole - Thank you for family photographs, as well as the marriage and death certificates.
B Marshall - Thank you for sharing the family research.
K J Bland - Thank you for sharing Barnett family documents, and old family photographs.


Last updated 28 March 2020