Biography

PETER JENKINS 1818 – 26 February 1881

Peter Jenkins was born in 1818 in the village of Thornhill, Perthshire, Scotland, the son of John and Joanna Jenkins nee Graham.

Peter married Jane or Jean McNie or NcNee and they and their six children immigrated to Australia in 1852 on the ship Calphurnia. Four years later they had had two more children and the family left Australia for New Zealand on the ship Challenger. It seems that prominent Dunedin businessman John (Job) Wain of Wain’s Hotel was also on this voyage and he married Peter and Jane’s daughter Catherine in 1860. It is possible the couple met on the ship.

In New Zealand Peter and Jane had two more children and settled in Halfway Bush. Peter was a stone mason and built a substantial stone cottage at Halfway Bush which had solid one yard thick walls. With his sturdy sons he built the stone wall which surrounds the Ashburn Hall property. In 1861, five years after their arrival, Peter and his seventeen year old son, also called Peter, took part in the gold rush at Gabrial’s Gully near Lawrence where 12 000 people amassed to pan for gold, living in tents and make-shift buildings. 200 tons of gold were extracted from the area over four years and ten hotels stood east of the ranges at Weatherstones.

Pioneering stories similar to American West stories evolved. Peter and son after some small success were on their journey home when confronted at or near Maungatua by the notorious bush ranger Henry Garrett (real name Henry Rouse), a rooster from Australia, and his associates who were well known for robbing the prospectors returning from the gold fields. Garret had a long criminal record. Crafty as he was, he told them that if they had any gold they should hide it as there were dangerous characters around Maungatua. Peter senior had his suspicions aroused when he caught the reflection of what appeared to be a revolver under the coat tail. He replied he had no reason to worry as they had not won any gold on the trip to Gabriel’s Gully and would eventually try again after having rested upon return to Dunedin. They were then allowed to continue their journey. Some fifteen robberies had taken place at Maungatua and eventually Garrett returned to Australia. He was captured and brought back to face trial in Dunedin, sentenced to a number of years and finally died in 1885 in Wellington Gaol.

In 1864 Peter and Jean sailed on the Ethereal back to Scotland. Only the five youngest children returned and they settled on the shores of Loch Lomond near Jamestown. It is unknown why they returned to Scotland after 12 years.

Later Peter bought off his son Peter from the 90th Brigade for 21 pounds and celebrated his arrival home in Scotland. Peter junior had joined the the 90th light infantry which had been raised by Thomas Graham of Balgowan in expectation they would go into active service but he grew tired of waiting and looked to the future. They all eventually returned to New Zealand. The
youngest daughter, Mary Buchanan Jenkins, stayed on for two years at Lomond
and returned to Dunedin at ninteen years of age.

The Jenkins farm was run by the eldest son John and his wife Mary Ann Holland. They supplied milk to a number of outlets in Dunedin and to John’s sister Catherine Wain. The property at Halfway Bush was sold in 1875. It was here that Ashburn Hall was established. The farm house was incorporated into a building which became a mental hospital with beautiful grounds. The sons
of Peter Jenkins snr played a part in the construction of this building. Peter Jenkins had passed away on February the 26th 1881, seven years after the family returned to Dunedin. His widow Jean followed him some years later and was laid to rest on 2 August 1890 in the same plot.

Source: Barry Williams