The Billington Family

Richard and Martha Billington

Richard and Martha Billington arrived into New Zealand on 9th November 1875 on board the Howrah. They eventually took up land at Te Mata under the Homestead Act. Their daughter Amy Billington had a love child to my great grandfather Michael Galvan - Susannah Billington - who was born in 1898 in Raglan. Some of this information comes from the book Te Mata Te Hutewai The Early Days written by R T Vernon and other information from researching.

NZ ship records show a Richard and Martha Billington and infant Anne on board the ship Howrah. He is listed as a Farm Labourer and coming to New Zealand from Oxon or Oxfordshire. The ship departed on 31 July 1875 and took around six months. Below you will see the names Richard, Martha and Anne on the ships passenger list. Richard is listed as 20 and Martha 21. Baby Anne 5/12 which I assume is 5 of 12 months old. It is written in R T Vernons book that the infant died on the journey.

The Howrah

The Howrah was an iron hulled sailing ship of 1,098 tons, built at Sunderland in 1864 by Pile Spence and Company.The Howrah was chartered for three voyages from England to New Zealand. During one of these voyages, although she made the passage in 96 days, she encountered some very rough weather and ten passengers died.

The Howrah was ten years from the stocks when first chartered for three voyages to New Zealand. She was an iron ship of 1,098 tons, built at Sunderland in 1864 by Pile. She sailed from London on her first voyage to the colony on the 26th August, 1874, with 380 immigrants, and during the voyage encountered some very rough weather. She made the passage in 96 days, arriving at Wellington on the 30th November. During the voyage ten deaths occurred.

The following year, 1875, the Howrah made her second voyage to Wellington, sailing from London with 260 immigrants on the 30th July, and arriving at her destination on the 9th November, the passage occupying 92 days. During the passage a passenger was caught stabbing a cat, and the Captain ordered it to be thrown overboard. Up to this the ship had been favoured with good winds, but shortly after the cat incident she met with rough weather and contrary winds. In accordance with a nautical superstition the passengers attributed the succession of unfavourable winds to the killing and throwing overboard of the cat.  

This tapestry of the Howrah was started by William and Martha Baylis during the 3rd Voyage of the Howrah in 1876. The picture was drawn by the ship's carpenter on sail canvas. William and Martha's son Richard and his wife Elizabeth continued the Tapestry in New Zealand. Their sons Horatio and Henry finally completed it in the 1930s.

Richard was born on 5th March 1855 in Somerton Oxfordshire. He passed away in 1895 at just 39. He had been to Waingaro Hot Springs for a holiday and had a heart attack on the ride home and died on the Kauroa Road. Martha Billington passed away five years later, in Waitomo on 25th October 1900, she was 43 or 45 years old (yet to verify this). Richard and Martha are both buried at Okete Cemetery.

Richard was an expert orchardist and soon had a good orchard established producing every fruit and berry suitable to the local climate. It flourished under his care and the remains of the orchard can still be seen on the hilside. He also had great success with a good strain of blackberry which flourished and covered the whole farm after his death. He did, however control it when he was alive. He built his home of the slopes above the orchard.

Richard grew the first crop of wheat in the area. John Galvan broke in two bullocks for him to work up and crop the land. He was very versatile and could turn his hand to almost anything. He ground the wheat into flour, made his own tallow candles and milked cows to make butter and cheese.

He was also a lay-reader in the Presbyterian Church, and used to take services in the district. He was a superintendent of the local Sunday School. He was a real pioneer, a gentleman who always had time to help others.


On the Raglan Area Related Photos Pre 200 Facebook Page - locals wrote;

"I have a story relating to this family and the Phillips. Billingtons lived just across the Waitomotomo creek from the Phillips. I can see both house locations from my home. They still grow snowdrops and daffodils in spring. I farm part of what was Billingtons. The story as my Dad told me: Billingtons milked 60 cows by hand – a huge herd back then. Father Billington was English and a great orchardist. There was a very large family of kids, 8 or 9. Father Billington had a heart condition and used to ride to Waingnaro to bath in the hot springs, thinking that it was therapeutic. One day he did not make it, falling off his horse, dead. Mother Billington battled on, but financially went downhill until the point that the bank organised a mortgagee sale. On hearing about this old man Phillips (Billy’s father I assume) jumped on his horse and rode around to every farm in the district warning people not to bid. He was a tough guy apparently.Come the day. The opening bid got lower and lower until just one bid: Phillips. He got it for a song then later gave the title back to Mrs Billington at no cost." Michael Carter, 2020

"I know where there is a rock nearby the old Billington homestead with the initials MB carved in. I figured that it had to be a Martha or a Mary. Oscar Van Houtte (not to confused with Cammy Van Houtte, Plateau RD) lived in a house on Waimaori Rd where Hayden Robbs lives now." Michael Carter, 2020

"Hi Michael. My grandmother Eliza Bates née Billington had many brothers and sisters. The Phillips and the Billington were farming neighbours. My grandmothers sister Tottie had a son named Joe Billington and his father was my great uncle Willie Phillips. They never married but Joe l think lived part time with both of them. He was the kindest man. I met him when we were doing some history on the Phillips family. So pleased l did". Lorraine Jonson, 2020

"More Family history - Mary (Totty) Billington married James Shea 1917 and died 1925 along with their daughter Mary Alma Shea from Polio and their son James (Jimmy) also got polio but survived. Mother and daughter were buried in Okete cemetery on top of the hill, and Rosa Billington married Albert Shea 1914, and they farmed at Te Hutewai and retired to Raglan, and their daughters married locals eg Venie m. Peter Swann, Ivy Shea m. Les Cornes, and Alma m.Desmond Walmsley. Ida died young. James Shea (Snr) 2nd marriage was to Melva Chittenden, (my mothers cousin) and she was Ann Gair's mother. The family connections are amazing. Albert and Rosie's four sons, Stanley, Ned, Joe and Robert never married". Dorren Lightfoot, 2020

"Richard Billington was my Great Grandfather, I have a plum tree named after him , he was a great orchardist credited with bringing blackberries to NZ .Oscar Vanhoute married Biddi Billington and farmed the land that belonged to the Billington brothers the first suppliers to the Te Mata Factory". Norma Bates, 2020

Richard and Martha's Children

Richard and Martha had ten children. One passed away on the voyage from England which took six months, and the rest of the children were born at Te Mata.

Their children were Bob, William, Amy (Mrs J Chester of Canada), Eliza (Mrs Dan Bates), Mary or Totti (Mrs Jim Shea), Dick (married Annie Smith), Martha or Biddi (Mrs O Vanhoutte), Fred (drowned as a boy) and Rosie (Mrs Albert Shea.

William Billington - B.1877
Amy Viggors Billington - B.1878
Robert Billlington - B. 1876 D. 1921 Aged 45 years
Mary Billington - B. 1880
Eliza Billington Bates - B 1881 D. 1972 Aged 91 years
Richard Billington - B. 1882
Frederick Billington - B. 1883 D. 1897 Aged 15 years
Martha Billington - B. 1885
Rosa Ann Billington - B. 1894

Richard later brought adjoining farm land for his boys Bob and William (Bill) and they farmed it as the Billington Brothers.

Rosie was only eleven months old when her father died, and six when her mother died. Totti was like a mother to Rosie.

Eliza Billington Bates was born in 1881 and died on 24 August 1972. She is buried at Raglan Lawn Cemetery in the Waikato. She married Daniel Henry Bates in 1901. Daniel passed away on 11 October 1949 and is also at Raglan Lawn Cemetery. Dan and Eliza had three sons and seven daughters. Eliza was a hard working woman, who milked "up to 20 cows twice a day". She used to scrub bush, dig drains and dag sheep. Dan and Eliza bought their farm at Te Uku which they ran as daily until 1940 when they sold the property and retired to Raglan.

Amy Billington had a child Susannah to my great grandfather when they were both unmarried and young. She later married Mr Chester and they moved to Canada and had a larger family. I am currently researching this line.

Susannah Billington and her family in Canada

Susannah Billington is my grandfather's half sister and my great aunt. We never new about her until last year - 2019. DNA enquiries from Canada lead her relatives to us here in NZ.

The research for this page is still being completed.