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De Castro Story - The Principal Family Lines - The children of Samuel and Mary - 1
REFERENCE: From NZ Cyclopedia, a reference book on the people of the time at the time of publishing he was alive.
REV CHARLES DANIEL DE CASTRO, who for about 16 years was acting Chaplain of the Wellington Gaol, was born at Knightsbridge, near London, in 1832. Educated at private schools in England and France, and subsequently at the Royal Agricultural College Cirencester. Mr de Castro came to New Zealand in 1853 per ship "CORNWALL" landing in Wellington. After teaching at school for a short time , he settled in Porirua, where he engaged in farming pursuits, meeting with the usual experience of many of the early settlers, who went forth to subdue the land and fearlesly braved the hardships and dangers which fell to their lot. Entering the Civil Service in 1868, he was an officer of the Government till February, 1892, when he retired on a pension. Mr de Castro occupied a responsible position in Treasury, having charge of the Trust and Loan Account till 1872. Parliament having constituted the Public Trust Office in that year the subject of this notice was transferred to the new department, in which he became Chief Clerk. He held this important office for many years and took a prominent part in the rapid development of this splendid New Zealand Institution, which has proved of such general utility. In 1875 he took holy orders under Bishop Hadfield, and since this time he has ever lent his asistance to the church of his choice without fee or reward. The reverend gentleman has been married three times; in 1853, to the youngest daughter of the late Mr. E.D.Sailsbury, of Middleton, Lancashire, who died the following year; in 1855, to the third daughter of the late Doctor Knox, of Wellington. This lady died in September, 1889, leaving eight sons and six daughters. Three of Mr de Castro's sons are in the Government service, two respectively in the Education and Government insurance Departments, and the third as Deputy Commisioner of Stamps and Deputy Register of the Supreme Court in Nelson. His eldest daughter is Mrs T.S. Morpeth of Auckland. The other daughters, with one exception are married and settled. The present Mrs de Castro is a daughter of the late Mr Edward Bull, of Dublin, proprietor and publisher of the Warder newspaper.
REFERENCE: from the Cyclopedia of NZ and NZ Times 24 Jun 1898.
DE CASTRO CHARLES DANIEL (1832-98) was born in London and educated in England and France and at the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester. In 1853 he came to NZ in the "CORNWALL" and after teaching a school took up a farm at Porirua. He represented Wellington Country in the Provincial Council(1863-65). In 1867 he was secretary to the colonial commisioner of Imperial claims and in 1868 he joined the civil service, serving in the Treasury and Public Trust office to 1892. In 1875 de Castro took holy orders as a Deacon and he officiated in Wellington and Nelson as required. He died on 23 Jun 1898.
1832
Charles Daniel born in Knightsbridge London on 10th Jan
1834
Charles Daniel's brother Edward was born and died in the same year.
1835
Charles Daniel's sister Mary Ransford de Castro born in London.
Charles Daniel's mother Mary de Castro (nee Ransford) died in London. It is not known if there was any relationship between the birth of Mary Ransford de Castro and the death of her mother? At this time Charles was 3 years old and his sister was les than a year so the fact that Samuel chose to remarry in the next year is not surprising..
1836
Charles Daniel's father remarried to Mrs E.M.Davey
1839
A "Hanniel" de Castro buys land entitlements in NZ Co. in Wellington. This is posibly a person who was a relation to Charles Daniel it could also be an incorrect spelling of DANIEL which could make it Charles's grandfather. If there is any connection between Charles coming out to New Zealand and these purchases it is not established. However, if Hanniel was in fact Daniel, it could explain why Charles was sent to the Royal Agricultural College
1840
Charles Daniel father Samuel dies in London.
Hanniel de Castro allocated 281 Cambridge Tce and Rusell St in the land ballots in Wellington. There is no record of what country acres were allocated. For those who are not aware of the proces when the New Zealand Company needed funds to finance its settlements in New Zealand it first decided on how much land it was going to buy (steal??) from the natives and then sell this for 110 pounds to speculators that were meant to become settlers. The actual land was to be allocated in New Zealand following its purchase and sub division. The allocation was on the basis that each entitlement gave the speculator a town acre and 100 acres of country land. The allocation was done by ballot where each speculator was drawn out of a hat and given a number then once the land was available the land lots were drawn out of a hat and allocated in order of the first draw. There is a some what over dramatic but very good book on the New Zealand Coy called " FATAL SUCCEs." This recent book explains the history of the Company and explains why the native peoples of this land have to this day claims over land supposedly sold and why the British Government of the day sent Hobson out to get the Treaty of Waitangi worked out and signed. Certainly my history lesons did not tell me that The New Zealand Coy shot off the first ships against the wishes of the British Government so they could secure land from the natives at very cheap prices. The British Government fearing that Wakefield and his speculators were up to no good had not given The NZ coy a necesary charter and were determined to stop speculation in land by sending out Hobson to draw up a treaty that would secure any lands the natives wanted to sell for the Crown and then only sell that land at fair prices. No doubt a lot of the problems we are trying to sort out today would not have occurred if Wakefield had not jumped the gun and got here before Hobson and If the early Colonial Governments of this land had honoured the treaty. No matter that is our problem and that of our children, but one result was that when Wakefield got round to surveying the land he thought he had purchased there was form of Government formed and his claims were not upheld. In general what occurred was that the Town acres were allocated but the country acres were only generally allocated to those who had come out or who had agents. Those who held land grants for speculation and with no intent to immigrate and who had no agents got no land, and indeed in time unoccupied land was taken by the Crown and re sold. Thus while Hanniel was allocated land a search of the original deeds will tell if he actually got it and who in fact took it up. If at any time this was Charles Daniel then we shall have an answer or two to some questions we have.
1848
Grandmother Rebecca de Castro (nee Lopes) dies in England.
1852
Charles Daniel turns 21 on 10th January .
1853
Charles Daniel arrives Wellington NZ on "CORNWALL". Fable has it that when he came out Charles came with his pre-fabricated house, servant(s) and horse and carriage!
He marries Constantia Sailsbury in St Pauls Wellington. They had met on the "CORNWALL" coming out. She was with a brother and they were coming out to meet up with another brother who had come to NZ earlier. Their parents had died in England.
MARRIAGE:FOLIO 183 1853 to Sailsbury
NOTE: Claire de Castro the second wife of Robert de Castro, Charles Baron de Castro's son was Claire Sailsbury before she married and is a descendant of the same family as Charles Daniel's first wife.
Charles Daniel establishes Apsley House Academy a school in Wellington. This is advertised and is documented however to-date the location of this school or anything about it cannot be traced. Why Charles should name his school after the town residence of the Duke of Wellington is not known. I suspect the school was located in his residence, as later his first wife dies there.
1854
Constantia de Castro dies in child birth, at Apsley House. She is buried in Bolton St Wellington and escaped the motorway. However her grave is unmarked and while the general area is known the grave cannot be found.
Charles advertises on 27th September 1854 as follows:
PUPILS can be received into the above Academy, on Friday, the 29th inst., being the commencement of the ensuing quarter
The Night School will be re-opened on Monday, October 2nd.
The time and terms of Instruction will continue the same as before adopted
CHAS D. DE CASTRO
Principal
In "COLONIAL CAPITAL" by Terence Hodgson there is reference on page 28:
For the greater part, the schools were elementary or infant status, yet some of their names suggest grander hopes: Charles Grace's "Wellington Academical Institution", Rev Wheeler's "Te Aro Grammar School", J.G. Grants "Wellington Academy", and C.D. de Castro's "Kingsdown House Academy".
To date this is the only reference found of this enterprise of Charles Daniel's. It is not known if this is the same school as Apsley House or not. Yet again something to be found out.
The following notice that also showed in a local paper on the same day gives an indication that Charles had a close connection with the church at this time, although it was some years before he formalised this by first becoming a Deacon and later a fully ordained minister of the church.
THORNDON CHAPEL
TWO SERMONS will be preached in the above Chapel by Chas D. DE CASTRO minister, on the subjects following:
Oct. Oct 8th The Nature of man, especially of his Soul and Spirit
Oct 15th The destination of man.
Divine Service to commence each Sunday at 3 O'clock, PM
1855
Charles Daniel marries Isabella Knox in Wellington. They married in the residence of William Waring Taylor who had married Isabella Knox's sister. This home later became the original Wellington Club.
The notice in the NEW ZEALAND SPECTATOR AND COOKS STRAIT GUARDIAN paper of May 9th 1855 states:
On Saturday, May 5 at the residence of W.W.Taylor, Esq. Wellington, Mr Chas D. de Castro, Apsley House Academy, to Isabella, third daughter of Dr F.J. Knox
MARRIAGE: folio 55/399 1855 to Knox.
Charles Daniel was still teaching as he advertises Apsley House asking for students.
1856
Charles advertises he is now living in Porirua and will take students, where is not said but presumably at his home again. The location of this home is not yet known, there is evidence to suggest he was living in Mc Farlane St Porirua at this time and as this was the main exit point from Wellington those days it makes sense to have students there rather than some miles away where his farm was.
Land he occupied is in Tetahi Bay Porirua, it is not 100% certain but the best records found suggest the farm he had is now the golf course and area covered by the radio masts that can be seen when driving down the motorway in Porirua.
In Elsdon Bests book he comments:
Mr Cooper claimed, and was occupying four sections on the Whitireia Peninsular at this time (1847); residing et the place afterwards occupied by Mr de Castro. Cooper appears to have received land elsewhere in lieu of these sections.
The interesting thing about this land is that it was set aside in 1847 as a Maori reserve and this fact and that it was squatted on by Europeans was a source of trouble that was only settled when Governor Grey arrived and used the Army to evict the settlers in favour of the Maori owners . How it came to be occupied by Charles as a farm is yet to be found out. I can only asume he either purchased it or leased it. This is something that is being looked at. As a side point there is a road in Tetahi bay named after Charles Daniel.
Charles Samuel de Castro the first child was born this year. At present the exact date is not known.
1857
Isabella Margaret de Castro is born. The exact date is not yet known.
Charles Daniel is reported as having attended a meeting in Tawa to establish The Wellington Farmers Club.
1858
Mary Elizabeth de Castro born. The exact date is not yet known.
1860
Frederick Knox de Castro born.
1861
William Knox de Castro on 3rd December at Tawa.
NOTE: William was all his life referred to as William Waring however his birth was registered as William Knox. It is suspected that he was christened William Waring, he is referred to by this name in this record.
Charles Daniel gave a lecture in the chapel at Tawa.
A return shows Charles owned 500 sheep.
A meeting report states he is Chairman of Loyal Kinopoura (Masonic) Lodge
1862
Charles's sister Mary Ransford de Castro married John Thomas Willis in UK.
A return this year now shows that Charles owned 600 sheep.
1863
Robert Knox de Castro born (no other records found) He (Robert) is understood to have never married. There is a report that late in life he stayed with his sister Helen Goldstone where he pased away.
Charles was elected to be the representative for Wellington Country in the Provincial Government.
1865
Jane (Jannie) de Castro born on 19th June
Charles Daniel stood but was not re-elected to Provincial Government.
1867
Arthur de Castro born in March in Porirua.
The family at this stage was reported as living in McFarlane St Porirua.
Some time this year the family moved back into Wellington city. This move is posibly linked to the fact that Charles Daniel was Secretary to the Colonial Secretary of Imperial Claims. Nothing is yet known what this entailed and how he came to get this position.
1868
The family is now reported living in Kent Terrace Wellington. Various returns showed the family lived there till 1880.
There is a clipping in the Isabella Morpeth's cutting book with a photo of a church in Kent Terrace saying that Helen married William Goldstone there and there is the comment that "This was fathers land".
George Percival de Castro born in Wellington.
Charles Daniel entered Government service in Treasury.
1870
Helen de Castro born in Wellington
1871
Inez de Castro born in Wellington.
1872
Charles left the Treasury and joined Public Trust Office as the first secretary in that office. An attempt is being made to find if there is any record of his times there.
1873
John Willis de Castro born in Wellington.
1875
Alfred Henry de Castro born in Wellington.
Charles Daniel became ordained as a Deacon in Anglican church.
1876
Mary Elizabeth died aged 18. She was buried in Bolton St Wellington. The same plot was later used to for her mother.
Charles Daniel asisted in the consecration of St Marks church Wellington.
He was asigned to asist at St Peter's in TeAro Flat Wellington.
1877
Alice Maud Mary de Castro born. She was last child of Charles and Isabella. It could be noted that she was 3 when her eldest sister married and 12 when her mother died.
1880
Isabella Margaret de Castro de Castro married Thomas Sloan Morpeth on 1st September 1880 in Wellington.
1881
Charles was now asigned to St Marks Church.
PHOTO: A photo exists in Isabella Morpeth's scrapbook of Charles Daniel and his son Arthur. The photo taken in 1882 is of officers of the Department (probably the Public Trust Office)
1884
Frederick Knox de Castro was married to Louisa Hyde in St Marks Church Wellington on 10th January
1886
William Waring de Castro married Helen Ratcliffe Dixon on 8th February in Hokitika.
1887
Charles's sister Mary Ransford Willis died in England.
1889
Charles Daniel's second wife ISABELLA de Castro (nee Knox) died at Nairn St Wellington on 17th Sept 1889. She was interred with her daughter Mary Elizabeth in the Bowen St cemetery. As far as can be found out this grave was one of the hundreds in the way of the Wellington Motorway and it was moved at this time.
To date it has not been found if there was any marker on the grave and if there was what became of it.. It is not currently known if they are recorded in the memorial garden established to record these people.
DEATH NOTICE:
DE CASTRO.-On the 17th September, Isabella, the beloved wife of Charles D. de Castro, aged 56 years.
BURIAL: BDM ref. 1889 ref. 1257
GRAVE: Was buried in Bolton St Cemetery in plot 0400 with daughter Mary Elizabeth. Grave was removed by motorway. There was no marker on grave.
OBITUARY:
We regret to record the death of Mrs de Castro, wife of the Rev. C. D. de Castro, which took place last night after a somewhat protracted illnes. Mrs de Castro was third daughter of the late Dr Knox, who with his family arrived in Wellington by the Martha Ridgway in 1840.
She was married in 1855, leaves eight sons and five daughters. An exemplary Christian, a true friend, a faithful wife and devoted mother, her memory will ever remain fresh in the minds and hearts, not only of her own family, but also of many to whom she became endeared by her many acts of kindly love and sympathy. The funeral takes place at 9 O'clock to-morrow morning.
1890
Charles Daniel married for the third time to AMELIA BULL.
MARRIAGE: folio 1270 1890 to Bull
WEDDING: as reported in the paper:
DE CASTRO-BULL.- On the 7th April 1890 by the Rev. W.A. Waters, the Rev. C.D. de Castro, to Amelia, 5th daughter of the late Edward Bull Esq., of Dublin.
1891
Jane de Castro married John Joseph Booth on 4th March in Wellington.
1892
Charles Daniel retired from public service.
Inez marries Herbert John Eames.
Arthur de Castro marries Edith Fletcher.
1895
Helen de Castro marries William Goldstone on 7th March at Frazertown Napier.
Charles Daniel said to have been ordained as a minister.
1896
George Percival married Gertrude Margaret Hyde on 1st December in Nelson.
Charles Daniel conducted last service before he died at Newtown Wellington.
1898
CHARLES DANIEL died at Austin St Wellington. This was on 23rd June 1898. The official register entry is DEATH: BDM 1898 ref. 1521. According to official records there is a copy of his Will REF. 6/472 There is a 2 page will held at the lands and deeds office in Stout Street Wellington. He is buried in the Karori Cemetery in Wellington, with his third wife Amelia (Bull).
This can be found by driving in the main entrance past the Sextons office and Crematorium to where the road splits. You take the right hand turn until the first path on the right. This is a little hard to find but right opposite the path entry is a very large monument to the Bradley family. Walk to the end of the path and right at the end facing you is the grave.
John Willis de Castro married in Masterton
1902/3
Alfred Henry de Castro married Emma Norman
1903
Alice Maud Mary married Charles Wortley on 31st August 1903 in Paeroa.
1906
Alice Wortley died in Sydney Australia on 7th October posibly of complications on the birth of her second child..
1909
Charles Samuel Knox de Castro married Cis Pike in Huntly.
1924
Amelia de Castro died and is buried in Karori..
1930
George Percival de Castro died in Paeroa on 8th June 1930. He was taken from Paeroa to Auckland and cremated at Waikumete.
1932
Charles Samuel Knox de Castro died in Huntly on 5th May 1932. He was interred at Waikumete Cemetery in Auckland according to the newspaper, I suggest he was cremated.
1933
William Waring de Castro died on 26th October at Monro St Blenheim. He was buried on the 28th at Omaka Cemetery in Blenheim.
Jane Booth died in California USA. on 17th April and was buried on 19th April.
1943
Frederick Knox de Castro died in Napier.
1945
Isabella Margaret Morpeth died in Napier on 25th July.
1952
Alfred Henry died in Blenheim.
1954
John Willis died in Masterton on 29th March.
1956
Arthur died in Napier on 18th August 1956.
Arthur was the last of Charles and Isabella de Castro's children to pass away thus concluding this phase of the family History. There is additional detail regarding each of the 14 branches in the following chapters.
De Castro Story - The Principal Family Lines - The children of Samuel and Mary - 2
Edward Ransford de Castro who was born in 2nd Sept 1833 died four months later on 16th January 1834.
De Castro Story - The Principal Family Lines - The children of Samuel and Mary - 3
BORN: 2nd February 1835
Her mother died on the 11th February in the same year, the two events must be connected
In 1862 at the age of 27 she married the Reverend John Thomas Wills.
The 1881 census had Mary and her husband living in Laneston in Berkshire where he was the rector. The census lists three children living at home in 1881 these are:
These daughters would be the nearest living descendants to the NZ de Castro family or their off spring would.
Mary Willis is reported to have died in 1887.
No other details are yet known.
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