Origin of the SHUCKBURGH Family

Napton Church, its windows rich with heraldry, has an incised brass memorial to a John SHUCKBURGH, who died in 1625. The SHUCKBURGH name also appears on the map, at Upper & Lower Shuckburgh , in Warwickshire, England.

This family has a well documented history that descends from the time of the Norman Conquest. Richard SHUCKBURGH was knighted in 1642, before the Battle of Edgehill for his support of Charles I. He died in 1656, but at the Restoration his eldest son, John (my eighth great grandfather), was raised to a baronet. Today, several baronets later, the SHUCKBURGHs still live at Shuckburgh Hall at Lower Shuckburgh, Warwickshire.

Skipping a few generations down from John (the first baronet) there is his great grandson, Rev. John SHUCKBURGH. This John married Diana WEBB at St James’, Westminster on 16 April 1767. The couple had 6 children, all of whom were baptised at Downton , Wiltshire. He was made an heir of William COLES and in 1784 inherited the notable property called The Moot . This grand old house and grounds was occupied by the SHUCKBURGH family till 1864 when it was sold.

SHUCKBURGH Family

The eldest son of John and Diana was John Nicholas SHUCKBURGH who was born in 1769 at Downton. In 1798 he married Harriot ADNEY at Sampford Peverell in Devon. John Nicholas gained a Bachelor of Arts at Oriel College in Oxford and went on to become a rector for the Anglican Church at Callington in Cornwall. They had a family of 8 children born in the Halberton and Tiverton area of Devon.

The eldest of the 8 children was Charles SHUCKBURGH. He was born around 1800 in the Halberton area where he later married Susanna WADDLETON in 1824. Together they had only one daughter, Anne Adney SHUCKBURGH, who was born in 1825 at Tiverton. Charles died at the age of 30 years old, in Halberton.

Migration to New Zealand

Anne Adney SHUCKBURGH was likely raised by her mother. In the 1851 UK Census she is recorded as being with her aunt, Rosina, and her great aunt Henrietta SHUCKBURGH, all then living at The Moot.

Anne would depart London on the ship PERSIA. The ship had a tempestuous and protracted passage of a hundred and eleven days, having sailed from Gravesend on 1 May 1860. She arrived in Auckland on 20 August 1860 before travelling on the ships LORD ASHLEY and WHITE SWAN to Nelson. She arrived there on 10 September 1860. I suspect that she came to Nelson on the recommendation of her cousin, whose family travelled to Nelson 10 years earlier.

On 27 May 1862, Anne Adney married James MACKAY at Hillside School, Suburban North, Nelson.

At this point it is worth noting that the name “Shuckburgh” is used by some people as their first or middle name.

The only other SHUCKBURGH descendants to arrive in New Zealand are those who sailed here on the ship PEKIN from London on 8 August 1849. Henrietta SHUCKBURGH, granddaughter of John and Diana, her husband William Wrangham COLLINS and their only son, Arthur Shuckburgh COLLINS, arrived in Nelson on 15 January 1850. Henrietta died in Nelson on 3 May 1861. William served on the Provincial District Council between 1853-1855 and was on the bench of the Magistrates Court. He died on 31 January 1880. Their son, Arthur, is a second cousin of Anne Adney.

Family Connections

Arthur Shuckburgh COLLINS married, for the second time, Erica Elspeth MACKAY in January 1866. She was the daughter James MACKAY (Snr) by his first wife. Arthur represented Collingwood in the House of Representatives (1868-1873) and Nelson Suburbs North (1880-1881). He did much exploring in the Province. In 1869, with Alexander MACKAY , he crossed the Mount Arthur Range to fix a workable track to Karamea. In 1872 he blazed the track across the Rai Saddle, which had been discovered by a MACKAY. On being elected member for Nelson Suburbs in 1881, he induced the Government to construct a coach road along this route. Today the route serves as the line of the main highway between Nelson and Blenheim. He held a number of notable roles in the local community.

The old Mt Fyffe homestead called "Rockwood" was built by COLLINS in 1885. It was unfortunately destroyed by fire in 1933.

In his seventies, Arthur travelled to England. There he found that his ancestors spelt the surname COLLYNS and upon his return in 1903 he changed his surname. One son declined to change his surname as he considered himself to be to well known. The newspapers reveal the family using COLLYNS in 1903 and onwards. Arthur died in Nelson on 26 September 1911.

In 1887 Arthur wrote to Anne Adney about the SHUCKBURGH family tree as follows: