George Denton (1833 – 10 August 1910) was a founding councillor of Wellington's

Acclimatisation Society Acclimatisation societies were voluntary associations in the 19th and 20th centuries that encouraged the introduction of non-native species in various places around the world, in the hope that they would acclimatise and adapt to their new environ ...

in May 1871. He was noted for his interest in Māori lore and friendships with

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

of his own generation.

Biography

Denton came to

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

at the beginning of 1856 from

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

where he had arrived from London on 17 January 1856 on the sailing ship ''China''. His future wife, then Eliza Bennett, had arrived as a child in 1848. Denton sold

ironmongery Ironmongery originally referred, first, to the manufacture of iron goods and, second, to the place of sale of such items for domestic rather than industrial use. In both contexts, the term has expanded to include items made of steel, aluminium ...

and sports equipment (tennis racquets, cricket bats, firearms, fishing tackle) and provided the services of watchmaker and jeweller from his shop at 58 Willis Street.Until 1908 it was 33 Willis Street.
''Re-numbering the city''
''The Evening Post''. 24 September 1908. p.8 Storms at high tides could wash away stock on display in front of father-in-law George Bennett's shop at the junction with Lambton Quay. George and Elizabeth Denton raised 11 children in their house called Fernhill in Woolcombe Street (324 The Terrace) opposite the top of Ghuznee Street. The property backed onto the Town Belt. He grew

nīkau ''Rhopalostylis sapida'', commonly known as nīkau ( mi, nīkau), is a palm tree endemic to New Zealand, and the only palm native to mainland New Zealand. Etymology is a Māori word; in the closely related Eastern Polynesian languages of the ...

there and gave away their carefully cultivated seedlings. Denton's hatchery near his house distributed some 5000 to 6000 hatchling trout around the lower North Island each year. A founder and stalwart of the Wellington

he also acclimatised and distributed the society's imported birds and maintained any maimed birds all in his own aviary. At the Acclimatisation Society he was assisted by Alexander Rutherfurd (1852–1931), 30 years an assistant and clerk assistant of the House of Representatives, of Masterton and Moroa Station, Alfredton. Denton avoided involvement in public affairs. He died at his home in Woolcombe Street on 10 August 1910, and was buried in the

Bolton Street Cemetery Bolton Street Memorial Park, formerly known as Bolton Street Cemetery, is the oldest cemetery in Wellington, New Zealand. Dating back to 1840, many notable people are buried here. Situated in the suburb of Thorndon, New Zealand, Thorndon, the Well ...

Legacy

A carving of Denton's head, made from

tōtara ''Podocarpus totara'' (; from the Maori-language ; the spelling "totara" is also common in English) is a species of podocarp tree endemic to New Zealand. It grows throughout the North Island and northeastern South Island in lowland, montane a ...

, was one of those on the face of

John Plimmer John Plimmer (28 June 1812 – 5 January 1905) was an English settler and entrepreneur in New Zealand who has been called the "Father of Wellington". Early life in England Plimmer was born at a village called in contemporary accounts "Upton-unde ...

's 'Old Identities' hotel (properly named the Albert Hotel) on the corner of Willis Street and Boulcott Street. That building was demolished in 1929 and replaced by the St George. Denton's wooden head is now preserved in the

Wellington Museum Wellington Museum (formerly the Museum of City & Sea) is a museum on Queens Wharf in Wellington, New Zealand. It occupies the 1892 Bond Store, a historic building on Jervois Quay on the waterfront of Wellington Harbour. In 2013, it was voted ...

. George Denton Park is approximately of native bush given to Wellington City in 1951 by William Denton in memory of his parents, George and Eliza Denton. Now a part of Wellington Town Belt, it is sandwiched between

Zealandia Zealandia (pronounced ), also known as (Māori) or Tasmantis, is an almost entirely submerged mass of continental crust that subsided after breaking away from Gondwanaland 83–79 million years ago.Gurnis, M., Hall, C.E., and Lavier, L.L., ...

and Polhill Gully on a high ridge, far behind where the Dentons once lived.

Notes

References

External links

Alexandra Dekker ''Freshwater Colonists''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Denton, George 1833 births 1910 deaths English emigrants to New Zealand Scientists from Wellington City New Zealand naturalists Burials at Bolton Street Cemetery