Marmaduke George Nixon (1813 or 1814 – 27 May 1864) was a notable soldier in the
New Zealand Wars
The New Zealand Wars took place from 1845 to 1872 between the New Zealand colonial government and allied Māori on one side and Māori and Māori-allied settlers on the other. They were previously commonly referred to as the Land Wars or the M ...
. Born at
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
, he joined the British Army in 1831, spending most of his career as an officer in
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
with the
39th Regiment of Foot. He left the British Army in 1851 and shortly afterwards emigrated to New Zealand to take up farming in
South Auckland
South Auckland is an imprecisely defined urban area of Auckland, New Zealand, with a young population, a relatively large Polynesian and Māori demographic, and lower incomes than other parts of Auckland. The name ''South Auckland'', though not ...
. In 1860, during one of the main phases of the New Zealand Wars, he formed and led a cavalry unit in defence of South Auckland. He later participated in the
Invasion of the Waikato
The Invasion of the Waikato became the largest and most important campaign of the 19th-century New Zealand Wars. Hostilities took place in the North Island of New Zealand between the military forces of the colonial government and a federation ...
as commander of Nixon's Horse, another cavalry unit. He was one of the highest ranking casualties of the New Zealand Wars when he died on 27 May 1864 from wounds received in an attack earlier in the year on a village at
Rangiaowhia
Rangiaowhia (or Rangiawhia, or Rangiaohia) was, for over 20 years, a thriving village on a ridge between two streams in the Waikato region, about east of Te Awamutu. From 1841 it was the site of a very productive Māori mission station until the ...
. He was also a
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
, representing the largely rural electorate of
Franklin
Franklin may refer to:
People
* Franklin (given name)
* Franklin (surname)
* Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class
Places Australia
* Franklin, Tasmania, a township
* Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...
from 1861 up until his death.
Early life
Marmaduke George Nixon was born in
Valletta
Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an Local councils of Malta, administrative unit and capital city, capital of Malta. Located on the Malta (island), main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, i ...
on the island of
Malta
Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
in either 1813 or 1814. He was one of at least three children of Henry Nixon, an officer in the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
, and his wife Elizabeth . Marmaduke attended the Royal Military College at Sandhurst, from which he graduated in 1831 before he was posted to the
39th (Dorsetshire) Regiment of Foot
The 39th (Dorsetshire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1702. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 54th (West Norfolk) Regiment of Foot to form the Dorsetshire Regiment in 1881.
History Earl ...
as an ensign.
British Army
Nixon spent a number of years in
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
with the 39th Regiment, serving in the
Coorg War
The Coorg War was fought between the British East India Company and the State of Coorg in 1834. Defiance of the Raja of Coorg (Chikka Virarajendra), a small state in South India, led to a short but bloody campaign in 1834. In February 1834, ...
of 1834 and was involved in the Battle of Maharajpore during the
Gwalior campaign of 1843.
At this stage of his career, he was the brigade major of the 5th Brigade.
In 1851 Nixon resigned from the British Army, having reached the rank of
major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
. He was finding it difficult to support his two sisters on his income while serving as an officer in India.
Life in New Zealand
During his service in British India, Nixon made the acquaintance of
Theodore Haultain
Theodore Minet Haultain (27 May 1817 – 18 October 1902) was a 19th-century New Zealand politician and Minister of Colonial Defence (1865–69). He came to New Zealand as a soldier and farmed in south Auckland.
Personal life
Theodore Minet Ha ...
, a fellow officer of the 39th Regiment who later moved to New Zealand. At Haultain's suggestion, Nixon travelled on the ship ''Cresswell'' to settle in New Zealand, arriving in 1852. He began farming at
Māngere
Māngere () or Mangere is one of the largest suburbs in Auckland, in northern New Zealand. It is located on mainly flat land on the northeastern shore of the Manukau Harbour, to the northwest of Manukau City Centre and 15 kilometres south of ...
, south of
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...
.
Te Ākitai Waiohua
Te Ākitai Waiohua is a Māori iwi of the southern part of the Auckland Region of New Zealand.
History
Te Ākitai Waiohua are descended from Kiwi Tāmaki, the grandson of Huakaiwaka, himself the ancestor of the Waiohua iwi, who lived in Tāmak ...
, who lived across the
Pūkaki Creek from Nixon and other Manukau Harbour tribes, assisted Nixon building his farmhouses. Soon, along with other landowners in the area, he sought access to Māori land in the
Waikato
Waikato () is a Regions of New Zealand, local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton City ...
region.
However, by this time, Māori were beginning to become increasingly resistant to selling of their land, leading to increased tensions with the
New Zealand Government
, background_color = #012169
, image = New Zealand Government wordmark.svg
, image_size=250px
, date_established =
, country = New Zealand
, leader_title = Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern
, appointed = Governor-General
, main_organ =
, ...
.
Following the commencement in March 1860 of
hostilities at Taranaki, in one of the main phases of the
New Zealand Wars
The New Zealand Wars took place from 1845 to 1872 between the New Zealand colonial government and allied Māori on one side and Māori and Māori-allied settlers on the other. They were previously commonly referred to as the Land Wars or the M ...
, Nixon submitted a proposal to the New Zealand Government for the raising of a force of colonial volunteers. He was made a lieutenant colonel in the Auckland Militia and formed the Royal Volunteer Cavalry, which had responsibility for the townships at
Otahuhu,
Panmure, and
Howick. He also led his forces ensuring the security of the communication and supply routes from Auckland through to defensive positions in South Auckland.
In 1861, he stood for the
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
as the member for the
Franklin electorate, which encompassed most of rural South Auckland, and was duly elected on 28 January.
The Royal Volunteer Cavalry was disbanded in 1862. However, the following year the Colonial Defence Force Cavalry was formed and Nixon was appointed its commander. He helped in the recruitment for the unit, attracting almost 200 men from Otahuhu, which soon became known as "Nixon's Horse",
which had troops at Auckland, Howick and Otahuhu. He is considered the father of New Zealand cavalry for his roles in raising the first units of their type in New Zealand.
Invasion of the Waikato
In July 1863, Nixon's Horse was part of the British and Colonial forces, commanded by General
Duncan Cameron, that
invaded the Waikato region with the intention of suppressing the
"Kingitanga Movement", which was resisting colonial rule. Immediately prior to the invasion,
Governor Grey ordered all Māori living in the South Auckland region to evict the area, or to swear fealty to the Queen. While leaving for the Waikato, Nixon captured
Ihaka Takanini, the paramount chief of Te Ākitai Waiohua and his former neighbour at Māngere. Takanini and his family were taken prisoner to
Rakino Island, where he died. By February 1864, after a series of actions as the invasion force moved south along the path of the
Waikato River
The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand, running for through the North Island. It rises on the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and flowing through Lake Taupō, New Zealand's largest lake. It th ...
and then the
Waipā, Cameron's forces was aiming for the valuable farming land around
Te Awamutu
Te Awamutu is a town in the Waikato region in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the council seat of the Waipa District and serves as a service town for the farming communities which surround it. Te Awamutu is located some south of Hamilto ...
. On 21 February, after bypassing Māori at Paterangi they secured a largely unoccupied Te Awamutu.
Beyond the town, away, was the settlement of
Rangiaowhia
Rangiaowhia (or Rangiawhia, or Rangiaohia) was, for over 20 years, a thriving village on a ridge between two streams in the Waikato region, about east of Te Awamutu. From 1841 it was the site of a very productive Māori mission station until the ...
. Cameron opted to advance against this settlement as well. Nixon led the attack on the lightly defended village, at which there were many women and children present. Possibly influenced by the fact that Cameron was observing events, Nixon's leadership of the attack was reckless and he was shot and severely wounded as he approached a hut. About 24 Māori were killed or wounded during the attack and another 33 taken prisoner.
The British then withdrew to Te Awamutu. Cameron was later criticised for the Rangiaowhia attack; it was not a fighting ''
pā'' and the Kingites considered the action contrary to established conduct of warfare. There were also accusations that one or more ''
whare
A wharenui (; literally "large house") is a communal house of the Māori people of New Zealand, generally situated as the focal point of a ''marae''. Wharenui are usually called meeting houses in New Zealand English, or simply called ''whare'' ( ...
'' to which some Māori had fled during the Rangiaowhia attack were set on fire with them inside and that one man attempting to surrender was shot.
After Rangiaowhia, Nixon was evacuated north to his property at Mangarei in Mangere. His wounds, to his chest and lungs, ultimately proved fatal and
gangrene
Gangrene is a type of tissue death caused by a lack of blood supply. Symptoms may include a change in skin color to red or black, numbness, swelling, pain, skin breakdown, and coolness. The feet and hands are most commonly affected. If the ga ...
set in several weeks later. He died at his home on 27 May 1864.
[ The previous month he had been promoted to ]colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
. He was one of the highest-ranking soldiers to have been a casualty of the New Zealand Wars. Buried at Symonds Street Cemetery
Symonds Street Cemetery is a historic cemetery and park in central Auckland, New Zealand. It is in 5.8 hectares of deciduous forest on the western slope of Grafton Gully, by the corner of Symonds Street and Karangahape Road, and is crossed by th ...
, he was survived by his two sisters. Nixon's death resulted in the 1864 Franklin by-election, won unopposed by his friend from his days in the British Army, Haultain.
Nixon monument
Soon after his death, discussions began in relation to the erection of a monument in his memory. By May 1865, land at Otahuhu, south of Auckland, had been acquired for the monument, which was to be based on the Wallace Monument
The National Wallace Monument (generally known as the Wallace Monument) is a 67 metre tower on the shoulder of the Abbey Craig, a hilltop overlooking Stirling in Scotland. It commemorates Sir William Wallace, a 13th- and 14th-century Scottish hero ...
in Scotland. The monument, which stands at the intersection of Mangere and Great South roads, was completed and formally unveiled in 1868. Several compromises had been made in its design and construction; it was now much simpler in appearance and stone from Hobart
Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...
, in Tasmania, was used instead of being sourced from Oamaru
Oamaru (; mi, Te Oha-a-Maru) is the largest town in North Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand, it is the main town in the Waitaki District. It is south of Timaru and north of Dunedin on the Pacific coast; State Highway 1 and the railway ...
, as originally intended. It was suggested that some of the funds raised for the monument go towards the care of his sisters. The following year, the New Zealand Government granted the sisters an annual pension of £150.
On Anzac Day in 1968, Nixon's remains were moved from Symonds Street Cemetery and re-interred to the base of the monument. In recent years, there have been controversial calls for the removal of the monument.
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Nixon, Marmaduke
1814 births
1864 deaths
Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives
People of the New Zealand Wars
Military leaders of the New Zealand Wars
New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates
39th Regiment of Foot officers
19th-century New Zealand politicians
Burials at Symonds Street Cemetery