William Darby Brind (1794–1850) was a master mariner and whaler who settled in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. He was baptised on 28 July 1794 at St Philip's parish,

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

. He died at the

Bay of Islands The Bay of Islands is an area on the east coast of the Far North District of the North Island of New Zealand. It is one of the most popular fishing, sailing and tourist destinations in the country, and has been renowned internationally for its ...

in 1850.

Voyages in the South Pacific

On 20 March 1820 Brind arrived in the Bay of Islands as the captain of the whaler , which was owned by

Samuel Enderby & Sons Samuel Enderby & Sons was a whaling and sealing company based in London, England, founded circa 1775 by Samuel Enderby (1717–1797). The company was significant in the history of whaling in the United Kingdom, not least for encouraging their ...

. The ''Cumberland'' visited Kororareka (nowadays Russell) a number of times, including in August 1821, before sailing for Sydney, Australia in November 1821 with a cargo of whale oil. Brind returned to the Bay as captain of ''Asp'' in December 1822 and in 1823 ''Asp'' made four whaling voyages from Kororareka. In 1824 Captain Brind sailed ''Asp'' to the whaling grounds of Japan. On 17 December 1825 Brind returned to the Bay of Islands as captain of the ''Emily''. From about 1823 until 1826 Captain Brind lived with a daughter of

Pōmare I Pōmare I (c. 1753 – September 3, 1803) (fully in old orthography: Tu-nui-ea-i-te-atua-i-Tarahoi Vaira'atoa Taina Pōmare I; also known as Tu or Tinah or Outu, or more formally as Tu-nui-e-a'a-i-te-atua) was the unifier and first king of T ...

, chief of the Ngāti Manu hapu (subtribe) of the

Ngāpuhi Ngāpuhi (or Ngā Puhi) is a Māori iwi associated with the Northland region of New Zealand and centred in the Hokianga, the Bay of Islands, and Whangārei. According to the 2018 New Zealand census, the estimated population of Ngāpuhi is 165, ...

. Brind became a friend of the Reverend

Thomas Kendall Thomas Kendall (13 December 1778 – 6 August 1832) was a New Zealand missionary, recorder of the Māori language, schoolmaster, arms dealer, and Pākehā Māori. Early life: Lincolnshire and London, 1778–1813 A younger son of farmer Edw ...

and assisted Kendall after Kendall was expelled from the

Church Missionary Society The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British mission society working with the Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as mission ...

. William Brind, arrived at the Bay of Islands in September 1828 as captain of ''Toward Castle''. From 1828 Brind lived with Moewaka the daughter of Rewa (Manu), a chief of Ngai Tawake

hapū In Māori and New Zealand English, a ' ("subtribe", or "clan") functions as "the basic political unit within Māori society". A Māori person can belong to or have links to many hapū. Historically, each hapū had its own chief and normally opera ...

of the Ngāpuhi. Their daughter was baptised Eliza Isabella Brind, who was murdered in 1841 by

Wiremu Kingi Maketu Wiremu is a masculine given name, the Māori form of William. Notable people with the name include: People with given name Wiremu * Aaron Wiremu Cruden (born 1989), New Zealand rugby union player * Wiremu Doherty, New Zealand Māori educationalist ...

, who was later convicted of the murder of Eliza and 4 others.

The Girls' War

He is famous for sparking the

Girls' War The Girls’ War is the name given to fighting on the beach at Russell, New Zealand, then known as Kororāreka in March, 1830 between the northern and southern hapū (subtribe) within the Ngāpuhi iwi (tribe). The cause The Girls' War is so named ...

in 1830. It is called the Girls' War because it began with insults and curses being exchanged between young, high-ranking Māori women, rivals for the affection of Captain Brind. However, Brind was not in the Bay of Islands at the time of the incident. Te Urumihia, the wife of Kiwikiwi of the Ngati Manu hapū and the chief of

Kororāreka Russell, known as Kororāreka in the early 19th century, was the first permanent European settlement and seaport in New Zealand. It is situated in the Bay of Islands, in the far north of the North Island. History and culture Māori settle ...

, whose daughter was involved in the incident, cursed Brind's women (Pehi the daughter of

Hongi Hika Hongi Hika ( – 6 March 1828) was a New Zealand Māori rangatira (chief) and war leader of the iwi of Ngāpuhi. He was a pivotal figure in the early years of regular European contact and settlement in New Zealand. As one of the first Māori l ...

and Moewaka, the daughter of Rewa, a chief of the Ngai Tawake hapū, of

Kerikeri Kerikeri () is the largest town in Northland, New Zealand. It is a tourist destination north of Auckland and north of the northern region's largest city, Whangarei. It is sometimes called the Cradle of the Nation, as it was the site of th ...

Later life

On 19 December 1835 Brind married Eliza Anne Snoswell, at Gravesend, Kent. Eliza Brind came to New Zealand and they lived at Matauwhi Bay, near Russell. William and Eliza had three sons and two daughters who were baptised in New Zealand. Brind died at the Bay of Islands in 1850.

References

1794 births 1850 deaths New Zealand people in whaling British emigrants Colony of New Zealand people New Zealand sailors British people in whaling Sea captains {{NewZealand-bio-stub