ROMNEY MARSH SHEEP

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 204, 23 May 1919, Page 10

ROMNEY MARSH SHEEP

! WHO INTRODUCED THEM TO NEW !■■•- ZEALAND? -

[ 'AN. INTERESTING CONTROVERSY,

In January last a very* interesting article was published in Tim Dominion from the pen of a contributor on the subject of the introduction of. Romney Marsh sheep into New Zealand. The : writer of that article stated that he had ibeen privileged to visit the stud sheep .farm ("Tipua") of Mr. G. 'E. jillen, in ■ithe . Wairarapa, and whilst there' had met Mr. Allen's father, Mr. W. B. Allen .who had stated that the first shipment of .Eomneys from England to New Zealand ■Jiad been made by Mr. Leonard Young .in. 1853; that they were brought out by the ship Lady Cornwall, and on their arrival had been placed, on the farm of Mr. Drako at Porirua. The first- sale of five owes had been made to Mr. Arthur Ludlain, of Lower Jlutt, and these wore eaid to bo the foundation of the AVairarapa Romney Marsh, flocks.'

Among those who were intensely! interested in tho article and the subject generally was Mr. J. Drummond. exGovernment Inspector of Slock, and a well-known judge of sheep. He had .his .own ideas aa to the origin of Komneys New Zealand, and set to work to i.ascertain whether or.not Mr. Young'h'ad ibrought out the first flock to AVeilington. His impression was that a Mr. William (Bennett had brought, out the .first Boniaeye, arid in order to gain information eaw the late Mr William Bennett's son. The latter had no Itnowledge of the matter dt issue; but wrote to his uncle, Mr. Charles Bennett, now j>B years of age, and residing at Bargo. New South Wales. ,The old gentleman wrote as. follows:—

' "Your father, the late ■Mγ. William •Bennett, and I left Windfield Bank Farm, Northfleet, two miles trora Gravesend, Kent, England, on April 30, 1553 (it was a Sunday; in. the ship Cornwall (Captain Dawson), 480 tons register, of I . Money, Wigram'f Line. We called in at Plymouth, and left'there on May 5, and it took us 111). days getting from there to Wellington, arriving on September 2, 1853. Our oaptain told us ho ■wouUFtake' us to Wellington, in !)0 days, therefore he was quito upset on our nrri■val'to find the ship Admiral Grenfell, ■H;-H. -Willis Line, which left ISO days defter, we did, had got into Wellington tho .night before." 1 Mi\ ThomasNorthmaud <a brother of James Northmaud, of Tiffin and Northmaud) was on a visit to England,' and! seeing tho. sheep at a farm of our uncle's; Mr. Jeremiah Solomon, of Ifieldi Kent, near Graresend. was so impressed with their value and suitabil-.'-ity-for New Zealand that he advised my brother, Mr. William Bennett (who contemplated going to Vancouver to take a position there with tho Hudson Pay 'Company), to change hisinind and go to "New Zealand. 1 forget tho number- of .-i^oinhey.'Marsh sheep my brother shipped ; or., the." number landed in Wellington, ■ "out 1 recollect when we were driving 'them from Wellington to tho Hurt, a 'ram running up a lane or alley at Wellington,' meeting .with an old woman "carrying a pot of beer, and knocking her down. Wo took the sheep to a small form at the Hutt that our friend, Mr. Leonard Young, lent us. Mr Young camo-out.-in the Cornwall with, us, and ho bought flie farm from Mr. Dillon ' 801 las soon -as ho landed. I believo that tho shsep came from my uncles farm at Ifield. Everyone who saw them ' said they wero the iirst Eomney Marsli (or Kent sheep, as we called them at '■ Home), that had come to New Zualand. "The following wero among our fellow-pa&sengors:-Major St. Uill, Government Resident at Wanganui" (then an old ""man), Mr "John Holdsworth, and brothor, Thos.'Munzcam (who settled in or roar ■'Taranaki); Eev. Poolo and. his four eis- - ters (one married Mr. Brandon and one Mr.'Munzean); Mr. Saddler, Mr. Sahs■■bury, Mr. Vivian, J.nd many others. • That was all tho information tho ■uncle's letter to -Mr William Bennett contained. Ho did not mention whether Mr. Young or Mr'. Ludlam bought the sheep aftor they landed, but distinctly remembered that tho sailors looked after them,' and''kept them beautiful and clean. Mr. Bennett writes that his undo left New Zealand for Sydney per the first -Aoat. after, landing, ao did not know i ftnything further of tho history of ; the -stock, — "-". ■ ~.',,' !v From "".the ,foregoing information Mr. ' Drummond is pretty positive that the • first Romney Marsh sheep brought to New Zealand were brought, by. the late Mr. William Bennett, and not Mr. Leonard Young (who was a passenger by the same vessel), and who probably may nave purchased them from Mr. Bennett ■either on the, voyage or on landing. Tho hnsto wiih which Mr. Young is said to have purchased a em all farm at the Hutt from Mr. Dillon Bell seems to be an indication that ho had an immediate use for such a place, and probably that use was concerned with the ehoep which had been brought out from Kent! by tho late Mr. William Bennett.