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Newbury is the block of land that is boundaried by State Highway 3 (Rangitikei Line), Newbury Line and State Highway 54 on two sides, just out of Palmerston North.
The land was so wet and swampy that trees were felled and laid perpendicular to the direction fo the road to form a corduroy road, and this is what Rangitikei Line was.
Henry Gore and his wife Emily (nee Wiggins) lived at Newbury in England (outskirts of London). As a result of a ballot by the New Zealand Company in 1873 he obtained the right to purchase 100 acres of land in the Manawatu, New Zealand, so on January 29 1874 Henry and Emily Gore, with their children Letty, Lucy and Henry sailed from London and came to New Zealand on the sailing ship "Golden Sea" which arrived at Wellington May 1 1874 with 368 immigrants on board. They were then taken by boat to Foxton on the Manawatu River mouth. They travelled to what is now Newbury and lived for a time on what is now the corner of Skermans Line and Newbury Line until they were able to take up their land near the corner of what is now Newbury Line and Milson Line, approx 31 December 1874.
The year before Emily's sister Jane and her husband George Parr were among the passengers on the ship "Salisbury" which sailed from England on 5 October 1873 and arrived in Wellington 19 January 1874. After spending the first days in the barracks they met and were engaged to work for a Mr Dalrymple of Bulls. Mr Parr as a farm hand and Mrs Parr as a house maid. Leaving Wellington by sailing vessel they arrived at Foxton after a rough voyage up the coast. They transferred to a horse and dray for transporty and eventually arrived at Bulls, where they stayed for nearly a year.
Henry could not afford to purchase the whole balloted 100 acres so he offered half of it to his wifes sister Sarah Jane Parr (nee Wiggins), Mrs George Parr.
A down payment was made on the 100 acre block of standing bush, 50 acres to each couple. Henry Gore spent his days building a brick chimney a day to pay for his half.
At the same time Henry Gore's brother Charles came to New Zealand and settled in Bunnythorpe. Once in New Zealand Henry and Emily Gore had a further three children (twinsJames and Thomas, and Richard).
The sisters, Mrs Emily Gore and Mrs Sarah Parr (nee Wiggins), together with their husbands Mr Henry Gore and Mr George Parr settled on the first farm to be surveyed in this block. The land was undeveloped swamp (with large sandflies) and native bush/forest, which they slowly cleared and developed acre by acre into a farm. The sisters wanted to name their farm, but having married they no longer shared a surname, however as they and their husbands had grown up in Newbury, Berkshire, England, they called their farm Newbury Farm. Soon the track that they developed to access their farm became known as Newbury Line and eventually the block became the Newbury block and the area is still known today as Newbury.
The virgin forest/bush covering this area had only been penetrated by tracks wide enough for horse transport from Palmerston North and in the direction of Awahuri. In 1874 this track was used by the settlers of the Manchester Block (Feilding) to go from Foxton (where they landed on the beach at the Manawatu River mouth) to Feilding, stopping overnight at the Awahuri Hotel. Palmerston North its self only had a few hundred inhabitants at that time and this period could rightly be called the dawn era of Manawatu settlement.
Rangitikei Line was first used a as a surveyors track by Mr Stewart and Mr Palmerston to map the area and even Awahuri had been planned with streets and squares to become a town, when in fact all there was consisted of a Maori Pa on the banks of the Oroua River. There was also a track from Palmerston North to Bunnythorpe used by Maori runners.
When Mr James Skerman arrived he built a private cheese factory on the corner of what is now Newbury Line and Skermans Line, which leads into Rangitikei Line at a small bridge over a creek, with help from Henry Gore. The double gabled private cheese factory was pulled down during the second world war. Opposite on Rangitikei Line was a post office a general store and a black smith called John Wiggins which backed on to the square mile farm of Edward and Sarah Collins nee Lovelock (Aranui Road, Hughes Line (now Gillespies Line), Rangitikei Line and Kairanga Bunnythorpe Road. Edward (1825-1887) and Sarah (1830-1900) are both buried in Terrace End Cemetery PN. Sarah arrived in NZ on the Bolton in 1840.
The first neighbour to arrive was Mr Henry Morris and Newbury School was built on his land, along with a school house. The establishment of the Newbury School in 1878 was no coincidence as locals realised that a central place to congregate and educate their children was needed, however it was originally called Taonui School and changed to Newbury in 1905 as this meant 2 Taonui Schools in the area. In 1879 the school had to be closed because of the dense smoke pervading the classrooms from the clearing of the land into farm land. By 1890 the Ruahine Ranges (mountains) were visible from Newbury without any trees obstructing the view. The road was still a narrow strip of gravel, dug from gravel pits within a hundred yards of the road, leaving little lagoons and hollows in the paddocks.
Mr Skerman was chairman of the original school committee for a long period of time (21 years) and was personally also a great influence in the development of Newbury. He arrived from England by sailing ship as a steerage passenger and brought with him a feather-filled mattress as his most prized possession as he was aware of adequate rest being a prerequisite to a successful days work.
Opposite the cheese factory was a double storied house originally built as the Newbury Post Office, it was then shifted by traction engine power next to the Newbury Store. A church was erected opposite Newbury School on Collins' property as well as a hall. Mr Wiggins (nephew of Emily and Sarah) opened a blacksmith shop.
Newbury Country Women's Institute: Approximately 30 ladies met in the Newbury Hall on 20 September 1934, with the idea of forming an institute. they decided to meet on the third Wednesday of each month.
Newbury Bowling Club: It was in April 1959 that Mr Eric Whitehead, Head Teacher at Newbury School, and Mrs Whitehead suggested forming an Indoor Bowling Club in the district. The first meeting had 17 residents attend and decided to for a club.
Newbury Football Club: The Newbury (Junior) Football Club was formed around 1945 and had a notable record, being runner up for the Regional Cup. The club were the forerunners for the present day Te Kawa team.
Newbury Table Tennis Club: The first meeting of the club was held on March 23 1953. It was first thought that the club would be run under the auspices of the Newbury Football Club, but this alliance was released.
Newbury Young Farmers Club: The Newbury YFC was formed on November 14 1957, while the Newbury Country Girls was formed on December 5 1957. The Newbury YFC activities have not varied much over the years, stock judging, debating, monthly dances at Newbury hall.
There are entries in the Newbury School log book: October 14 1878: Sent H Gore home after dinner hour, he having fallen into the water. February 6 1880: No school in afternoon on account of Mr Henry Gore's funneral December 14 1882: meeting of ladies in afternoon to arrange a picnic in the holidays. Present: Mrs Membery, Mrs Collins, Mrs Harker, Mrs Lovelock, Mrs Cooper, Mrs Gore, Mrs Donald, Mrs Stevens, Mrs Astbury. February 28 1883: Lucy Gore, Standard 3, did all the sums set correct but one, Mary Membery all but two. March 18 1884: Letty Gore first, Nellie Hansen second in Arithmetic for Standard 2. June 8 1896: Emily Knight has left school owing to weakness of the eyes, one of her eyes being partially blind. October 9 1916: Removed from roll Eric, Philip and Gwendoline Vautier who have gone to reside at Stoney Creek Road, Whakaronga. April 14 1920: Mr T Knight, one of the oldest residents of Newbury passed away this morning. The flag was hoisted to half mast as a mark of respect and a wreath sent by the children from the flower in their own gardens. When the Wanganui Education Board took over the running of the Newbury School on April 1 1881 there were 49 pupils and the first recorded roll was as follows: William Rogers, Sylvester Rogers, Thomas Rogers, John Collins John Rush, Ambrose Rush, Richard Rush, Alphonsus Rush William Lovelock, Henry Lovelock, Minnie Lovelock, Frederick Lovelock Johan Johansen, Embret Johansen Henry Gore, Lucy Gore, Letty Gore Samuel Davy, William Davy, Ellen Davy, John Davy George Parr, Ada Parr Harry Hansen, Anna Hansen Francis Allerby Amy Brogden, William John Brogden Sydney Franklin, Hannah Franklin, Ellen Franklin, Mary Ann Franklin, Lawrence Franklin Charles Wiggins, George Wiggins Edwin Cooper, Lilian Cooper William Norris, Emma Norris John Bogan, Mere Bogan Charlotte Whiley, Mary Ann Whiley Mary Mexted, Matilda Mexted Eliza Wadham Mary Membery Rose Allerby
The first real aeroplane to land in Palmerston North did so not very far from Newbury. It was 1920 and a privately owned de Havilland 90hp plane arrived on a paddock on the corner of Tremaine Avenue and Gillespies Line. The public were offered rides for 5 guineas a head and it took a fortnight to satisfy all the customers. In 1928 the Manawatu Aero Club decided it was a good location for the aerodrome and an area of 50 acres between Milson Line, Setters Line, Tremaine Avenue and Richardsons Line was purchased for 500 pound and officially opened on December 5 1931. The City Council own the aerodrome and in 1931 they acquired a further 75 acres.
Lucy Gore married George Knight and had 12 children. They bought James Skermans farm and raised their family there.
The Manchester Block (Reference: Swamps, Sandflies and Settlers by the Feilding and Districts Historical Society)
After the settlement of Palmerston North, the European settlement of the Manchester Block round Feilding was the result of a private emigration scheme set up by a group of upper class English philanthropists and investors, which was headed by the Duke of Manchester. They named the company they formed in 1869 the Emigrants' and Colonists' Aid Corporation. An agreement to buy land ws signed in Wellington on behalf of the Corporation by one of its directors, Colonel William Feilidng, during a visit made for this purpose in 1871. The Settler was the Wellington Provincial Council and there were 'strings' attached to the sale. The Corporation must settle 2000 emigrants on the land within a certain time, the New Zealand Government agreed to pay for the passage of the emigrants and would provide work for the men for a year after arrival.
Feilding was selected as the site of the first settlement to be established within the 106,000 acre block and at the beginning of 1874, on January 22, the first group of emigrants who had sailed to New Zealand on the SS Duke of Edinburgh arrived at the swamp and sandfly ridden clearing between three streams (Kiwitea, Makino, Oroua) that was to be their new hometown.
The ships that brought to New Zealand emigrants selected by the Emigrants' and Colonists' Aid Corporation for settlement on the Manchester Block left England were: 1874: Duke of Edinburgh. Salisbury, Ocean Mail, Mongol, Golden Sea, La Hogue, Euterpe, Douglas, Star of India, Howrah, Carnatic, Berar 1875: Hindostan, Collingwood, Himalyaya, Waipa 1876: Waimea, Howrah, Fitz Reuter, Hurunui, Leicester, Rakaia, Loch Dee, Northampton 1877: Wennington, City of Madras, Waimate, Wairoa, Hurunui 1878: Gainsborough, Waikato, Abeona 1897: Stad Haarlem, Rakaia, Arethusa These ships also carried passengers who had paid for their own fares and who settled along side the emigrants selected by the Emigrants' and Colonists' Aid Corporation, namely in Newbury, Halcombe, Ashhurst, Bunnythorpe.