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The Early Canterbury Runs: Containing the First, Second and Third (new) Series

Broadlands — (Runs 40, 74, 85 and 95)

Broadlands
(Runs 40, 74, 85 and 95)

This station lay on the Selwyn next below Milton, and contained nearly twenty-five thousand acres altogether. Run 40, the western part, which took in the present Norwood district, was taken up on 17th October, 1851, by John Studholme and transferred to James Balfour Wemyss. Run 95 was taken up by Paul Studholme on 1st August, 1853, and transferred to Wemyss on the 5th November the same year. Wemyss sold both runs to J. C. (afterwards Sir Cracroft) Wilson on 8th August, 1854.

Run 74 was taken up on 8th February, 1853, by Humphrey Hanmer, and Run 85 by John Hughes on 18th May, 1853. Hughes transferred it to John Ross in 1854. Later in 1854 William Browning Toswill bought Hanmer's run, and H. F. Worsley bought Ross's. Toswill and Worsley worked their runs together as a dairy station, which they called Waihora. About 1862 Wilson bought Waihora and it became part of Broadlands. W. B. Toswill was born in Devon in 1829 and came to New Zealand in 1853. He had been an officer in Green's Line of ships. After selling his run, he had several properties near Christchurch in 1879, retired, and went to live at Akaroa. In 1894 he went to Manaroa, Pelorus Sound, to live with his daughter and died there in December 1899.

There is a good account of Sir Cracroft Wilson in Alfred Cox's Recollections. Wilson had been an Indian Civil Servant until middle life, and, after a reconnoitring trip to Canterbury when he bought page 39several stations, he finished a distinguished career by serving with great courage and ability during the Mutiny. He retired after the Mutiny and settled in Canterbury with the avowed intention of creating an estate worthy of being entailed on his descendants, and he succeeded very well. Besides Cashmere, where he lived, he owned at one time the Culverden, Broadlands, Highpeak and Cracroft Stations. He was a member of the House of Representatives and of the Provincial Council. He died in May 1881.

During the 'fifties and 'sixties, Broadlands was worked as "a cattle station, but in the late 'sixties it was changed over to sheep. In 1878 it carried 10,000, of which a quarter were run on freehold. From about 1864 Charles Hunt McAlpine managed the station, and shortly afterwards became Wilson's partner. In 1868 he bought Wilson out altogether. He had formerly managed Cracroft for Wilson, and was the father of the late, and grandfather of the present owner of Craigieburn and Spye.

McAlpine died in 1872. During his illness, Dr. Moorhouse, of Shepherd's Bush, sent Wiggins, his manager, to look after Brooklands. After McAlpine's death the trustees, Leonard Harper and John Studholme, appointed Hugh (now Doctor) Knyvett manager. Knyvett stayed until the place was cut up and sold about 1879, and then went Home and became a doctor of medicine.

Herbert Alington bought the homestead and some hundreds of acres, which was afterwards bought by Henry Boyle, to whose daughter, Mrs Williams, it still belongs.

Other blocks were bought by R. Bethell, Joseph Palmer, F. Brittan, and William Strange of Milton.