Researched and written by Lynda Bailey
Our story begins in the distant land of Ireland, in County Galway, where the Lynch family came from. Between 1845-1850 the great potato famine gripped Ireland, and a mass exodus of people fled to North America and Australasia to escape starvation, this was one of the most dramatic waves of Irish migration in history.
Captain Lynch joined the 65th Regiment of Foot, Royal Tigers, and together with his pregnant wife Catherine (nee Harris) and three children boarded the Java Troop Ship, bound for New Zealand via Australia. The passsage lasted 138 days and Catherine gave birth to Mary en route, giving a sister to Henry, Michael and Catherine. The Java arrived in Auckland on 27 November 1846. Another two children Ossian and Eva were born in New Zealand, giving the Lynch family six children in all.
For the next few years Captain Lynch helped protect the settlers from the notorious Te Rauparaha and his ferocious nephew Te Rangihaeata. The 65th Regiment was stationed at Wanganui/New Plymouth and Auckland before being ordered to Napier. The Mt Cook Barracks in Buckle Street, Wellington subsequently became the home of the Royal Tigers, who were popular both with the Europeans and the Maoris. Captain Lynch served as a Colour-Sargeant and was paid 2 shillings a day. There is a reference in the archives that Colour-Sargeant Lynch was in the Bay of Islands during the month of April 1847, and it was some time after this that the family settled in the Hutt Valley. Captain Lynch made his first admission for a pension, one of the earliest recorded in New Zealand. It is possible that Henry Lynch was commissioned in the Colonial Forces at that time, hence the reason for a pension from the British Army, or perhaps it was a pension due to a disability for a war wound – the details are sketchy and exactly what passed has been lost in the tides of time.
In 1849, the Paekakariki Hill Road was constructed. It was known as Military Road, due to the seven days battle against Te Rauparaha and his warriors in the east of Paekakariki, at a place that is now known as “Battle Hill” You can still see traces of the graves of those killed in bloody skirmish.
The road was built using Maori labour under the supervision of the military, and Captain Lynch along with his regiment may have been involved in the road's construction.
Captain Lynch filed a land claim on 1st May 1852, which was granted by the Government for his services in the Maori Wars. The land was 900 acres stretching between the north of Paekakariki towards Paraparaumu. The block was all virgin bush and he named it “Emerald Glen”. Their sole link with Paekakariki was a bullock track. Some time later however, in 1896, this track was extended north to Waikanae as a public road, and subsequently it formed the alignment of today's main highway. All public south and northbound traffic prior to 1896 was via the beach from the end of Beach Road.
The first homestead was built on the bush clad property of “Emerald Glen” in the 1850's. Trees were felled and pit-sawn on site to provide the timber for the home. The bricks for the chimney were also fired on site. The homestead had three prominent dormer windows in the upstairs at the front and lean-to rooms at the back. There was a verandah at the front and the front door was central – between two windows. The front entrance had an interior staircase that led to the five upstairs rooms that included bedrooms. The three large rooms in the downstairs comprised of the drawing-room, living-room and kitchen. An unusual feature of the house's colonial architecture was that one of the lean-to rooms was 'V' shaped, something like the overturned bow of a ship. It was partitioned and contained two very small bedrooms. It was built to the west of the present homestead, in what we now call “The Glen”.
As one of the first pioneering families of the Kapiti Coast, life was full of chores. Every morning water had to be fetched from the creek and stored in cans sitting in a long row on the form outside the kitchen. As Coastlands didn't exist, and there were no shops nearby, all food had to bought in bulk, or grown on site and then stored in the lean-to scullery. As the Lynch children grew up it was necessary to build another cottage to accommodate Michael (Captain Lynch's son) and his family. And so there were two houses on the property in the 1860's. One in “The Glen” and the other above what is now our neighbours house, up on the hill, on the back paddock.
Henry – Captain Lynch's eldest son took up land at Kumaroa near Woodville. It is believed that Captain Lynch finally retired from service as a soldier in 1879, as there was another entry made in the Treasury Book which refers to his Chelsea Pension. After this time he became a sheep farmer on the “Glen” till his death on 25th September 1888. He is buried, along with his wife Catherine and daughter Mary at the Mt Street Cemetery, Wellington. His grave is literally a few metres from the entrance to the Victoria University Student Union Building. At this time Michael and Ossian carried on the with the farm. Michael left “The Glen” and bought a property called “Dalkoosha”, which still exists in Valley Road, Paraparaumu (behind the sub-station). This property was built by W.T.L. Travers, who bought 150 acres in the Valley. “Dalkoosha” was a two story-house, and the Travers family lived in this house for 10 years, till it was sold to Michael Lynch in 1898. There are no records of the sisters Mary, Catherine or Eva marrying, so it is assumed they stayed at home.
The year 1890 saw the marriage of Ossian Paul Lynch to Annie Gertrude Maude Lowes of Masterton. Sadly, the original homestead burnt down ten years later in 1900. So Ossian built his first home of four rooms. However, with five children – Eileen, William, Oscar and twins Bernard and Harold, a larger house was needed. Mr Dan Nees, a builder from Otaki was engaged in 1905 to build the present homestead. Some of the original timbers and bricks were used from the old homestead. The house cost 1,600 pounds and was registered in 1906. The main living room in the big house could probably have encompased all four roooms from the small house with some to spare! Ossian and Annie were pleased to move their family into the house, that became home to three generations of Lynch's.
The site of the old homestead became a tennis court. All the young people from neighbouring farms throughout the district as far as Otaki used to join the Lynch tennis parties between 1910-1920. Sadly, many of the young men who played tennis, enlisted in World War I and sailed with New Zealand troops to Gallipoli, many didn't return. This included Ossian's two eldest sons William and Oscar who died aged 21 and 22 years serving their country. Fortunately, the twins – Bernard and Harold were too young for service at this time.
Ossian was a notable man on the Kapiti Coast. He was the first Justice of the Peace appointed in the district, and in that capacity he presided at court sittings and also conducted inquests. He was popular with the local settlers and could speak Maori fluently.
Eileen, Ossian and Annie's oldest child and only daughter was born on 22nd January 1891 at her mother's family home, “Stonecroft” - the house still exists in Kuripuni, Masterton. Miss Lynch began her education in “The Whare” (cottage), along with her brothers and cousins. They were taught by Miss Hurley – a cousin, who later entered a convent and became Sister Agatha. A little while later, Miss Mary Lynch – a maiden aunt, took over the task, until all nine children had successfully learnt to ride their horses. This enabled them all to ride down to Paekakariki to attend the local school. Eileen began her education at Paekakariki School at the age of 12 years
The log at Paekakariki School recorded that on several occasions the Lynch boys were absent. Shearing and firefighting were the most common reasons! One entry in 1909 notes that Bernard Lynch was kicked by a horse. Eileen was also good at rifle shooting and played tennis. The Lynch's hosted the Tennis National Championships on more than one occasion. Annie, her mother was frail of health and from a very early age Eileen helped run the large homestead. Her Grandmother, Catherine, still lived in the family home and was addressed by everyone as “Mother” till her death. An early memory of Miss Lynch was of her younger brothers, the twins – Harold and Bernard being baptised. The family rode to the church in Paraparaumu on a flat topped trolley. Two men pulled the trolley along the railway lines!
All her brothers were keen marksmen and belonged to the Whareroa Rifle Club which was held mostly at Michael Lynch's (their uncles) property, there was also probably one other range on the Howell's property up Valley Road. Hunting was another popular pastime of the Lynch's and it is in a 1922 publication that the first deer for game shooting in New Zealand were introduced at “The Glen”.
On leaving Paekakariki School, Eileen stayed at home for a year to help her mother and then attended the Sacred Heart Convent in Island Bay as a boarder for one year. When their father died in 1931 “Emerald Glen” was left to the three surviving children. Miss Eileen Lynch and her brother Harold, bought Bernard's share of the farm and he went north to farm at Tuakau, and died in 1957. Emerald Glen was a lively, thriving farm, and there were many dances and parties held in the homestead's large rooms. Harold married Ruby Chote of Wellington and had three children – Brian, Ossian Peter (now known as Peter) and Judy. His sister Eileen gave up the reins of the home she had run since since was a young girl.
Miss Eileen Lynch continued to live in the family homestead till the 1960's, when she moved to Paekakariki. She bequested some some of the original Lynch furniture, muskets and rifles to the National Museum (Te Papa). And when Colin J Andrews interviewed Miss Lynch, in 1978 – at the age of 87 years, she was very sad that the property which had been home to the Lynch family for more than a 100 years was sold and subdivided in the late 1960's..
My thanks go to the librarians at Paraparaumu and Alexander Turnbull Libraries. Also, to Peter Lynch and his sister Judy, along with Dorothy Lynch widow of Brian Lynch. As time goes by, more will be added to this story....