Today in History

1847 Gilfillan killings near Whanganui

A Maori raid on the Gilfillans’ farm at Matarawa, near Whanganui, left four family members dead. John Gilfillan − an able artist who provided a useful insight into Whanganui’s colonial history with his many sketches − and one of his daughters were severely wounded

This attack was a reprisal for an incident a few days earlier in Whanganui, when a young Māori was accidentally shot in the face by a midshipman from HMS Calliope. The town’s military surgeon tended to his wounds, and as his condition improved it was hoped that this was the end of the matter.

It was not. On the evening of 18 April six Māori men attacked the Gilfillan homestead. John Gilfillan escaped to get help, believing that he was the real target and that his family would not be harmed. When he returned the next morning he found his wife and three of their children dead and the house burned to the ground. Two younger children had escaped unharmed, while another daughter was wounded in the attack.

Those responsible − all aged between 14 and 19 − escaped up the Whanganui River. Rivalry between Maori of the lower and upper Whanganui came to the fore when Maori from Pūtiki (across the river from Whanganui) captured five of the culprits and handed them over to the British authorities. Military justice was swift. On 23 April four of the prisoners were found guilty of murder and hanged. The 14-year-old was spared, but banished from the district.

Fearing widespread fighting, many outlying settlers fled into Whanganui and the town’s defences were strengthened. In May the Ngāti Hāua te Rangi chief Te Mamaku attacked Whanganui with 300 warriors. Governor Grey arrived with additional troops and there were several skirmishes over the next two months. The fighting ended after an indecisive battle on 19 July at St John’s Wood, just outside the town. Te Mamaku returned to his stronghold upriver, near Pipiriki.

Image: John Gilfillan and his surviving daughter (Timeframes)