The Royal New Zealand Fencible Corps is often viewed as a blip in the history of New Zealand. The initiative, created in response to Governor George Grey’s call for more troops, was active for about ten years, from 1847-58. The Fencibles, which comes from the word defensible, were settled along possible invasion routes to Auckland. However the feared attack from the south never materialised. Instead, the paranoia in post-Northern War Auckland eventually resulted in the New Zealand Wars, with troops being deployed south in large numbers.

While the Fencibles never played a major role in our national history, they did play an important role in the development of Tāmaki Makaurau. With a population of approximately 2,800 people, the town nearly doubled in size with the arrival of the Fencibles and their families, numbering around 2,500. Many of the men had served overseas, especially in India, and many were Irish, trying to escape the ongoing potato famine. Given land and pay in addition to their pension, they became the ancestors of many Aucklanders today. Rather than being a successful military project, the Fencibles proved to be an important part of strengthening the colonial sentiment in Auckland.

Howick was the largest and remains the most well known of the Fencible settlements, thanks to the work of the Howick Historical Village.¹ However, Panmure, Ōtāhuhu and Onehunga were all originally Fencible settlements. Between these four suburbs the Fencible legacy dominates much of South and East Auckland, meaning understanding the history of these settlements and the people who lived there is an important part of understanding the history of Tāmaki Makaurau.

While the Fencibles as a whole remain fairly understudied, there are several fascinating sources of their lives and experiences at the time, which reveal a lot about Auckland and New Zealand in the period. One of the most interesting examples comes from the unpublished memoirs, held in the Auckland Museum collection, of one of the Medical Officers of the Fencible Corps, Doctor John Thomas Watson Bacot.

In many ways Dr Bacot is an atypical example of a Fencible. He was extremely well educated while most of the Fencibles couldn’t read or write. He was an Englishman from London while most of the force was Irish. He was a young, single man while the rest of the force was made up of families.

Despite these differences Dr Bacot’s experiences highlight a lot of the key themes that can be found in the story of the Fencibles. He had an independent, even rebellious, streak that got him in trouble multiple times. He was ambitious and determined to build a better life for himself, just like the families he served. He also was determined to make the most of the offer of land and pay given to the Fencibles, despite some pushback from the authorities. What's more he had served in India, like many of the Fencibles, and had arrived with the first batch of settlers, aboard the Ann in June 1848.

Bacot got into several difficult situations during his time with the Fencibles, and his experiences reveal the somewhat testy relationship the Fencibles sometimes had with the colonial officials. An example of this is the Pensioner Gazette, a newspaper run by Bacot and his friend Owen Grey. It had a short run and was shut down due to its open, honest, and apparently sometimes satirical, discussion of grievances among the Fencibles. Bacot wrote that,

‘I suppose it was pretty outspoken and very likely insubordinate - at any rate the Editors received an intimation that if we did not stop publication we should have to return to England.’²

With his paper we can see part of what makes Dr Bacot’s Reminiscences such a good source for the Fencibles. As he tended to them everyday he quickly seems to have developed a strong understanding of their complaints and advocated for them strongly. The deal they had made with the British government had proved unfair as colonial officials had not adequately prepared for their arrival, breaking many of the promises made to the Fencibles. While suffering under their unexpectedly harsh conditions the Fencibles were still tied to their land, as Bacot explains when the Australian Gold Rush caused a massive wave of immigration,

‘The Pensioners were tied down by the conditions of service. If they went [to Australia], they forfeited all claims and lost the cottage and acre which were to become their own property at the expiration of eleven years of enrolment. So the Pensioners stuck to the ship and grumbled.’³

Another broken promise was that of work. The pensions the Fencibles received and the limited work in their villages were not enough to sustain their families. They had been told they would be settled within a few miles of Auckland so they could find regular work, but only Onehunga proved close enough for this. Dr Bacot served the men of Panmure and Howick, and these men were faced with a difficult choice: stay in Auckland for work and risk losing your claim to your land or stay in Howick and watch your family suffer. Bacot explains,

‘It was difficult for a man to leave work in Auckland on a Saturday night, be in residence for Sunday Parade, and return to Auckland in time for the work hour on Monday.’⁴

Times were tough. Despite his officers pay, Dr Bacot was forced to let his groom go, a risky thing to do given how much he relied on his horse to travel between his two villages. For the men, however, he had a temporary solution, sick certificates.

‘... I almost think that I was the first offender. But the others had to follow suit. What was good for Howick was good for all and so sick certificates were plentiful enough on all Sunday parades.’⁵

This practice worked for a while, but made a mockery of the stated purpose of the Fencibles as a military force and was soon stopped by the commanders.

Dr Bacot and his friends tried other schemes, such as buying a boat and sailing it down the Tamaki river to move goods between the isolated villages and Auckland, which infuriated colonial customs officials. His biggest move, however, was also one of the biggest issues the Fencibles faced, politics.

‘Representative institutions were established in Auckland, and the Pensioners were allowed votes. Military officers on Full Pay, as well as Half Pay, were eligible for seats in the legislature and discipline is at an end when officers have to [canvass] for the voices of soldiers or Pensioners.’⁶

The Fencibles were full to the brim with grievances against the colonial government, and newly enfranchised they could finally use their political power to influence the system. Dr Bacot ran for the legislature, casting himself in the role of opposition to the faction associated with the powerful Colonel Wynyard. He won his seat and served a full term in the government. His opposition and willingness to act as a voice for the concerns of the common soldiers was not appreciated though, and he would face consequences.

Much like many Fencibles, Dr Bacot faced issues with his land. When he lost his seat in the legislature he agreed to sell his plot to a local businessman. He’d married the daughter of another officer and planned to take his young family back to England. But his earlier opposition to the powers that be meant that he was not going to get away easily. He was informed by the government that he did not have a legitimate claim to his land, and that his sale was void.

This nearly ruined the doctor, but he managed to use his connections to appeal up the hierarchy and have the decision overturned, after great effort and persistence. He left for good in 1859, after eleven years both he and Auckland had changed a lot. He’d made his mark, and the men he served had fully remade the city they had been chosen to protect.

Unlike their doctor, the Fencible families were stuck on the land. Most made do, becoming the hard working ancestors of many modern day Aucklanders. Their villages now suburbs, their homes museum pieces, their legacy almost forgotten. But it was their presence, diversity, and mahi that remade Auckland from a town on the edge to a prosperous and stable colonial capital.

For more information about Dr Bacot, the Fencibles and their experiences you can read the full article attached below. There are a great many sources in the collection of Tāmaki Paenga Hira Auckland Museum, get in touch with our Research Library Staff to find out more.

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• Royal New Zealand Fencible Corps
• An indepth look into the history of the Royal New Zealand Fencible Corps and their contributions to Auckland.
• Last updated on: 29 May 2023 | File Size: 1.3 MB

References

[1] Howick Historical Village

[2-6] Bacot, John Thomas Watson, Reminiscences, 1887. Auckland War Memorial Museum Library. MS-1989-76. 

Further Reading 

The New Zealand Fencible Society, The Royal New Zealand Fencibles 1847-1852, Waiuku, W. J. Deed Printing Ltd, 1987 

Macdonald, Winifred, Pioneer Village project: Who were the Fencibles? Where did they live? Why did they Come?, Auckland, Museum of Transport and Technology, 1971