Gladwyn Wynyard

Gladwyn John Richard Wynyard

12/1/1831 to 11/2/1871

I have found Gladwyn’s story the hardest to get to the bottom of. Gladwyn was the second son of Robert Henry Wynyard (RHW) and Anne Catherine Wynyard (McDonnell). He was born in Dublin in 1831 and come to Aotearoa with his parents in 1845.

Gladwyn’s first wife was Marore Aitu who was from Taranaki. Together they had a daughter Ngapera Marore Bella Aitu Ratahi. The story goes that when Marore’s whanau found out she had married a pakeha, they came up to Tamaki Makaurau and stole her and her daughter to take back to Taranaki. Apparently, Gladwyn searched for his wife and daughter but never found them (probably not surprising at that time).

Gladwyn’s second wife was Mary Anne Benson/Nuke whose mother was Te Noke who with her sister, Hauora, were originally from Rongomaiwahine and the Wairoa section of Ngati Kahungunu. I am reliably told that these two sisters were taken north by Pomare’s raiding party in the 1820’s.

Mary Anne had previously been married to Captain William Sampson and had two sons – George William Sampson and Henry (Henare) Sampson.

Gladwyn and Mary Anne went on to have seven more children. They are buried together in the Mount Victoria Cemetery, Devonport.

I know some of this story may be controversial, but there is DNA evidence to back up the Sampson links. Also these two boys were left out of Gladwyn’s will having received an inheritance from their biological father.

I understand that although evidence is valuable, the stories we grow up with are powerful too and hard to discount.