For Nelson class: cabin
Charles was Henry?s 4rd son (and 7th child). John an older son, was an army vetinarian, and did not accompany the family to NZ.
Charles was born in the UK in 1836. Little is known about his youth except that he was tutored by Joseph Ward. And was raised a strict Catholic. The family initially lived in the vicinity of Blenheim NZ
The first mention of him in the NZ press in 1855 when his skill as a pidgeon shooter was noted. He was a member of the local Militia The WairauRifles.
By 1860, he had achieved a reputation as a maltster in the Wairau district
Charles married Mary Grimstone on 9 November 1865, and shortly thereafter became owner of the Riverlands Run. It stands on Section 32, Opawa Survey, Cloudy Bay District, Marlborough. It was about 5600 acres, and contained the Cob Cottage, a racecourse, stables and a malthouse (500,000 handmade bricks).
On August 12 1867, it was reported that Charles had purchased the Ketch 'Falcon' for One thousand pounds to carry freight from his property Spring Creek near Blenheim to Wellington and return. This venture was so successful that 2 years later, he commissioned the building of a powered tug to accelerate the movement of the Falcon along the river to Blenheim.
Between 1865 and 1897, when Charles and his family left NZ, his fortunes varied greatly. His farming interests were mainly sheep and wheat (as well as his much-loved horses) In 1873, on the death of his father Henry, he purchased a further 35,000 acres of freehold and 1400 acres leasehold, plus 28,000 sheep for 51,100 pounds.
Charles was a representative on both the local Roads and Rivers Boards for many years.
When 2 local horse racing clubs amalgated in the 1870s, the new grandstands and facilities were built on Charles land.
As a member of a pioneering family, Charles was sometime inclined to be overbearing and superior to those he considered ?new chums? or his inferiors. He was not adverse to taking adversaries to court ? but it must be said that he lost as many actions as he won.
In April 1878, it was reported that Charles had leased D?Urville Island from its Maori inhabitants for 21 years, and a large body of copper had been found thereon. Much of the copper metal lay on the surface of an outcrop over 1 mile long. The initial assay of a sample was 18.25% metal.
The D?urville Island Copper Mining Company was initially floated on 7 May 1878, with a capital of 30,000 pounds. C Redwood were 1 of the 5 provisional directors.
In December 1879, the mines success seemed assured. Several shafts had been sunk, but while hard rock was struck in places, expectations were great, and trial batches of ore were forwarded to Newcastle NSW for smelting.
By 1883 however, work on the mine had been abandoned. The patchy nature of the deposits and the heavy charges to extract and refine the ore made mining uneconomic.
Charles and a number of graziers were also interested in developing a frozen mutton export industry. On August 11, 1883, Charles presided over the directors meeting that established the Marlborough Meat Freezing Company. A freezing works was built, and a shipment of carcases was despatched to England on the Lady Jocelyn.
At an extraordinary general meeting in 1885 however, a motion was put and carried that the company be wound up. Export costs were too high, and the profits meagre. Apparently all company members lost heavily.
By the late 1880?s Charles had been appointed a Resident Magistrate (something similar to an Australian justice of the peace, and heard summary criminal matters. His influence over the River and Road Boards however had waned, and his popularity diminished.
Towards the end of 1889, Charles unsuccessfully offered all his properties for sale but in 1890, the bank foreclosed on Riverland Run. Charles had recently spent 35,000 pounds reclaiming and beautifying the estate!!
Charles and his family left NZ in 1897.
The local populace made a presentation to Charles and Mary before their departure, in gratitude of the part they had played in the regions development.
Charles was engaged to supervise and carry on a large family malting business in Toowoomba, Queensland . The Redwood family established the Darling Downs Malting Company Ltd in 1897 in that year, with Charles brother Alphonso as chief executive officer.
There are 1901 Census records of Charles Redwood living at 21 Neil St Toowoomba, occupation malster. I understand that he died about 1916.
His son, Charles E J Redwood, born about 1871, is listed as living at The Grange, Clifford St Toowoomba, occupation malster, in 1910. He is also listed on the 1915 & 1916 Census records as living at Hill Street Toowoomba. He died in 1949, aged 78 years.
16 children see WIKI. Charles Redwood had person sources.
4 He immigrated to ENG to NZ on the George Fyfe arriving NZ 7/11/1842 on 16 June 1842.
1 He emigrated from Nelson to Queensland, Australia, in 1897.
3