William Marsters
Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Sat 19 Oct 2013 20:57
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William
Marsters
 William Marsters - born
Richard Masters on the 6th of November 1831, an English adventurer from Walcote,
Leicestershire who settled on Palmerston Island in the Cook Islands on the 8th
of July 1863, with his Polynesian wife and two Polynesian mistresses
‘wives’. About fifty of his descendants continue to live on Palmerston, while
the majority now live in Rarotonga, or elsewhere in the Cook Islands, New
Zealand and Australia.
 Life: He left
Leicestershire and arrived in the Pacific around 1856. He first settled in
Penrhyn, the most Northern of the Cook Islands. He married the daughter of one
of the chiefs and in 1862 they moved to Manuae and then to Palmerston. They were accompanied by his wife's cousin to
whom he later had children. His task was to produce copra and collect
bêche-de-mer (sea cucumbers) for a Tahitian trader named Brander, but Brander
never returned. William Marsters decided to settle his family permanently on the
island. He took up a third wife, the descendants of these three Penrhyn women
make up the extended Marsters family William Marsters died on 22nd May 1899 at
the age of 68 (although his headstone records his age as 78). He had 23 children
and 134 grandchildren. By the time his youngest daughter Titana Tangi died in
1973, there were over a thousand Marsters descendants living.
  William’s family
tree.
There is no mention of the woman (1)
Arehata. It is (2) Akakaingaro (Sarah) that is said to be William’s first wife.
Matavia his second and their children and below Sarah (in the top picture),
Tepou Tinioi his third wife and their children.
.
 A sea cucumber
dish (not eaten here) - a delicacy in Asia
Ownership: In 1887,
a Scotsman, George Darsie, contested an application by Marsters for a license to
lease the island. Palmerston was annexed to the UK on 23rd May 1891 and in 1892,
the British Government granted William a 21 year lease which was extended until
1954.Full ownership of Palmerston Atoll was granted to the Marsters family in
1954 by an amendment to the Cook Islands Act passed by the New Zealand
Government.
 Succession: Two
years after William Marsters died, disputes arose about the succession of the
leader. In 1901, Colonel Walter Edward Gudgeon, the British Resident in
Rarotonga, appointed William’s eldest son, Joel, agent to the British Resident
and Magistrate for the Island. In 1992 the Palmerston Act was passed, and today
Palmerston is governed by this Act, along with the Outer Island
Act.
 Island Council:
Before William Marsters died, he organised the
island so that each of the three wives and their descendants had a share of the
main island and each of the atolls. This arrangement still stands. Today the
Island has its own council, representing the local government, which consists of
six members, the Head of each Family – Matavia family, Akakaingaro family and
the Te Pou family, and one other member appointed from and by each of the three
families. This appointment is carried out every four years, and the Mayor of the
Island is appointed from one of the three Heads, in a rotational
manner.
On Palmerston, each of the three
families has their own version of the history of Palmerston and life of William
Marsters. This has been passed down by word of mouth from their great-great
grandparents. Although oral tradition may differ from the documented versions,
each will stand by their version.
British connection:
Palmerston Islanders still pride themselves on their British heritage – they fly
the British flag on special occasions – have large photos of Queen Elizabeth in
their homes, and remember fondly the visits of the Royal Yacht Britannia. On the
last visit by the royal family, Prince Philip came ashore and swam in the pool
close to the beach. This site was subsequently renamed “Duke’s
Pool”.
Kiss My Arse Rock is a popular fishing location off
the coast of Palmerston Island, a coral atoll belonging to the Cook Islands
archipelago. The rock's name was conferred by William Marsters.
 ALL IN ALL WHAT A
STORY |