Abstract:
The history of the settlement of Taranaki began with the visions of Edward Gibbon Wakefield and his schemes of emigration which culminated in the formation of the New Zealand Company and the eventual settlement of Wellington in 1840. The New Zealand Company had exercised great care in the selection of its emigrants, seeking to transfer a British community en bloc to the new settlement, in which would be found the capitalist, the farmer and trader, and labourers who would find employment from the other sections of the community.
To assist with the selection of emigrants, agents were appointed in various towns and districts of England, and one of these, Mr. Thomas Woollcombe, a great friend of one of the directors of the Company, Sir William Molesworth, proved most energetic. Largely through his efforts it was decided to form a subsidiary company in the west of England. The head-quarters were to be setup at Plymouth and the company to be known as the Plymouth Company. The primary purpose of this body was to stimulate emigration among the farmers and farm labourers of the west of England.
This company, formed in January 1840, purchased from the New Zealand Company 60,000 acres of land in the new colony, and £10,000 of stock, and adopted the Wakefield land and emigration policy. In return, the parent company fostered the Plymouth Company to the best of its ability and acted as its London Agents.
