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Charles was a university graduate from Leeds, a man of considerable ability for he had the reputation
of being the finest elecutionist in Leeds and did frequent readings of Dickens and Thackeray.
Charles Married Sarah Ann Cackett on 26th April 1836.
In 1838 he and Sharah moved to Leeds where, in
1839, Charles was employed as a Master at the Church of England Industrial School. There they raised 6 children,
1837 Mary Ann.
1839 Edward Charles
1841 Amelia and in this year Charles was appointed Deacon
1842 George William
1846 William Henry Sinderby
1848 Caroline Jane
1851 Harriet Elizabeth on 18th August in Yorkshire
By 1851 Charles decided to emigrate with his wife and 7 children to New Zealand and took passage on the sailing ship
Stag which sailed from England on the 4th June. The Stag was chartered in this trip by the Caterbury Society which
was formed to enable migrants from England . The Stag was 670 tons with Captain Clarke in command. The stag was built
in Scotland in 1842 with three masts shiprigged. The Stag’s dimensions as listed in the tender: Height between decks – seven feet. Length of lower decks – one hundred and twenty six feet. Beam – 28 feet. She was 545 tons . At the stern of the ship was a small Saloon or cuddy.to be used by the cabin passengers and there was a cooking area and toilets on deck.
The Stag was scheduled to clear out of London on December 17th 1851, but did not leave until 4th January 1852.
Summary of Passenger Numbers (Those under 12 were counted as Children)
In the Main cabins there were 23 Adults and 9 children under the age of 12 years
In the Intermediate cabins there were 16 Adults
and in steerage there were 26 Adults and 28 Children.
Those
paying for the passage were 11 and 43 had Assisted passage.
Charles and Sharah had a Main cabin. He had the position of Ships Chaplain and schoolteacher. He kept a diary
throughout the journey and records that in first week of the voyage in consequence of the boisterous state of the
weather and almost universal sickness of the passengers together with the unspeakable confusion on board there was great discomfort.
. In the second and third weeks several sheep were lost and many pigs from the severity of the weather and the neglect
of the person appointed to take care of them.
On the 13th January the cow was injured from the cow-house giving
way and throwing her out upon the deck.
Sun Jan 11th to Sat 17th 1852: The ship was still in the most wretched state of confusion & the weather stormy & wet. No regular visitations could be exercised. Charles made myself acquainted with most of the passengers who were able to leave their berths.
Sat Feb 7th: Confusion all over the ship. Cow died.
Mon Feb 16th: They neared the Equator and made preparation for crossing the line.
Tues Feb 17th: Crossed the line.
Fri 20th Feb: Heavy rain. All wet and in confusion.
Mon 1st March – Sat 6th March: he was unable to give proper attention to the school this week as was completely
prostrated by the hot weather.
Sun 14th March: A child died. Service on deck for the last time.
Wed 17th March: Heavy rain. Prayers prevented by drinking and singing in the steerage. The steerage too noisy in
the morning for any school. On the evening some ladies and gentlemen from the cuddy assembled in the steerage for
the purpose of promoting a little social entertainment among the poorer class of passengers, and for the purpose of
hearing a lecture which a gentleman who had resided in the colony, proposed to deliver to the emigrants on their
future prospects and condition[s]. The latter part of the design was entirely frustrated by the presence of some of
the crew who positioned themselves by the lattices at the end of the steerage, and during two hours vociferated for
drink in language so indecent and blasphemous that it would be impossible to commit to paper. As this occurred in
the presence of ladies, as well as respectable women in the steerage, and was a gross violation of the order in
council, I caused the fact to be communicated to the officer of the ship but no effectual interference took place,
and the meeting was broken up prematurely in a very disorderly manner.
The scene below was followed by one on the
quarterdeck and in the cuddy of a very unseemly and violent character, in which the 1st mate, in offering to defend
himself from neglecting his duty, indulged in abusive and threatening language against one of the cabin passengers.
From this period it was obvious that parties and factions prevailed in the ship, the graver and more thoughtful endeavouring
to support me in he exercise of my authority, the younger siding with the officers in various methods of vexatious
annoyance, all tending to produce insubordination on board the ship.
One gentleman rendered himself peculiarly obnoxious to the party upon the occasion of some trifling misunderstanding,
was challenged to fight the third mate, which of course was declined, but the animosity was continued to the end of
the voyage.
Thurs 18th March: The state of the weather prevented anything being done.
Week ended Sun 20th March: Charles had attended the school regularly, but the state of the steerage has been such
that he could not give instruction for five minutes without interruption. There has been no attempt to keep order.
He had been repeatedly obliged to leave the steerage without doing anything.
Mon 22nd & Tues 23rd March: Weather wet & rough, hatches down..
Thurs 25th March: Rain. Hatches down in the morning.
Fri 2nd April: Rough & squally.
Mon 5th, Tues 6th and Wed 7th April: Weather wet and rough. Hatches down.:
On the night of the 5th April Dr Martin was called up to one of the Second Cabin passengers who had frightful
cramps in the stomach and limbs which has prevailed in the ship more or less up to the present time, and from which
he had severely suffered twice , as also has several other Chief Cabin passengers, amongst whom was Mrs. Martin.
Dr Martin attributed this to the very leaky state of the ship’s decks, topsides, and scuttles which are in such a
state that a great number of the berths have scarcely been dry during the voyage and especially since we have been
in the stormy and variable weather of the Southern Seas in Autumn. Much of the bedding has been rotted.”
Dr. Martin goes on to say:“There was but a few days supply of charcoal from which we suffered much discomfort
(and in the steerage) hardship during the cold weather. The Ladies (particularly those in delicate health) were
obliged to remain in their cabins from there being no stove in the cuddy which was therefore exceedingly cold.
In the more serious cases of Mr FitzMaurice and Mary Daley, I have to state that their cabins were under two of the
water closets on deck, through which the ‘drip’ was very offensive
Thurs 15th April: Too rough for school. Children set to learn poetry.
Wed 21st and Thurs 22nd April. Some children kept in their cabins because of the cold.
Thursday 22nd another child died
Tuesday 27th A third child died
11th April A fourth child died
Fri 23rd April: Icebergs seen.
Sat 24th April. Very rough. Hatches down. Nearly all the children in bed the whole day.
Wed 28th April: Another child died yesterday. Extremely cold. – the children hardly able to sit.
Sat 1st May: Very wet. Hatches down.
8th May Another child died
Mon 3rd May: The surgeon directed that no more school could be kept as the steerage must be cleaned. “The
steerage was regularly scrubbed, scraped and cleaned and the bedding brought on deck, according to the regulations
when the weather did not interfere, but the main deck was generally so dirty, as to render it difficult to keep any
part of the ship clean; and when it was impossible to place the bedding, the only other available spot being the
sides of the longboat whence it invariably got covered with soot from the cooking places.
Sun 16th May: Ship tacking every ¼ of an hour. All on deck.
On arriving at the Lyttelton Heads, the Stag met, as did most early immigrant vessels, with some bad weather
outside. This kept her for one night anchored outside the Heads. She moved into lyttelton Harbour the next day. It
had been a long and tedious passage of 133 days of baffling winds rough weather
The voyage, like many was not without incident and the Lyttelton Times records that one member of the crew was up
before the local magistrate as the result of an on board incident.
In his report Dr Martin records: “With respect to some of the officers of this ship against whose conduct I have
complaints to make, I may be permitted to state that the evil has arisen from a violation of the rules laid down by
the Association with a view to the entire separation and distinction between the ship’s company and the passengers;
as confirmation of this I have to remark that the first officer has removed from the cabin appointed to him in the
cuddy, to one between decks and that the second and third mates messed with two of the single women (second class
passengers) during the early part of the voyage contrary to my instructions
With regard to the provisions Dr Martin adds this: The provisions on board have been of the best description and
there has been no complaint either as to quality or quantity. Some of the biscuit has been injured by the damp and
35 cans of preserved meat have been surveyed and thrown overboard on the 3rd of March; the preserved milk kept pretty
well for the first three months, since then nine tenths of the cases have proved unfit for use. Some of the
passengers had private stores of Moore’s Milk which has proved excellent.
It is not clear from these reports how many of Charles children came with them on the voyage. Only Mary Ann can
be mentioned with certainty as she along with her parents signed a letter of appreciation to Captain Clark on the
arrival in Lyttelton. There were 9 Children in Main Cabin and none of these have been given names.
On 26th October
1852 Charles and Sharah and family sailed to Wanganui on the Necromancer 20 tons
Early settlers living in Petre (now called Wanganui) were economically poor, so were unable to support a vicar.
A plan was eventually agreed upon to appoint a person who would combine the duty of vicar with those of headmaster
of a school to be set up. To this post Bishop Selwyn appointed Rev. C.H.S. Nicholls.
In October 1852 Governor Gray made a grant for educational purposes of 250 acres of most unpromising mainly swamp
land for a school to be constructed for children of all races.
The Rev Nicholls was appointed in 1853 to take over
the church school and in 1854 a house and schoolroom were built. In 1858 the roll included three Maori and nine
european children, five of whom were children of Mr Nicholls.
Three more children were added to the family.
1854 Arthur Roberts
1858 Charles Herbert
1860 Agnes Cordelia
On the whole it must be said that this was a most unhappy period for Mr Nicholls. In himself he had a very sad life.
He suffered many bereavements in his family; he was a martyr to asthma, sciatica and rheumatic gout.
By 1869 the vestry was in poor financial position as a result of uncertainty caused by the Maori wars and Charles
often went without his stipend but in the end it was suggested that he endeavor to find another sphere of labor.
Thomas Harding had set up a printing house in Wanganui, and it was here that the young Coupland began to learn his
letters, helped by his schoolteacher, the Reverend C. H. S. Nicholls, who was also a printer. He was perhaps
stimulated too by his uncle, William James Harding, who settled in Wanganui in 1855 and was to become one of
New Zealand's finest early photographers.
In November 1870 Charles resigned his position and on 23rd January 1871 he sold all his furniture and books and left
wanganui in Febraury to take charge in Upper Hutt
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