Emily Becroft

Signed family name

Becroft

Signed given name

Emily

Given address

Port Albert

Sheet number

Town/Suburb

Port Albert

City/Region

Auckland region

Notes

Biography contributed by Bernadette Siebert

Emily Utting was born in Norfolk, England in 1854 to Frederic Utting and his second wife Ann nee Peek. In 1860, Frederic took his four eldest sons and sailed on the Red Jacket arriving in NZ via Australia. And in 1861 Ann was working in Woolton, Lancashire, as a schoolteacher to support herself and the other six children, including Emily. They arrived in Auckland on the Bombay in December 1863. First the family lived in Auckland and in 1866 Frederic and Ann and family settled in Albertland, a non-conformist religious settlement north of Auckland.

On 25 March 1880, at her father’s house 25-year-old Emily married Peter Becroft a 25-year-old farmer from Port Albert. Peter was born in Middlesex, England, one of the eleven children of John Becroft and Mary Anne nee Jeffreys. In 1862 widowed John with nine of his children emigrated aboard the Matilda Wattenbach to Port Albert.

Peter and Emily had five sons in Port Albert:

Walter Kenneth (1881–1973)
Herbert Archie (1884–1969)
Harold Leslie (1886–1958)
Ernest Harvey (1889–1975)
Hubert Charles (1896–1984)

When Emily’s father died in 1882, her mother Ann came to live with them until she died in 1894. As the Albertland pioneers settled into their new homes, they began planting flowers and fruit trees they were familiar with in England. At first, the fruit was only for home consumption, with anything left over used to feed pigs. The annual Port Albert Agricultural Show was where the very best of home-grown fruit competed for prizes.

Once communication with Auckland improved, and a weekly steamer became possible, some of the more enterprising settlers saw the possibility of a trade in apples. Prime movers in the beginning of the Port Albert fruit industry was the Becroft family. John Becroft Snr was the first man in Albertland to own more than an acre of orchard. His sons, Peter, Lewis Philip and David Becroft, were also involved. Their orchards were larger and more commercial. Eventually, the Becrofts became some of the principal apple growers in New Zealand.

Peter aided by his wife took an active part in conserving the temperance sentiment that so marked a characteristic of the Nonconformist settlement.

Three sons enlisted in the Army during World War I. Herbert signed up at 33 in June 1918 and Harold July 1918, but war finished before they were sent overseas. Hubert enlisted in February 1917 and went to France.

Peter died in 1913 in Port Albert, aged 58. The newspaper reported, 'Port Albert lost one of its leading citizens. All who knew him mourn his passing, for his ability, his fair mindedness, and his kindly nature won general esteem…. The bare hills where he and his bride first built their home have become fruitful right to overflowing, a picture worth travelling many a mile to see.' He was buried in the Port Albert Cemetery.

His probate left the dwelling and land at Oruawharo to wife Emily for her lifetime, then shared equally between sons. Emily received the money in the bank. The piano went to son Hubert, 200 pounds to Walter, and the company named Peter Becroft and Company Ltd to sons equally.

Emily died in 1921 aged 68 and was buried with her husband in the Port Albert Cemetery. She left her personal effects to be distributed according to a handwritten list, that left very specific items of furniture, pictures, linen, books to each son, and items of jewellery to the sons’ wives, with the money to be equally divided.

Emily is the sister-in-law of 24 E.S. BECROFT, 24 Florence M BECROFT, 24 Mrs L P BECROFT, and daughter of 24 Ann UTTING