How Pembroke (now Wānaka) was Named
Sometimes stories have been modified to hide what was considered to be an “embarrassing fact”, or simply, that over the generations the original story has been changed and goes through stages from fact to myth and then with some more time, it becomes the new truth or facts. Some local ones that come to mind are:
Queensberry was named after the Earl of Queensberry (of boxing rules fame) – wrong, it was named after a hill in Dumfriesshire, Scotland.
The first Library in Wānaka was in 1887 – wrong, one was operating about 1878 and the first specific library building, opened in c1883.
In 1958, “the town was stunned when its hotel, built in 1867, was burnt to the ground.” – wrong. The hotel built in 1867 was destroyed by fire on 27 Nov 1922, and a new hotel was built on the same site. Unfortunately this incorrect information was recorded for prosperity in the Cyclopedia of Otago and Southland published 1999 and so becomes “official history” in the eyes of some.
In 1862/3, a surveyor, John Aitken Connell, was given the job of surveying plans for towns in four areas of the Upper Clutha. Incidentally, John was born in Scotland and not Ireland as some scribes have written. John named many streets after places in Ireland, and therefore the story developed that he must have been from Ireland, to eventually “he was born in Ireland”.
John and his assistants surveyed the area from roughly where Roche Street is, to just past Helwick Street. His map is dated April 1863. He named this new town as Pembroke. He also surveyed a town at Albert Town and named it Newcastle; one on the shores of Lake Hāwea near John Creek he named Gladstone; and one near Bendigo he named Wakefield. You may notice a theme of naming these places after important politicians in England of about that time, and that only the name “Pembroke” was actually accepted by the locals (or at least until 1940 when it was changed to Wanaka, with the macron officially included in 2021).
There are stories that the town was originally named after the Earl of Pembroke. But was it? While researching a local project about the change of name from Pembroke to Wanaka in 1940, one of the Upper Clutha History Society’s researchers wrote to the NZ Geographic Board regarding the name ‘Pembroke’, and the official response was that “The township of Pembroke was named after the British Colonial Secretary in 1855.”
In looking for who the British Colonial Secretary was in 1855, it was found that there was no British Colonial Secretary, but there was a Secretary of State for the Colonies named Sidney Herbert (though he only held the position for 15 days!). But Sidney was the younger son of the 11th Earl of Pembroke. His older brother was the 12th Earl of Pembroke, but at that time he was living permanently in Paris. It appears that he got himself in a bit of strife at times, including a disastrous marriage, hence the move to Paris. Prior to his move to Paris, a family arrangement had been made whereby Sidney and his family would manage the Herbert estates (all owned by the Earl) and live in the family home at Wilton House in London, which he did for most of his adult life. Sidney was the heir apparent to the title as his brother never left any issue, and it might have appeared to many that Sidney was the Earl because of his status, management of the earldom and living in the family home. Certainly the 12th Earl kept well away from England for the rest of his years.
Sidney was a very intelligent and astute man having entered Parliament in 1832 and was in the Cabinet with a number of posts, including Secretary of War twice. He was also a friend of Florence Nightingale and apparently was responsible for her leading a team of nurses in the Crimean War. But Sidney never got to hold the title of Earl of Pembroke. In July 1861, he was given the title 1st Baron Herbert of Lea and the next month he died of Bright’s disease. He did not get to inherit the Earldom but his brother, the 12th Earl died the next year and as he had no issue, Sidney’s son, George, became the 13th Earl of Pembroke (and 2nd Baron Herbert of Lea, both titles being merged).
Given the above, it seems unlikely that Pembroke was named after Robert, the 12th Earl and one interpretation of the facts is that it was named after Sidney, maybe under the misapprehension that he was the Earl of Pembroke. He was an astute politician, manager of the Earldom, and had considerable skills and political influence.
But Irvine Roxburgh had it right also! As written on page 114 of “Wanaka Story” – “The township itself was named after a member of the Pembroke family who, as the Hon. Sydney (sic) Herbert, was Colonial Secretary in the United Kingdom for a brief period in 1855”.
