GEORGE WALTON was born 1857 possibly in Leicestershire (researching). He died in 1890 when he was 33. NZ records have he was 38 (his badly decomposed body was found a month after his death so aging would have been difficult). He was a son of John Atkinson Walton (1827-1900) & Jane Mary Cowring (1831-1891). This journal is on his mysterious death in the Manawatu Gorge, New Zealand.

MESSAGE from Simon Fletcher, 2 Feb 2021 George has a memorial stone in Lockington churchyard, Leicestershire, raised by his parents who are buried next to it, stating his age to be 33 and that he drowned in the Manawatu river in New Zealand. (headstone below). Thank you so much Simon for that surprising find. That info has been sitting there for 130 years for all to see, but your interest in passing it on has enabled me to research who this man was, without which I doubt his life story would ever have been told. He certainly came from and associated over here with, some very wealthy and renowned people, including the family he was about to marry into. His story contributes to the history of New Zealand. One wishes every person, in every old cemetery, could reveal their equally interesting and important, pioneer life struggles (and that we had the time to find and record them all).
. . NOTE Info on George's parents, the inquest into the death of his younger brother William, who died in Nottingham just 3 months before him, the life of his brother Edmund and the 'famous' families his fiance Mary Rose Rees was born to and, later married into, can be seen at end notes.

GEORGE WALTON was last seen alive on the Manawatu Gorge Bridge, on Friday afternoon, 8 Aug 1890. A month later when his body was found, his watch had stopped at 4 p.m. He was buried on 4 Sep 1890.

NZ Times, 13 Aug 1890 (day 5)
WOODVILLE A man named Walton, a surveyor from Palmerston, has disappeared mysteriously. The horse he had been riding was found on the Gorge with the stirrup thrown over the saddle, which would point to the rider having been thrown. Constable Treanor of Woodville, was searching the place yesterday without avail and to-day he is securing help to search the banks of the Gorge-road, though it is said that Walton was seen to cross the Upper Gorge bridge.

Woodville Examiner, 13 Aug 1890
A SURVEYOR MISSING On Monday evening the police of Palmerston communicated with Constable Treanor as to Mr Walton, a surveyor of Palmerston, being missing. It appeared that Walton came to Woodville on Friday and left again for Palmerston early in the afternoon and had not turned up. His friends became anxious and made enquiries about him. Yesterday Constable Treanor proceeded to the Gorge and ascertained that about 2.30p.m. on Friday Mr McGonagle met Mr Walton on the upper Gorge bridge, the latter on his way to Palmerston. Mr McGonagle spoke to him. Nothing more appears to have been seen of him. About 3 p.m. Mr Thompson found the horse (with saddle and bridle on) which had been ridden by Mr Walton. The near stirrup was thrown over the saddle as if the rider had been thrown off. The horse was found about a mile on the other side of the Gorge bridge. No notice appeared to have been taken of the matter at the time but it is now evident that Walton must have been thrown from his horse down the cliffs between the bridge and a point a mile in the Gorge. The surfaceman who was working a mile along the Gorge road saw neither horse nor rider.
Constable Treanor searched the steep cliffs as well as he could from the road but could see nothing of Walton. The growth above the river is a dense scrub and Constable Treanor went through it as far as possible. Still it is extremely difficult to make a proper search of the place from the road and Constable Treanor went there again to-day with Mr George Ling Rabone (1855-1922) to search the bank with aid of a marine glass from the railway side and if possible to procure a canoe and traverse the river in the vicinity. Of course Walton may have been thrown into the water and drowned. He was a stout, heavy man and if thrown from a horse would probably sustain a serious injury. He may have been seized with a fit or heart affection while riding or as a result of the shock of being thrown from his horse. Constable Treanor will endeavor to obtain assistance so as to make a thorough a search as possible.

NZ Times, 14 Aug 1890
A report, which is apparently only too well founded, is current here to-day to the effect that Mr G. W. Walton, late of the Government Survey Department, who some few months ago was stationed at Ashhurst and who up to Friday last ws staying at the Club Hotel, Palmerston, is missing under circumstances which point to the conclusion that he has either met with a fatal accident or has otherwise come to an untimely end. Mr Walton left the Club on Friday morning and procured a horse at Boisen's livery stable with the intention of riding to Ashhurst. There are various reports as to where he was last seen and it is certain that on Friday afternoon the horse was found in the Gorge about half a mile on this side of the bridge.

Woodville Examiner, 15 Aug 1890 (day 7)
REWARD OFFERED A reward of £20 is offered by Mr Low for the recovery of the body of George Walton who was lost near the Upper Gorge bridge. A search party is being arranged for Sunday and as there are suspicions of foul play it is desirable that as many as possible should join in the search so as to make it thorough. Mr Peters will run a large brake to convey members of the search party free from the town to the Gorge. The brake will leave Woodville at 9.30 a.m. on Sunday morning.

Woodville Examiner, 15 Aug 1890
FOUL PLAY SUSPECTED Since Wednesday a diligent search has been made at the Gorge for the body of George Walton, who has so mysteriously disappeared. Since our last issue further circumstances have come to light which put a different appearance on affairs and do away with the surmise that Walton ws thrown from his horse and drowned in the river. Walton had had a considerable sum of money sent him from Home, probably £1,000 (equivalent in Aug 2020 to $207,700). He had been working on the survey in the Pohangina, but on receipt of this money in May last, he left that and went round for a trip to see his friends. He returned to Palmerston and intended taking up an improved farm in the bush district and it is believed he came to Woodville to make enquiries to that end. He left Palmerston on Friday morning and had luncheon in Woodville at the Club Hotel with Mr Birnie of Pahiatua. He had to return to Palmerston by 6 p.m. that day. He seems to have had some doubt about the safety of the horse he was riding and expressed his doubt to Mr Bickerton. Walton was usually a steady man although he had been having a jollification at Palmerston on the two previous nights. He was quite sober on Friday. He left Woodville shortly after 1 p.m. and was last seen at a quarter to two at the Gorge Bridge by Mr McGonagale who shook hands with him and chaffed him about getting so stout. Walton has not been seen since then.
The next thing known is that his horse was seen coming down the green flat at Thompson's whare on to the road at about 2.30. Thompson came down apparently from the mine and took the horse from the road and rode it up to Mr J. Edwards asking him if he knew to whom it belonged. Mr Edwards suggested leaving it at the toll-gate, as anyone who had lost it would have to come there for it. Thompson however rode it back to his whare and at the suggestion of someone took it on to Ashhurst on Sunday morning to Constable Brown, who advised him to take it to Boison's stable at Palmerston from where it had been hired. Mr Marshall had a gang of men working at a slip on the railway opposite where Walton was lost. Thompson had previously told him he had a brother in good circumstances coming to look at the mine and Mr Marshall had seen a man go in there on horseback earlier in the day so he remarked "That's the copper-miner's brother I suppose," and thought nothing of seeing Thompson take the horse away. Thompson considers Walton must have been thrown from his horse into the river or down the bank and that the body is still there as he found the horse grazing behind his whare, the bridle broken and left stirrup thrown over the saddle as if the rider had been thrown into the river. He further says Walton cannot have fallen in a fit on any of the tracks to the mine as he has searched them and he feels sure the body is not on the upper side of the road. However the fact of the railway men working opposite and not seeing anything peculiar on the road and the horse coming from the hill to the road shows there is little probability of this idea being correct.
Walton was an enthusiast in collecting mineral specimens and it is most probable that he went in to look at the mine and took his horse on to the clearing. The mystery is what has become of him? Thompson says he did not see him but he saw two villainous looking men on the road about the time and one was exchanging shirts with the other. As to the man who was seen to go in there Thompson says it was a man from Pahiatua who went there to get specimens on his way through. Both Thompson's statements are corroborated by other evidence as the man from Pahiatua was seen by others and two men answering the description given by Thompson were seen by Messrs Lowe and Carde at Ashhurst on Wednesday morning when they asked Mr Lowe for money and he gave them some. What were those two men doing in the Gorge from Friday till Wednesday?
It was most unlikely that Walton would commit suicide. His people are well-off at Home and he was in good circumstances and about to be married to a Blenheim lady.
On Wednesday and Thursday Mr Lowe - with whose survey party Walton had been for a number of years, besides Constable Treanor and a number of people from Woodville, searched the bush for about a mile from the bridge above and below the road and found no sign of the body. Surely the hat or whip would have been found had an ordinary mishap occurred.
This mysterious disappearance with-in three or four miles of our town demand searching investigation both by police and citizens and we hope to see a hundred people under the police on Sunday to search the Gorge. It looks as if there was foul play and if so we hope to see the matter unearthed.

Wanganui Chronicle, 16 Aug 1890 (day 8)
The bush in the vicinity of where Mr Walton was missed, at Woodville, has been searched without avail. It is now feared he met with foul play.

Woodville Examiner, 18 Aug 1890 (day 10)
TRACES OF WALTON. On Saturday Constable Treanor proceeded to the Gorge and made another search for Walton. Detective Grace arrived by the morning train from Napier and proceeded straightaway to the Gorge joining constable Treanor in the search. So far as we could learn, however, they could discover nothing further
A LETTER. On Saturday morning Mr Woods, who works at the Gorge Bridge, brought Mr McGonagle a letter which he had picked up on the bridge between 4 and 5 p.m. on Saturday week. The letter was addressed to G. Walton from W. Earl Lindsay of Wellington and bore date 9/8/90. It was found on the wheel-guard rail of the bridge, but Mr Woods thought no more of it till Friday night last, when reading the account in the 'Examiner' of the mystery, he recollected Walton's name as being associated with the letter and looked it up. On Saturday the letter was handed to Constable Treanor.
A BANK SLIP. On Saturday morning a lad at Ashhurst found a bank deposit receipt slip for a sum of £13 odd lodged by Walton to his account with the Bank of New South Wales, Wellington, in May last. This slip was handed to Constable Brown of Ashhurst.
THE SEARCH PARTY. The time fixed for the departure of the search party from Woodville was 9.30 a.m. Mr Peters generously placed two coaches at the public disposal for the conveyance to the Gorge of the search party. These were crowded inside and out. Several were unable to find room and either remained or came on afterwards. A good many rode down. The departure of the search party presented a busy scene between the Club and Masonic Hotels and a good many townspeople assembled to witness the departure. It was most creditable to the people of the town and district to see such a large and willing assemblage of a mission of humanity. Assembled at the Gorge Bridge the men were addressed by Constable Treanor who suggested the manner of search so that the river bed, river banks and bush above the road should be thoroughly searched. Mr Marshall was in charge of the search party above the road and a more thorough search of the locality could not have been surpassed. Detective Grace took the right and Constable Treanor the left bank. Every nook and corner which could be got at was thoroughly searched
PARCEL OF PHOTOGRAPHS. On the left bank, a short distance below the Gorge Bridge, Mr G. L. Rabone found a parcel which had been in possession of Walton containing photographs - one a group which included his friend Mr Lindsay and the other a vignette of Miss Rees, to whom Walton was engaged to be married. Mr Lindsay and Miss Rees arrived on Saturday to enquire into the mysterious departure of the deceased and both were in the Gorge yesterday while the search was being prosecuted. Enclosed with the photographs, which were wrapped in a piece of newspaper, was a letter from Mr Marchant, Chief-Surveyor, which was evidently a testimonial to Walton's work while engaged by the Survey Department.
. . John Marchant (1841-1920), a New Zealand Surveyor-General and first-class cricketer. Believed to have scored the first century in any form of cricket in NZ when he made 117 in 1864 in a Town versus Country match in Invercargill
ANOTHER LETTER. A little further down the river on the left bank, Detective Grace found another letter from Mr Lindsay to deceased. This letter was tightly fixed in the root of a large tree and at a height of two feet above the present water mark. This showed there must have been two feet more water in the river at the time it was lodged there by the water. The photographs had been found at a point a similar height above present water-marks, so that these things would seem to have been carried along the river at about the same time.
UNTRUE REPORTS. It was reported on Sunday that a satchel which Walton had over his shoulder and which is supposed to contain valuable papers, was found in the river below Ashhurst, but this report proved to be untrue.
SEARCHING THE RIVER. Detective Grace searched the river as far as Mr Cotter's property in hope of finding the body, but was unsuccessful.
Mr Lowe, Government surveyor, arrived yesterday and proceeded to Ngawapurua to arrange with the natives for a canoe to search and drag the river to-day. Messrs Jones and Peters kindly offered the use of their boat.
It is now certain the body cannot be above ground after the thorough search made yesterday and it must be in the river. How it got there is the mystery. Some people still suspect foul play and that the body has been thrown into the river and the papers &c., thrown into the river on Friday night and that the letter found on the bridge on Saturday fell from the bundle. Were this so some traces of the deed would have been discovered yesterday, so that this view of the matter may be dismissed.
A STRANGE DREAM. On the Monday night after Walton was missed, Miss Rees had a strange dream. She dreamt that with her father and Mr Lindsay she was walking along a road. They came to a large bridge when Walton suddenly disappeared, they knew not where. Miss Rees is therefore certain he had gone over the bridge into the river and that his body will be found in the river. Those who are sceptical about dreams must admit there was something in this as Miss Rees did not even know Walton was missing till two or three days after.
THE SOLUTION. What can be the solution of the mystery attaching to Walton? This much is known - he had purchased a farm of about 500 acres near Feilding and has men on it felling the bush. He was about to leave Palmerston, as he had closed his banking account there and had written to Miss Rees that he had to go to Woodville on Tuesday and would be in Blenheim on Saturday. He did not come to Woodville till Friday. His business here cannot be discovered, if indeed he had any. He certainly spoke to Mr Birnie and Mr Bickerton, but his meeting with these gentlemen was only casual, although he did some business with Mr Birnie. He stayed in Woodville a very short time and then left to return to Palmerston. He had remarked to Mr L. D. Bickerton that he was afraid with the horse he had to meet the coach in the Gorge and Mr Bickerton told him if he left about half past one o'clock he would meet the coaches on the Woodville side of the Gorge. Walton was a good horseman and the horse must have been a very bad one of he was so much afraid of it.
. . Lewis Davies Bickerton (1841-1908). born London, arrived NZ 1868, shipping agent & merchant in Napier, married Isabella Whitaker in 1874, a daughter of James Whitaker & Irihapeti Hineraria Potatau Te Wherowhero, daughter of King Potatau Te Wherowhero, chieftan of Tainui. Lewis had the Island Bay Hotel in Wellington and later was Clerk, merchant, shop keeper & shipping agent in Auckland where he died)
Detective Grace, who has made careful enquiries, is of opinion that Walton was thrown off his horse on the Gorge bridge into the river, his horse probably being frightened at the scaffolding erected there for repairing the bridge. This theory seems now to be gaining favor. This would certainly account for the letter being found on the bridge if this is where he was thrown off and for the other letters and papers found down the river thrown out of his clothing at the time. Against this theory, of Walton getting off the Gorge Bridge either by accident or design, there is the objection that the carpenters were working a the bridge and should have seen such an accident had it occurred. Of course Detective Grace's idea may be right - that these men were a good distance from where the mishap is supposed to have occurred and that they have enough to do in such a dangerous position to see to their own safety and that any noise made by Walton falling into the river either by accident or design would be inaudible in the hammering of the carpenters and the sound of the water. If Walton met his death in this way he had a terrible fall of about 80 feet and would probably be killed by the shock with the water after falling such a distance. Unlikely as an accident of that kind seems, it is possible it might occur, but if there is any design about it Walton would hardly choose such a dreadful place with men working all round. Of course there is the possibility of his having gone into the river below the bridge, but if he did some trace of it would have been seen.
Some insinuate that he may have chosen this as an opportunity of getting quietly away, if he had any reason of to leave the district, leaving his horse there, waiting till nightfall, throwing papers in the river at the bridge as a blind and going to say, Dannevirke and taking a train and catching a steamer on Saturday, This is, however, very improbable. Walton was a man of means and property and therefore most unlikely to leave the district where his property was, so that, though a possible explanation, it is a most improbable one. For ourselves we feel certain, all things considered, that Walton got into the river either by accident of design and in the vicinity of the bridge if not from the bridge itself.
DRAGGING THE RIVER. Mr Lowe, Government surveyor, with whom Walton worked for four years is arranging for dragging this river, Yesterday several charges of dynamite were exploded in the river but without effect, in hope of raising the body. Detective Grace has again gone to search the river to-day as the body should now be afloat.
. . John Henry Lowe (1841-1928) first Chief Engineer of the New Zealand Government Working Railways, born England, son of John William Lowe, an eminent barrister of the Inner Temple. Trained as a civil engineer & surveyor, decided to seek his fortune in NZ, sailed in the ship Blandina Dudley, arriving Auckland 1864. Secured engagement as a Surveyor under the Provincial Government of Nelson. Later engaged in laying out and formation of, arterial roads. His duties took him all over NZ, soon acquiring good knowledge of bush & camp life, travelling in all weathers over rough tracks by horse, foot and canoe. He was an accomplished linguist, quickly learning Maori, people of whom made up most of his staff.

Woodville Examiner, 20 Aug 1890 (day 12)
The GORGE MYSTERY Little more has been discovered in connection with the disappearance of George Walton. We have seen Mr Birnie with whom Walton spent nearly the whole of the time at his disposal when in Woodville. He informs us that Walton told him his reason for coming to Woodville was that, having had a jollification at a party, he had taken the ride to Woodville with a view to getting over the effects and to be away from his companions in Palmerston, as on his return he had to leave for Wellington or Blenheim. Walton was perfectly sober and Mr Birnie saw nothing unusual about his manner beyond that of a man who had had a bit of a spree.
The letter picked up in the river on Monday was found near the lower ferry and was picked up by one of Mr Peters's family. It was a letter from Walton's father to him and puts rather a different complexion on Walton's affairs. It now turns out that Walton had not received the large sum of money which he had told his friends he expected and which they generally believed he had received. From this letter it appears he had only received £100, his father stating this was all he could conveniently send him at that time (equivalent in 2020 to $20,700)
Walton also had an engagement to meet on account of his purchase at Feilding. There were only a few shillings to the credit of his Bank account at Palmerston. Whether these matters had anything to do with his disappearance it is difficult to say, but they alter the idea of the excellent position which Walton was supposed by his friends to be in. His friends and those who know him best think his disappearance is the result of mishap and the enquiries of Sergeant Manning at Palmerston elicited the fact that the horse Walton rode was a very dangerous one to ride on account of its habits of shying and jumping about, so that Walton may have been thrown from the bridge into the river after all, though the men at the bridge are certain they would have seen it had such been the case.
Mr Lowe and party dragged the river on Monday and Tuesday, but could find no further trace of Walton. Detective Grace returned to Napier on Tuesday.
* SIR - In your issue of Monday last you give some information of the missing surveyor Mr Walton and finished one paragraph by adding "Walton was a good horseman and the horse must have been a very bad one if he was so much afraid of it." The same animal has been used in our business for some time past and I have never once had a complaint, in fact any one who has had the mare has been well pleased and this includes trips through the Gorge at night. A quicker or more pleasant mare I never handled, vice of any kind being quite unknown to her. When the finder returned the mare to me, he distinctly told me he saw her riderless at 11 o'clock in the forenoon of Friday but took no further notice until late in the afternoon. The whole affair is very mysterious and admitting that the quietest horses are apt to shy sometimes, still I cannot think that Mr Walton was thrown. - R. S. Kirkpatrick.

Feilding Star, 23 Aug 1890 (day 15)
There now exists reasonable hope that Mr Walton, who was suspected to have been drowned in the Manawatu river at the Gorge, is still in the land of the living.

NZ Times, 28 Aug 1890 (day 20)
APPARITIONS The disappearance of George Walton, a surveyor, whose horse was found in the Manawatu Gorge and whose body has not yet been discovered, has given rise to various theories. Some suspect foul play, others that, either by accident or intentionally, he was drowned in the Manawatu River, while there are some who do not hesitate to express the opinion that Walton is not dead, but has disappeared for reasons of his own. There are however, ghost stories already in circulation, the two attached being published by the 'Woodville Examiner':- On Sunday night one of the railway workmen was going through the Gorge when he heard a noise and saw the apparition of a man near Bradley's Point. Rumours of foul play having been about concerning Walton the man ran as hard as he could through the Gorge and created a sensation at the lower ferry by narrating his story. On Monday night Messrs Andrew and Alfred Peters were going through the Gorge to meet the coach with the 'Frisco mail. At a telegraph post near Barney's Point they declare they saw the figure of a man leaning against a telegraph post and waving his hand. The head was behind the post and they could not see it.
The Post's Woodville correspondent writing on the 27th says:- Has anything more been heard of Walton? is the question one is expected to answer to a hundred enquiries. It now turns out that instead of Walton having received a remittance of £1000, the remittance was only £100 and that he had told a gentleman from Pahiatua that he had come to Woodville to get out of the way of his chums at Palmerston and there is a still further rumour that a telegram has been received by his friends that he is safe and sound in another country.

Woodville Examiner, 3 Sep 1890 (day 26)
THE BODY FOUND A report reached town just as we were going to press that the body of Walton has been found in the river in the Gorge, a little distance below Barney's point. The body has been fixed to the bank awaiting the arrival of the police. Constable Treanor has gone down to take possession of it and arrange for holding an inquest, Walton has been drowned after all. There is no doubt now that the case is one of suicide as a large stone, weighing about 30lbs is attached to the satchel evidently to keep him down in the water.

Woodville Examiner, 5 Sep 1890
FINDING THE BODY On Thursday forenoon, the men working on the railway line observed what appeared to be the boots of a man sticking up above the water at about three quarters of a mile below the bridge. Mr Whitaker jun., the permanent way contractor, sent one of his hands round to see what it was and he could see that it was the body of a man. He called to Mr Gonagle, who got over the snag to which the body appeared to be fixed and fastened it by the legs to the river bank. Mr Gallachan then went to Woodville for Constable Treanor, who, with the assistance of Messrs McGonagle, Taggart, Cole and others, got the body on to the bank. The coat was buttoned up tightly and round the neck and part of the right shoulder was a leather satchel containing a large stone weighing about 19lbs. The stone was too large to allow the bag to be closed on it. The body was searched by Constable Treanor. Only 2s 1d in cash was found on it. The watch had stopped at 4 o'clock. There was no letters or papers on the body. It rather looks as if Walton had gone into the water near where he was found. The weight of the stone would prevent the body rising at the usual time. It seems as if the letters previously found had been taken out of the bag and thrown into the water at the time the stone was put in. The body does not appear to have gone far from where Walton went into the river and was probably floating down with the current when caught by the snag. The body was in a good state of preservation and bore no bruises of any kind. Constable Treanor and those who had assisted him had a terrible piece of work to get the body up the bank. They had a stretcher made and carried it to a carpenter's shed on the railway line at this side of the bridge. In the evening Dr Davenport made a detailed examination.
Curiously enough the body was found just a little below the place where Messrs Peters are reported to have seen the ghost or apparition. Messrs Peters are however, positive it was Walton himself they saw, the idea being that he had been seized with delirium when riding through the Gorge and had rushed into the bush and wandered about and that on that night he had come out and Messrs Peters saw him at the telegraph post in the attitude of a surveyor working his hands as if he imagined the post a theodolite and was signalling directions to chainmen. Then that he got into the river at that very place and so has been found where he went in. We give this idea for what it is worth, but confess we cannot offer any explanation of the ghost story. Messrs Peters saw someone, but that it was Walton himself is most improbable and that it was someone acting the ghost is also unlikely.

Manawatu Herald, 9 Sep 1890
THE INQUEST
An inquest was held at the Public Works Office at the Gorge at 9.30 p.m. on Wednesday night touching the death of George Walton whose body was found in the river in the Gorge. Mr Hall J.P. was Coroner and the following were the jury:- J. Bourne, J. Barron, G. Cole, J. Taggart, W. Mathieson, S. G. Scott. Mr Scott was appointed foreman.
The Coroner, Constable Treanor, Dr Davenport, Mr S. G. Scott and others proceeded from Woodville by Mr Peter's coach. On arrival at the Gorge, Dr Davenport made thorough examination of the body, which was lying in a carpenter's shed on the railway line. The body was stripped and presented no marks of violence.
On the jury being sworn
. . Mr Scott said: I wish to retire for a few minutes to have a word with the jury.
. . The Coroner: You cannot do so.
. . Mr Scott: Well, I want to refer to an article in to-night's 'Examiner'. (Mr Scott here quoted the paragraph referring to the finding of Walton's body and the opinion expressed that suicide had been committed). No one has any right to put a thing like that in a paper before the matter is brought before the jury.
. . The Coroner: The only thing I can do is to ask whether any jury man has been influenced by the article.
. . The jurymen replied they had not been influenced.
. . Mr Scott: Well I wish my objection recorded as it is unjust to his friends.
. The inquiry then proceeded and the following evidence was taken:-
. . Robert McGonagle (1845-1919) said: I am Inspector under the Public Works Department. Remember Friday 8th August about 20 minutes to 2 p.m. Knew Walton for 20 months previous to this enquiry. When I last saw him he was on horseback on the Gorge Bridge between the Gorge Bridge, the toll-gate and the Woodville end of the bridge. I spoke to him. Said I was pleased to see him and he reciprocated. I chaffed him about getting stout. He told me he had been in Woodville and was returning to Palmerston. He appeared the picture of good health and jolly and there was a well-to-do appearance about him. I asked him if he were still in the Department and he gave me to understand he was doing better, that was the impression his reply gave me.
. . The Coroner: I want his words, not your impression.
. . Mr McGonagle: Well I am here to say what I think and I am bound to give my impressions. After talking to me about ten seconds I left him. Mr Cook, District Engineer was with me at the time. Today I was warned from the other side of the body being seen on the side of the river next to the road. I saw it about three-quarters of a mile from here. I saw the body taken out and recognised it as that of George Walton. The heels, boots and back of ankles were out of the water, the strap of a bag round his neck holding it down and the bag fastened to a snag, the body back upwards and the abdomen resting on the snag. I helped to take him out of the water.
. . To the Coroner: I have no reason to believe he was affected in his mind. I looked on him as an intelligent, shrewd man.
. . To the Foreman: He was not under the influence of liquor. Had he been I should have observed it knowing the man perfectly well.
. . G. L. Rabone said: On Monday 17th August I searched for traces of Walton. Was on the cliff. Two or three of them in a party found a small parcel wrapped up in newspaper containing three photos and a letter. It was about 18 inches above the water and in a projecting log. It seemed as if it had floated there and was stopped by the driftwood. On the Wednesday or Thursday previous I was in the same place and did not notice anything. I believe the water had gone down since then. There were no footprints on the sand. One of the photos I recognised as that of Miss Rees and another as that of Mr Lindsay.
. . C. W. Wood said: I remember Saturday 9th August. I was working on the Upper Gorge bridge on that day and the day before. On the Saturday at about 4.30 p.m. I saw a letter lying against the wheel-guard of the bridge. I picked it up and looked at it and read it and brought it with me. In picking it up I thought it had not been opened. It was addressed to George Walton, care of some hotel in Blenheim. There was a song or poetry in it and that was the reason I kept it. The letter was from W. Earl Lindsay, dated from Wellington. I left the letter at home and hearing the men talking about the missing man as Walton it struck me that this letter, being addressed to him had something to do with it. I went home, got the letter and gave it to Mr McGonagle. I think the letter could not have been there or I should have seen it on the Friday as I passed the place three times that day and on the Saturday. Supposing a horse shied on the bridge I do not think it possible for a man to be thrown from the bridge into the river without noticing it from where I was working. I would certainly have heard the splash.
. . To Mr Barron: I found the letter over the centre of the stream. It is possible for a man to be thrown over the rail of the bridge. The rail is 3ft 6inches high.
. . To the Foreman: I am positive as to the date when I picked up the letter.
. . To the Coroner: I passed the place where the letter was found three times on the Saturday and did not see it.
. . To Constable Treanor: I handed the letter to Mr McGonagle about six or seven days after. Found it but cannot swear to time.
. . Arthur W. Gallichan said: I am plate-laying in the Gorge. Today at 11 o'clock my attention was drawn to something in the water about three quarters of a mile from the bridge. I found it to be the body of a man in the water. I went to Woodville and informed Constable Treanor.
. . Constable Treanor said: From the 12th to the 21st August, searched constantly every day for traces of the missing man. On this date Gallichan told me there was found the body in the position already described by McGonagle. The body was lifted into a canoe and I searched the clothes minutely. In the bag round his neck I found a stone weighing 19lbs and the bag opened (produced). There did not seem to be any marks of violence on the flesh that was visible. The property on him was - one gold horseshoe pin in a tie he wore, a gold ring on his finger with the letters "M.R.R. to G.W.", a silver hunting watch and chain with the hands stopped at 4 o'clock, pocket photo album (containing a photo of Miss Rees), blank photo mount (the photo washed off), wooden pipe, silver tooth-pick, two shillings and one penny, bunch of keys including a corkscrew, tortoise-shell pocket knife, 2 bits of lead pencil. There were no papers of any kind found on him.
. . To the Coroner: The bank receipt was not handed to me. I took the body out of the water with the assistance of Mr McGonagle and others and brought it to where it now lies.
. . To the Foreman: There was a pair of riding gloves in the bag besides the stone.
. . Dr Davenport: I examined the body pointed out to me as that of George Walton. The body is that of a finely developed man between 35 and 40 years of age, say about 38 years. I found no external marks of violence whatever upon the body. The conclusion I come to is there has been no foul play. Death appears to have been caused by suffocation by drowning. Had there been external violence there would have been some marks now and I could have discovered it by the examination I have made.
. . To Mr Barron: The light was quite good enough to discover any marks.
. . To the Foreman: A stone of that weight would keep down the head. The body could drag a stone like that in a current but the body could not float to the surface with that stone on it.
. . To the Foreman: It is possible that a man falling from the Gorge bridge would not be bruised by the fall if there was sufficient water beneath and according to the position in which the body fell.
. . Mr Taggart: He could not fall from the bridge without bruising himself. You're not gong to have it all your own way Mr Scott.
. . Constable Treanor: You must not interfere.
. . Mr Taggart: I am here as a juryman and I'll do as I like.
. . Constable Treanor: You will not do as you like,
. . Mr Taggart: I say the man never went over the Bridge.
. . Constable Treanor: There are certain formalities to be observed and you are not in order in making these remarks.
. . Dr Davenport to the Coroner: I should say the body had been in the water a month.
. . Mr Barron: Could the stone get in the bag in the water?
. . Mr Taggart: No it couldn't, it was put there.
. . The Foreman: You mustn't make these remarks.
. Mr McGonagle wished to add that it was dead water where the body was found and the bag with the stone in it was about three feet from the bottom, not resting on anything.
. The body was very closely examined by Dr Davenport, the Coroner and the jury and not the slightest sign of violence could be detected. The Coroner took evidence until nearly midnight. A stone found in his satchel was so large that it would not permit of the straps being buckled and could not possibly have got there by any chance. The body was much swollen, but the features were quite recognisable.
. The Coroner directed the jury to consider their verdict. He considered the evidence had been very conclusive. He said he understood their was one juryman, Mr Cole, who had not seen the body and before receiving their verdict he had better view it.

THE VERDICT The Foreman announced the following: The body of George Walton was this day found in the Manawatu River but the cause of death was unknown. The Coroner thanked the jury and discharged them.

George was buried in the Woodville Cemetery on 4 Sep 1890, the Rev R. Stewart conducted the burial service over the body.

Evening Post, 7 Sep 1890
TO THE EDITOR Sir - I am constrained to submit a few remarks re the death of George Walton. Until your last night's issue. I felt convinced that Walton had been accidentally killed or drowned. But, on reading the telegraphic account of the stone in the satchel - pointing to suicide - I am compelled to say that during my lengthy colonial experience I have never come across a more unlikely person to commit such an act. A few days before his horse was picked up I was with Walton for some hours and I must say that he was in the height of good spirits and health, looking forward at no distant date to his marriage with one to whom he was strongly attached. Others more intimately acquainted with Walton than myself may be able to testify stronger reasons than I can for the unlikeliness of suicide being the cause of death. As it is, from the very brief accounts we have had with regard to the finding of papers, letters, & c., belonging to Walton on the banks of the river, it appears to me that the assumption of suicide is very unsatisfactory. And I for one sincerely trust that before this matter is forgotten the authorities will make all due inquiries and satisfy themselves upon what appears to me the very doubtful manner in which poor Walton met his death. - W. Riley

NZ Times, 8 Sep 1890
GREAT DISSATISFACTION is expressed that no thorough post mortem examination was held on the body of George Walton, whose remains were discovered in the Manawatu river, near the upper bridge in the Gorge and just west of the copper claim. From the external appearance of the body it seems to have been impossible to say whether death was caused by drowning and this point could, as I am informed, only have been settled by an examination of the lungs, which was not made. I am assured that further inquiry will be demanded and that exhumation of the body will be necessary. Rumour also has it that the proceedings at the inquest were, to say the least, of an extraordinary character and that something more may be heard of the whole matter.

photo Manawatu Gorge around the time of George's disappearance

. . . NOTES OF INTEREST
. 1 GEORGE's BROTHER ~ WILLIAM Walton (1859-1890)
Leicester Daily Post, 26 May 1890 (3 months prior to George's death)
SAD DEATH OF A COMMERCIAL TRAVELLER On Friday evening the deputy-coroner (Mr A. Browne) conducted an inquiry at Nottingham into the circumstances attending the death of William Walton, 31, who died on the previous day from the effects of having taken an overdose of chlorodyne.
. . Edmund Walton, auctioneer's clerk, of Lockington (see below), said that the deceased, his brother, was a traveller in the employ of Mr Warhurst, corn and cake merchant, of Queen's-walk. The last time witness saw him alive was last Wednesday, when he was in the Nottingham Cattle Market. He then appeared to be very cheerful and did not make any complaint to witness about anything. The first he heard about his brother's condition was on Thursday morning, when he received a telegram whilst he was at Melton. He at once proceeded to Nottingham and found the deceased in a very weak condition and he died shortly afterwards. He had known the deceased to take chlorodyne, when he complained of sleeplessness.
. . Dinah Haines, of 3 Queen's-walk, said that the deceased had lodged with her for two years and a half. Shortly after eight o'clock on Thursday morning she went to the deceased's bedroom with some water and knocked at the door and as the deceased did not answer, as he usually did, she repeated the knocking, after which she heard a groan. She then went into the room and found the deceased lying on his back in bed in an unconscious condition. She tried to arouse the deceased, but he did not speak and she sent for Dr Hunter. The deceased had been in the habit of taking chlorodyne for sleeplessness for the past two months. Witness warned him about taking it but he said that he did not take sufficient to do him any harm.
. . Mr Walter Hunter, M.D., said that he attended the deceased before Christmas, but not since. He was called to see the deceased on Thursday morning, when he was unconscious and evidently in a dying condition. His pulse gradually failed and he died a few hours afterwards. The symptoms he was suffering from were consistent with narcotic poisoning. He thought that it would not be safe to take more than 30 drops of chlorodyne, although a teaspoonful might not be enough to cause death.
. . The jury returned a verdict to the effect that the "Deceased died from an accidental overdose of cholordyne"

photo kindly sent by the folk at St Nicholas' Church Lockington cum Hemington

. 2 GEORGE's PARENTS ~ John & Jane Walton
John Atkinson Walton married Jane Mary Cowring? in June 1855 in Brampton, Cumberland, now Carlisle district of Cumbria
Jane Mary Walton died 6 May 1891 aged 60
John Atkinson Walton died 20 Feb 1900 aged 73
Leicester Chronicle, 3 March 1900
WALTON - On the 20th ult., at 50 Weymouth street, London, John Atkinson Walton, of Lockington, aged 73 years
LOCKINGTON FUNERAL of Mr J. A. Walton - On Saturday afternoon the funeral took place at the parish Church of Mr John Atkinson Walton, who died suddenly at his London residence, on the 20th inst. The deceased gentleman had held the position of estate agent under the late Mr Nathaniel Charles Curzon, J.P., of Lockington Hall, for nearly five and twenty years and had earned the respect and esteem of the tenantry in general, a considerable number of whom were present at the funeral. The remains, enclosed in a casket of polished oak, with massive brass mountings, were conveyed from the metropolis to Kegworth Railway Station, from whence they were removed to their last resting place in the old churchyard at Lockington. Despite the most increment weather a goodly number of the parishioners gathered with the mourners, the tenantry and the personal friends of the deceased gentleman to pay a last tribute of respect to one who for so many years had taken a prominent part in the life of the parish.
The chief mourners were: Mr E. Walton (Edwalton); Mr and Mrs Tom Walton (Derby); Mr John Walton (London); Mr and Mrs Hugh Weste (Cambridge); Mr and Mrs R. Cowring (Elvaston, Derby); Mr and Mrs Hugh Wilson (Kegworth); Mr H. Hartridge (London); Mr James Cowring (Cockliffe Hill); Councillor John Walker (Derby); Mr John Cowring (Orbiton Manor, Worksop); Mr T. G. Bonstead (Hoxion, Notts).
There were also present Mr William Curzon, J.P. (Lockington Hall); Mr R. Finney, C.C. (Hemington House); Mr Charles Andrews (Hemington); Mr Wm. Fritchley (Hemington Old Hall); Mr John Falder (Lockington) etc.
The service in the church was taken by the Rev S. Osgood, the vicar and that at the graveside by the Rev T. B. Stephenson, rector of Kegworth.
There were a large number of wreaths, many of which were of the rarest and loveliest blooms. The deceased gentleman was in the 74th year of his age.

photo St Nicholas Churchyard, Lockington resting place of George's parents & siblings
photo kindly sent by the folk at St Nicholas' Church Lockington cum Hemington

. 3 GEORGE's BROTHER ~ EDMUND Walton (-1931)
Edmund married Harriet Ellen West (1864-1898). They had 2 sons and a daughter. Edmund was an Auctioneer and Estate Agent in Lockington. In 1901 they were living at 6 Bridgford Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham with 3 domestic staff and Edmund was a widower. His sons Arthur Atkinson Walton was 8, Harold Henry was 6 and daughter Constance was 3. Edmund remarried to Emily Timms Bladon (1862-1945) on 27 June 1901 and the family moved to The Manor House, Chilwell in 1904.
* In 1914 both his sons were Lieutenants in the Sherwood Foresters (Notts & Derby) Regiment.

photo Edmund's sons Arthur Atkinson Walton, left & Harold Henry Walton
* On 13 Oct 1915, son Harold Henry Walton (1895-1915, George's nephew), by now a Captain, was killed in action during the 1st/7th Sherwood Foresters "Robin Hoods" Battalion involvement in the "Battle of Loos". After many near misses, he died as the result of a German bomb in "Little Willie" trench at the Hohenzollen Redoubt (more family info at his link)

photo Four oak trees at Chilwell Manor, the home of the Walton family, were planted as a memorial to Harold Henry Walton, by his father Edmund Walton in 1915
* photos & info taken from Harold's Bio

. 4 GEORGE's FIANCE~ MARY ROSE REES
Mary Rose Rees (1859-1930) was born in Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand. Her father was William Gilbert Rees (1827-1898) from Wales, an explorer, surveyor, J.P., and early settler in Central Otago. He and fellow explorer Nicholas von Tunzelmann were the first Europeans to settle the Wakatipu basin and he was nicknamed "King Wakatip". William is regarded as the founder of Queenstown. He was an early NZ exponent of the sport of cricket, having been born into a family with prominent links to the sport. During the gold rush, his famous whaleboat was used to carry the first 25,000 ounces of gold until a special police boat began operating.
. . His fellow explorer Nicholas von Tunselmann (1827-1900), aka Nicholas Paul Balthasar Tunzelmann von Alderflug or Paul Nicholai Balthasar Tunzelmann von Alderflug, with his surnames often Anglicised as Tunzelman, is famous as one of the first two European explorers to explore Lake Wakatipu and the site of the future town of Queenstown in 1860. He and fellow explorer William Gilbert Rees were the first Europeans to settle the Wakatipu Basin. He married Gertrude Rose Gilbert who was the sister of Frances Rebecca Gilbert, who married William. The Von River, Von Valley and Mount Nicholas - all located on his station adjacent to Lake Wakatipu - are named after him.

More on Mary Rose's father, WILLIAM GILBERT REES:
* A grandson of George Pocock, an English schoolteacher, the founder of Tent Methodism and an inventor, particularly known for having invented the 'Charvolant,' a kite-drawn carriage.
* A cousin of George Gilbert, an English cricketer who emigrated to Australia.
* A cousin of Walter Gilbert, an English amateur cricketer who played first-class cricket for Middlesex and Gloucestershire
He was a member of the Grace family and a cousin to:
* William Gilbert Grace, an early star of the game. He appeared in one first-class match for NSW, Australia in 1857. He was named after William who was also his godfather.
* A cousin of William Lee Rees, an English-born NZ cricketer, politician and lawyer, played for Victoria in the same match.
* A cousin of Edward Mills Grace, an English first-class cricketer who was an all-rounder, batting right-handed and bowling slow right arm underarm. He played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club and was the elder brother of William Gilbert and Fred Grace. All three played for England against Australia in September 1880 two weeks before Fred Grace died. Always known by his initials, E. M. Grace controversially held amateur status but was criticised for the money he made by playing.
* A cousin of George Frederick 'Fred' Grace, youngest of the Grace brothers above, an English first-class cricketer, appeared in 195 matches that are generally rated first-class for statistical purposes.

William Gilbert Rees was also a devout Anglican and helped with the building of St Peter's Church in central Queenstown, which was completed in 1863. The Rees River in Central Otago is named after him and his statue stands on Rees Street, Queenstown, near the town pier. There is a hotel called "The Rees" on Frankton Road in Queenstown which bears his name and a bridge on State Highway 6 named in his honour.
.. He married his cousin, Frances Rebecca Gilbert (1838-1926) and had 8 children (5 daughters). Frankton is named after his wife Frances. William & Frances died in Blenheim and are buried at Omaka.
. . Their daughter, Mary Rose Rees, who was previously George's finance, married James Wilfred Marsden (1844-1926) on 21 Dec 1900.
Nelson Evening Mail, 29 Dec 1900
MARSDEN-REES On 21st inst., at the Cathedral, Napier, by the Very Rev. Dean Hovell, James Wilfred Marsden, of Stoke, Nelson, to Mary Rose, daughter of the late W. G. Rees, formerly of Lake Wakatipu.
. . James was a son of Thomas Marsden, after whom Marsden Valley (originally Poorman Valley) is named.

photo the Napier Cathedral in 1900

photo headstone of James Wilfred & Mary Rose Marsden
St Barnabas Anglican Churchyard Stoke, Nelson. Taken by MystikNZ 29.3.2013

photo The spacial home 'Isel' of James Alfred & Mary Rose Marsden which he bequested to the Anglican Church of Nelson in his Will.


* As always, research continues
George was a surveyor. When did he arrive?
There is a short time frame of about 1875-1885

PHOTO
George's grave site at Old Gorge cemetery
Plot 83, Block 13
Kindly taken by Rachael Adrian on 13 April 2021
She said "there is no headstone, but I have checked the location according to the Tararua District Council. The grave to George's left is Block 13, Plot 82"

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