Robley: Te Ropere, 1840—1930
Primary Sources
Primary Sources
Robley was a remarkably prolific correspondent. He sent his many New Zealand friends a constant stream of letters, decorated envelopes, annotated sketches, illustrated postcards, newsclippings, photographs and miscellaneous items.
This material constitutes the principal resource for the researcher interested in Robley and topics related to him. The following inventory catalogues all known holdings of such material in New Zealand Public Collections.
Robley's published writings are also listed.
Published Material
“Moko; or Maori Tattooing” Chapman & Hall Ltd, London 1896
“Pounamu; Notes on New Zealand Greenstone” T.J.S. Guilford & Co Ltd, London, 1915
“History of the 1st Battallion, Princess Louise's Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders” (by Lieut. Col. H.G. Robley & P.J. Aubin) Capetown 1883
“A History of the Maori Tiki” newspaper article, in two parts, printed in the Kaitaia Northlander; 25 November and 2 December, 1925.
Manuscript Material and miscellaneous items
The inventory below includes letters, photographs, annotated sketches and miscellaneous items of interest.
Correspondence is denoted in the following manner:
-
: Robley-Mair; ie. items from Robley to Mair
-
: Robley-Mair-Robley; is a two-way correspondence
-
: Robley-Mair, Fildes, McLean; ie. items from Robley to those three people
In many cases these refer to extensive amounts of correspondence.
A small number of items are included which are neither to nor from Robley directly, but which refer to him.
Alexander Turnbull Library; Manuscript Collection
MS Papers 16 (Horatio Gordon Robley Papers)
Folder 1. Fildes-Robley 2. Robley-Hamilton, Best, McLean 3. misc. items 4. “Moko; or Maori Tattooing” ex: Craig-Brown Collection, with additions; Robley — Craig-Brown; Windsor Castle-Robley; misc. items 5. “Pounamu” ex: Craig-Brown Collection, with additions; Robley-Craig-Brown 6. Robley-Mair, Mr & Mrs McLean; misc. items 7. 37 loose leaf prints from “Moko; or Maori Tattooing” 8. Robley-Best; H. Williams-Robley (NB: these are xerox copies. Permission to copy must be obtained from the owner of the originals) 9. Robley, Best, Fildes-Adams
MS c. 1915 p “Pounamu: two MS copies and a proof copy; Acc. 76791
MS Papers 734 “Notebook; 1857–1887” H. G. Robley 48 1. NB: This is a xerox copy of Robley's Military Notebook. The original is in the National Library of Australia, Canberra. (ANL NK 981)
MS 1866–? “Coins of Ceylon” H. G. Robley, with additions; Robley-Fildes
MS Papers 32 (Donald McLean) 863. Robley-McLean
MS Papers 39 (James Cowan) 12a. misc. item 40. Robley-Cowan
MS Papers 48 (Sir Walter Buller) 27. Robley-Buller
MS Papers 57 (Alexander Turnbull) 77. Robley-Turnbull
MS Papers 72 (Elsdon Best) 5a. Robley-Best
qMS Elsdon Best Scrapbooks
Volume 1. drawings; moko & hei tiki 2. Robley-Best 2a. drawings; mokamokai 3. Robley-Best drawings; pounamu
MS Papers 92 (Gilbert Mair) 13a. Robley-Mair
qMS/1898–1922 Robley-Mair (bound volume)
MS Papers 93 (Mair Family) 3. Fildes-Mair
MS Papers 129 (William Pember Reeves) 5. Robley-Reeves-Robley
MS Papers 148 (J. C. Andersen) 82. Mair-Henry Brett
MS Papers 172 (H. T. Hill) series d/10. Robley-Hill
MS Papers 1387 (T. E. Donne)
Folders 5, 5B, 6, 9, 10, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 25, 26. Annotated drawings, photographs, newsclippings and misc. items 7. Robley-Donne misc items 15. MS notes; hei tiki 19. Robley-Donne; Chapman & Hall, Best, Fildes, Mair, Cowan, Lord Onslow-Robley 20. “New Zealand in 64–65–66” MS & typescript 21. Robley-Donne annotated Maori designs 22. Robley-Oldman, Donne, Tate-Stoate, Buller 23. Mair-Robley: misc notes & drawings 24. Robley-Donne: misc. plans of Gate Pa
qMS/ca 1903–1941 (T. E. Donne Scrapbooks)
“The Maori; an annotated scrapbook” includes annotated sketches by Robley
“The Hei Tiki” Ac. No. 83-197/2; includes annotated sketches by Robley
MS Papers 1503 (Horace Fildes) 1. xerox copies of correspondence held in Victoria University Library Collection; Fildes 10/1 2. Donne-Fildes 3. R. D. Evans-Robley: misc items
Alexander Turnbull Library; Art Collection
E280 Box of sketches and illustrated postcards
E24A Set of anecdotal postcards illustrating incidents of the First World War
E28 Sketchbook (NB: portraits and scenes in this sketchbook are included in the Catalogue)
Auckland Institute and Museum; Manuscript Collection
MS 256 R66 (Horatio Gordon Robley Papers)
Robley-Bishop Marsden, Day, Best, Mair, Hocken, Hamiora Tu Ropere, Shepheard, Smith, Tate-Stoate.
page 393
Smith, W. F. Gordon-Robley
plus extensive notes & drawings
Hocken Library, University of Otago; Manuscript Collection
MI 488 “Moko; or Maori Tattooing” ex: Robley Collection.
Proof copy; with extensive additions:
: Robley-Hocken; various-Robley
plus notes, drawings, photographs, newsclippings
NB: This material was acquired by Dr T. M. Hocken in 1904–1905. Also included are Robley's and Hocken's draft manuscripts for the planned second volume of the book, and a box of blocks used in the original printing.
MI 488 Best, Gudgeon, Hocken, Petherick, Seddon-Robley Hocken-Trimble; Sir Peter Buck-Hocken
MSI 488 Robley, Giglioli-Hocken
Reeves-Robley
plus sketches, notes, photographs
VAR 3/3 “Maori Tatu & Moko” by H. Ling-Roth ex: Robley Collection, with MS notes
Microfilm 45, 3/152 Robley-Bishop Marsden
Canterbury Museum
This Collection includes a small number of annotated sketches not included in the Catalogue
Hawkes Bay Art Gallery & Museum; Library
“Maori Sketches” Annotated Scrapbook, 90 1; drawings, newsclippings, photographs G572.9931/ROB. (Rare Books Case)
National Museum of New Zealand; Ethnology Department
Robley-Best, MacDonald, Thomson
Best-Robley
Tauranga Archives Robley-Adams
Victoria University of Wellington Library; Manuscript Collection
Horace Fildes Collection
Box 10. Robley-Fildes
Donne, Evans, Fuller, Irvine, Tauranga Savage Club-Robley
plus misc. items
Box 10a. Robley-Fildes; misc. items
Box 10/1. Robley-Fildes; Sprott-Robley
plus misc. items
Box 11. drawings, photographs, postcards
Fildes 1507. “Major General H. Gordon Robley; Soldier and Artist” by Horace Fildes, 1921. Unpublished typescript. NB: This extensive account of Robley's life is based on memoirs sent to Fildes in letter form.
1507/2 Whitcombe & Tombs-Robley plus misc. items
1507/3 Robley-Fildes; various-Robley
Fildes NZ Portfolio/1. Robley-Fildes; various-Robley plus watercolours (included in Catalogue)
NZ Portfolio/2. newsclippings; & watercolours (included in Catalogue)
NZ Portfolio/3. watercolours (included in Catalogue) plus misc. items
NZ Portfolio/4. Robley-Fildes
plus watercolours (included in Catalogue)
plus misc. items
Fildes 45. “Narrative of a Nine Months Residence in New Zealand” [Earle: 1832 ed.] with additions; Robley-Fildes
Fildes 127. “Old New Zealand” [Maning: 1863 ed.] with addition; pen/ink sketch (included in Catalogue)
Fildes 272. “White Wings” [Brett: 1924 ed.] with additions; Brett-Robley
Fildes 509. “Pounamu” [Robley: 1915] with additions; Robley-Fildes
Fildes 510. “Moko; or Maori Tattooing” with additions; Robley-Fildes plus misc. items
Fildes 641 K Scrapbook; includes Robley MS and drawings
Fildes 1851. Durham Light Infantry Gazette (periodical) No. 1 (25/6/1858) to No. 9 (1/3/1861) with additions; MS notes in Robley's and Fildes' hands.