Mrs Robert Chapman (née Christina Finlayson)

Born in the Scottish Highlands in 1823, Christina Finlayson came from a political family. Her uncle, for instance, was General William Sutherland who served as the Governor of Mauritius. In 1845 Christina married Robert Chapman, a solicitor who had trained in Edinburgh. They had one son before moving to Otago. Prior to emigrating, Robert joined the Otago Association and was one of the first to apply for land in the prospective Presbyterian city of Dunedin.

Christina and her family left England on board the Blundell and arrived in Port Chalmers in September 1848. They first built a home in Princes Street before moving to North East Valley. The Chapmans acquired a large property portfolio in Dunedin. On Stuart Street, Chapman’s Terrace, for instance, still stands. Completed in 1882, the building was let out to ‘professional men’. Whilst living in Dunedin, Christina had an additional four children, two sons and two daughters.

Christina’s husband Robert became heavily involved in the Otago settlement’s budding legal and political scene. In 1850 he became the first Registrar of the Supreme Court and in 1853 he was appointed clerk to the Provincial Council.  Robert retired from office in 1868 and he and Christina then made a return to trip to Britain for twelve months. Christina’s son Charles Robert Chapman also became involved in Dunedin politics and was elected Dunedin mayor in 1891.

In 1881 Christina acquired a large sum of money after the death of her uncle, William Sutherland. She was granted a fourth share in his will, which was valued at £30,000 (the 2015 equivalent is about $5 million). Her husband Robert then died in 1898. Christina spent the rest of her life as a wealthy widow before passing away in 1910. She is buried in Dunedin’s Southern Cemetery.