Story: Chatham Islands

Naming and claiming

On 29 November 1791 crew members from the brig Chatham landed on Rēkohu, named it Chatham Island and claimed it on behalf of Britain's King George III. This account of the day’s events was written by one of the ship’s officers, Mr Johnstone.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, Edward Bell Collection (qMS-2071-2073)
Reference: qMS-2071-60 (left); qMS-2071-61 (right)

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page:

Rhys Richards, 'Chatham Islands - From first settlement to 1860', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/zoomify/37792/naming-and-claiming (accessed 20 April 2024)

Story by Rhys Richards, updated 1 May 2015