From Conviction to Marlborough Runholder
William Henry Eyes arrived in Australia during the early 1840s before facing trial in the Sydney Supreme Court on 18 July 1844, where he was convicted of common assault against Rosina Thomas and sentenced to three years in Parramatta Gaol with monthly solitary confinement.1 Following his release, he moved to New Zealand, serving in the 58th (Rutlandshire) Regiment of Foot before relocating to Marlborough around 1846.2
He assumed management of the Richmond Brook sheep station and later formed a partnership with Mr Empson to purchase the Wither and Meadow-Bank pastoral runs.2 In the late 1850s, Eyes constructed the Netherfield homestead (later renamed Blythfield) on the south side of New Renwick Road, establishing a grand residence later expanded by Mr Monro.2
Entering local politics, he won election to represent the Wairau district on the Nelson Provincial Council prior to regional separation.2 When Marlborough established independent provincial status in 1860, electors returned Eyes alongside Henry Dodson for Lower Wairau, where the pair recorded the first dissenting votes in council history by opposing the appointment of William Adams as Superintendent.2
The 1861 Parliamentary Campaign and Weld Defeat
On 11 February 1861, approximately 150 electors assembled in front of the Blenheim Police Office for the Wairau parliamentary nomination.3 Proposed by Mr M'Rae and Henry Dodson as a resident candidate dedicated to local interests, Eyes ran against sitting minister Frederick Weld.3
Addressing the crowd, Eyes supported completing the Taranaki War to enforce Crown authority while defending the right of critics, including Church of England bishops and former Chief Justice Sir William Martin, to voice opposition.3 He strongly attacked the New Provinces Act 1858 as crude and flawed, advocating for direct popular election of Superintendents, parliamentary control over creating new provinces, and secret ballot voting.3 Pledging to serve faithfully and refuse paid government posts without elector consent, Eyes defeated Weld by 65 votes to 61.5
Executive Rivalries, Dual Superintendency, and Policy Reform
Inter-town hostility between Blenheim and Picton dominated Eyes' parliamentary and provincial career. In the General Assembly, he bitterly opposed the Picton Railway Bill simply because it originated from the Picton faction, leading the Fox Government to withhold royal assent.6
The most famous incident of his superintendency was the 'Battle of the Barrel', where Eyes physically blocked council members from removing official records from Blenheim to Picton by sitting on a nail barrel in the doorway.
Conflict escalated in 1862 when Eyes convened a Blenheim meeting and assumed the Superintendency while Captain Baillie claimed executive power in Picton.7 The resulting Supreme Court litigation before Judge Johnston froze provincial salaries and public works for six months before deciding against Eyes.7
Following council restructuring, Eyes won election as Superintendent in 1865, prompting Picton members to walk out of the chamber.8 Inheriting a £11,945 deficit over appropriations, he enforced retrenchment and revived F. Carter's land-leasing model to pass the Marlborough Waste Lands Act 1867, securing £3,000 in annual revenue.9
On 6 July 1866, Eyes gazetted executive proclamations proroguing the council, appointing Henry Godfrey as Deputy Superintendent, converting Blenheim Gaol into a public lock-up, and gazetting Arthur Penrose Seymour's election for Awatere.10 He also introduced a council resolution calling for the complete abolition of provincial government six years before national abolition occurred.11
Later Public Service and Legacy
Eyes represented Wairau in Parliament for ten years until stepping down in 1871 to accept permanent appointments as Provincial Secretary and Commissioner of Crown Lands under Superintendent Arthur Penrose Seymour.12
Over his career, Eyes held twelve public positions, including Sheriff of Marlborough.13 He spent his later years in Wellington, making occasional visits to Blenheim.13
He died on Friday morning, 12 April 1907, aged 86, at a boarding-house on Kent Terrace, Wellington, found in his chair shortly after drinking cocoa.13 Survived by six of his eight children, he remains a key figure in early Marlborough governance.13