Scene of the Boyd Massacre.

Scarce, c.19th hand coloured engraving depicting where the Boyd massacre occurred.

In December 1809, the ship Boyd anchored in Whangaroa Harbour to load a cargo of kauri spars, an arrival that culminated in a violent act of utu (retaliation) by the local Ngāti Uru people following the flogging and mistreatment of the young chief Te Ara. The massacre began when Captain John Thompson and a shore party were lured to the Kaeo River under the pretext of searching for timber, where they were killed and eaten by their attackers. Warriors subsequently returned to the ship some disguised in the clothing of the deceased sailors to slaughter and consume the remaining passengers and crew, including a second mate who was briefly spared to manufacture fishhooks before being killed for his lack of skill. Following the slaughter, the vessel was towed toward a Māori village and grounded on mudflats near Motu Wai (Red Island), where it eventually exploded and burned.

References:
Ferguson, J. A. Bibliography of Australia Volumes 1-8, Canberra 1976 : 9829g.
Hughes-d’Aeth, T. Paper Nation : The Story of the Picturesque Atlas of Australia. Melbourne 2001 :.

Collections:
National Library Australia: Bib ID 1654251
National Gallery Australia: LEGACY ID 34588
Royal Collection Trust UK: RCIN 1046852
Getty Museum Los Angeles: Object name: 1218593
State Library New South Wales: RECORD IDENTIFIER 74VvDRQZXzWd
State Library Victoria: CCF 919.4 G19