The Life of Constable Knapp - 1845 to 1929

Charles Knapp had an office in his house and another at the Brightwater courthouse. He policed a huge area largely on horseback, including Brightwater, Spring Grove, Golden Downs, Tophouse, the Wangapeka Valley and down to Lyell. His duties were many and varied, and the many stories and reports about him in the early newspapers prove that he was well liked and respected throughout the district, and his talking parrot was a hit with the local children.

Some of his more well-known cases included investigating the 1894 Tophouse murders with Constable Phair, quelling a potentially riotous situation in 1895 between two opposing factions voting regarding the teacher for Motupiko school, and investigating the sad suicide of William Sumner Rawcliffe who Charles had helped home the week prior, only to find him a week later after he had drunk a bottle of carbolic acid.¹ A more pleasant duty involved looking out for local school boys hitching rides on the Newman’s coaches going past his house between Spring Grove and Brightwater. According to a story in June E Neale’s book The Nelson Police – The Story of the Nelson Police District 1841-1986, his longest journey in one day involved travelling on horseback for 80 miles and by train for 34 miles to attend the case of a man who had become insane in the Baton area.²

Knapp's Retirement

When Constable Knapp retired in 1909, he was treated to a large farewell presentation at the Spring Grove Drill Hall which included a variety of recitations, songs, pianoforte performances and bugle calls. Mr A. T. Maginnity, the Chairman of the Nelson Education Board, presented Knapp with a purse containing 50 gold sovereigns in recognition of his long and faithful services. According to the newspaper article at the time, “Mr Knapp never acted unfairly … and always had the happy knack of performing his (at many times unpleasant) duties with as little sting as possible.”³

Life Outside the Police

Throughout his life Charles Knapp served as clerk of the court at Brightwater, and on the Bench as a Justice of the Peace. He was a great cricket player for the Wakefield Club and a provincial rep. He was one of the pioneer members of the Mansion of Peace Lodge of Oddfellows. He married Mary Ann Fowler and had a large family. He remained on his farm after retirement. Charles and Mary are buried together at St Joseph’s Catholic Church, Wakefield, Nelson.