HeritageTalk: The Snow Murders: Greed, Lies and Violence

The Snow Murders: greed, lies and violence in colonial Auckland with author Sarah Ell

In October 1847, the infant colony of Auckland was rocked by an horrific crime: a man, woman and child murdered in their beds on the North Shore. Were Māori rebels to blame, hoping to incite a war, or was the true criminal closer to home? Sarah Ell is researching and writing a book about the Snow murders, which sheds light on race and gender relations, criminality, drunkenness, and the justice system in the years following the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi.

About the speaker

Sarah Ell was born and raised on Auckland’s North Shore, just up the road from the scene of the Snow murders and trained as a newspaper journalist before working in magazines and book publishing. She has a Bachelor of Arts in New Zealand history from Massey University and a Master of Creative Writing from the University of Auckland. She is the author of three YA novels and eight non-fiction books for children and adults, including popular histories Ocean (2018) and Lost Wonders (2020).

Image: Queen Street in 1843, showing Stocks in front of Gaol
After an original water colour in the Old Colonists’ Museum:
Queen Street looking north from the vicinity of Wellesley Street to Lower Queen Street, 1843. Auckland Libraries Heritage Images Collection 4-688.

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