23 SARTEN

Lucy Rodd Lye was the daughter of John and Grace Lye, born in Marock, Somerset, in 1814. She married Edmund Sarten and emigrated on the William Bryan, having three children at that time. Because she was in labour and there was a storm brewing she was given the privilege  of coming ashore on the first longboat, thus becoming the first European woman to set foot in Taranaki. Lucy and John had a total of 14 children prior to 1860, when her husband died and two sons, John and Joseph were killed during the hostilities. Lucy lived for a further 38 years and was well regarded in the community.

This memorial was erected by descendants of the Sarten family in 1998, replacing a badly damaged headstone for Lucy and her daughter Martha. The original three Sarten graves were relocated in 1866 to accommodate the construction of the South Aisle and the original Vestry (now the flower porch). - see 67-69 in the plan below.

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