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One Man’s Goldfield: the story of the Horseshoe Bend Diggings, William Rigney and Somebody’s Darling

William Rigney

William Rigney’s early life

Rigney was born at Loughrea in County Galway, Ireland in 1833. There is no record
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of the Rigney family at Loughrea. The story of the Lonely Graves was published in
the Connaught Tribune in 1986 with a request for any information about William
Rigney, or any Rigney's in the area. No replies were received and subsequent
approaches to Rigney's listed in the telephone directories also failed to find any traces
of the family. It is probable that the family either perished in the cholera epidemic of
the 1880's which wiped out a third of Loughrea's 6000 population, or that Rigney's
father was a member of the constabulary and did not live at Loughrea for any great
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time.

Rigney is said to have claimed to have a brother, who was a Bishop in Sydney. There
were at the time Rigney's in the priesthood in Australia. Nothing has been found to
support of refute whether there was a relation in the priesthood in Australia.

Rigney reportedly left Ireland for Australia after being expelled from a seminary for his
refusal to submit to authority. This is the first recorded evidence of the strong will
which was to remain a feature of Rigney's character throughout his life.

No photograph of Rigney has been found but he has been described as slight in build,
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with fine features, dark hair and eyes and wore a short black beard. Rigney was
well educated and literate. His handwriting was excellent and his diction adequate for
one who spent much of his life in conflict with officialdom. There is no doubt from his
story that Rigney was a determined worker, a person who took an interest in the
welfare of others, and an extremely difficult man.

After working as a tutor, Rigney left Australia for the New Zealand goldfields in 1861...
Travelling first to Gabriel’s Gully, Rigney followed the rushes, first to the Woolshed in
1862, and then to Butchers Creek near Roxburgh (not to be confused with Butchers
Dam near Alexandra) in 1864. At Butchers Creek Rigney mined an extended claim
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with Matthew McKeown .

Arrival at Horseshoe Bend

William Rigney arrived at Horseshoe Bend in 1865 and for the next forty-seven years
little went on at the Bend without Rigney's involvement. The story of the Horseshoe
Bend Diggings from 1865 to 1912 is the story of William Rigney.

In 1865 Rigney, with Matthew McKeown, arrived at Horseshoe Bend from Butchers
Creek. Rigney obtained work on the claim of Messrs Ford, Lunday and Sullivan, the
original discoverers of gold at the Bend. He worked on a tunnel through the rock spur
which separates the lower levels of the sluiced area from the river. The tunnel has
subsequently had the top removed and is now a deep, narrow trench through the

27 Obituary Notice, William Rigney. Tuapeka Times 5.6.1912
28 Donohoe, J. B "Loughrae Man Became "Gold Rush" Legend" in Connaught Tribune. 26.12.1986
29 Stewart, R.T Original manuscript used for a radio presentation. Circa 1940
30 Certificate of Registration of an Extended Claim in the names of William Rigney and Matthew McKeown. Otago Provincial Council. 1864

© Jeff Robertson 27