Betty Guard
Betty Guard | |
|---|---|
Shadow portrait of Guard | |
| Born | Elizabeth Parker 3 December 1814 Parramatta, Australia |
| Died | 16 July 1870 (aged 55) |
| Resting place | Kākāpō Bay, Port Underwood, New Zealand |
| Occupation | Pioneer settler |
| Known for | 1834 kidnapping |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 8 |
Elizabeth Guard (née Parker; 3 December 1814 – 16 July 1870) was an Australian settler of New Zealand. She is thought to have been the first woman of European descent to settle in the South Island. In 1834 she and her two children were kidnapped by local Māori people and held in captivity for four months. Her early life and these events are the subject of the 2005 novel The Captive Wife by Fiona Kidman.