James Ruse
| James Ruse | |
|---|---|
| Born | 9 August 1759 or sometime in 1760 Launceston, Cornwall, England |
| Died | 5 September 1837 Campbelltown, New South Wales |
| Nationality | English |
| Occupation | Farmer, Convict |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Parry |
James Ruse (9 August 1759[1]/1760[2] – 5 September 1837) was a Cornish farmer who, at the age of 23, was convicted of breaking and entering and was sentenced to seven years' transportation to Australia. He arrived at Sydney Cove on the First Fleet with 18 months of his sentence remaining. Ruse applied to Governor Arthur Phillip (of the colony) for a land grant, stating that he had been bred to farming. Governor Phillip, desperate to make the colony self-sufficient, allocated Ruse an allotment at Rose Hill (Parramatta), where he proved himself industrious and showed that it was possible for a family to survive through farming. Having done this, Ruse received a grant of 30 acres (120,000 m2), enabling him eventually to sell 600 bushels of maize. He later exchanged the grant for more fertile land on the Hawkesbury River.[3] In later life, having been almost bankrupted from his farm by flooding, Ruse found work as a seaman and later as a landowner's overseer.
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[edit] Early life
Ruse was born at Launceston,[2] Cornwall, England on 9th August 1759[1] or in 1760[2] (various sources put his date of birth in either 1759 or 1760).[3][4] In 1782, he was tried at Bodmin Assizes and sentenced to death for "burglariously breaking and entering the dwelling house of Thomas Olive and stealing thereout 2 silver watches, value 5 pounds." He was reprieved and sentenced to transportation for seven years. He was sent on the Scarborough, one of the First Fleet, and arrived in New South Wales on 19 January 1788.
[edit] As a pioneering farmer
In February 1791, Ruse declares to the authorities that he is self-suffient, and two months later in March, he was granted a further 30 Acres.[1] Ruse expected to reap about eight bushels (290 litres) to the acre. After Ruse's sentence expired in 1792, the title of his land was deeded to him, the first land grant in the colony. In 1793 he sold his land to Dr Harris of the New South Wales Corps. The property is now the Experiment Farm Cottage museum of the National Trust of Australia.
In 1794 Ruse moved further out, to the junction of the Hawkesbury River with South Creek, and became a fairly successful farmer. He and Elizabeth raised seven children, two of whom were thought to have been adopted. Later, however, he was wiped out by flooding (always the risk of farming in the Hawkesbury) and had to find work as a seaman. He was heavily in debt and only the hard work of his wife saved him from bankruptcy. From 1828 he was employed as an overseer by a landowner at Minto, south of Sydney. He died at Campbelltown on 5 September 1837.
Ruse's gravestone, parts of which he carved himself, reads:
"Sacred to the memory of James Ruse who departed this life September 5 in the year of Houre Lord 1837.
Natef of Cornwell and arriv ed in this colony by the First Fleet, aged 77.
My mother reread thy tenderly
With me she took much pain
And when I arrived in this colony I sowed the first grains
And now with my heavenly father I hope for ever to remain."
A replica of this tombstone stands in the front garden of Barrengarry House, the administration block at James Ruse Agricultural High School. The memory of James Ruse is perpetuated in the naming of key locations in Sydney, including the Agricultural High School, in Carlingford; James Ruse Drive, running from Silverwater to Northmead, near Parramatta; and Ruse, a suburb in southwest Sydney.
In 1980, the noted Cornish folk singer Brenda Wootton, wrote and recorded the song "James Ruse" which uses as the chorus the last four lines of the tombstone inscription.
[edit] Family life
James Ruse married fellow convict Elizabeth Parry (1769 - 27 May 1836)[5] on 5th of September 1790.[1][2] They had six children together - Rebecah (1791 - 9 November 1792), James (b. 1793), Elizabeth (b. 1794), Susannah (1796 - 1872), Mary (b. 1798) and Ann.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d "The Thief, The Farmer & The Surgeon (PDF)". National Trust of Australia (NSW). http://www.nationaltrust.com.au/schoolsprogram/educationkits/TFS.pdf. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
- ^ a b c d Fletcher, B.H.. "Ruse, James (1760-1837)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/ruse-james-2616. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
- ^ a b "Background Sheet 1 - Brief Profiles of Significant People (PDF)". K-6 Educational Resources - Board of Studies, NSW, Australia. Board of Studies. http://k6.boardofstudies.nsw.edu.au/files/hsie/back01.pdf. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
- ^ Serle, Percival. "Dictionary of Australian Biography R". Dictionary of Australian Biography (1949 Edition). Angus and Robertson, 1949. http://gutenberg.net.au/dictbiog/0-dict-biogR.html#ruse1. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
- ^ a b Partridge, Amanda. "James Ruse and Elizabeth Parry (PDF)". Turnbull Clan Genealogy Collection. compiled by Brian P Turnbull. http://www.turnbullclan.com/tca_genealogy/tca_all2-o/exhibits/j_ruse__e_pa_e_rry_family.pdf. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
