James Ruse (9 August
1759
5 September 1837) was a
Cornish farmer who, at age 23, was convicted of
burglary
Burglary, also called breaking and entering and sometimes housebreaking, is the act of entering a building or other areas without permission, with the intention of committing a criminal offence. Usually that offence is theft, robbery or murder ...
and was sentenced to seven years' transportation. He arrived at
Sydney Cove
Sydney Cove (Eora: ) is a bay on the southern shore of Sydney Harbour, one of several harbours in Port Jackson, on the coast of Sydney, New South Wales. Sydney Cove is a focal point for community celebrations, due to its central Sydney locatio ...
,
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
, on the
First Fleet
The First Fleet was a fleet of 11 ships that brought the first European and African settlers to Australia. It was made up of two Royal Navy vessels, three store ships and six convict transports. On 13 May 1787 the fleet under the command ...
with 18 months of his sentence remaining. Ruse applied to Colony Governor
Arthur Phillip
Admiral Arthur Phillip (11 October 1738 – 31 August 1814) was a British Royal Navy officer who served as the first governor of the Colony of New South Wales.
Phillip was educated at Greenwich Hospital School from June 1751 unti ...
for a land grant, stating that he had been bred for farming. Governor Phillip, desperate to make the colony self-sufficient, allocated Ruse an allotment at Rose Hill (now
Rosehill, near
Parramatta), where he proved himself industrious and showed that it was possible for a family to survive in New South Wales through farming. Ruse received a land grant, from which he grew and sold 600 bushels of corn .
Ruse was the recipient of the first land grant in New South Wales. Ruse would later exchange the Rose Hill grant for more fertile land on the
Hawkesbury River.
later in his life, after almost losing his farm and thus going bankrupt because of flooding, Ruse found work as a seaman, and later, a farm
overseer.
Early life
James Ruse was born at
Lawhitton
Lawhitton ( kw, Nansgwydhenn) is a village in the civil parish of Lawhitton Rural, in east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The village is situated two miles (3 km) southwest of Launceston and half-a-mile west of Cornwall's border with Dev ...
,
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
, England on 9 August 1759.
In 1782, he was tried at the
Bodmin
Bodmin () is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated south-west of Bodmin Moor.
The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character. It is bordere ...
Assizes
The courts of assize, or assizes (), were periodic courts held around England and Wales until 1972, when together with the quarter sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court. The assizes e ...
and sentenced to death for "seriously breaking and entering the dwelling house of Thomas Olive and stealing thereout 2 silver watches and other goods". He was reprieved and sentenced to
transportation
Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, ...
for seven years. He was sent on the ''
Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to:
People
* Scarborough (surname)
* Earl of Scarbrough
Places Australia
* Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth
* Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong
* Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...
'', one of the
First Fleet
The First Fleet was a fleet of 11 ships that brought the first European and African settlers to Australia. It was made up of two Royal Navy vessels, three store ships and six convict transports. On 13 May 1787 the fleet under the command ...
, and arrived in Australia on 22 January 1788.
Pioneering farmer
In 1789, Ruse produced the first successful corn harvest in New South Wales. That harvest failed to yield sufficient corn to make flour for the colony, but Ruse produced enough seeds for the next year's crop, which was successful. Such was the colony's need for a food supply that Governor Phillip rewarded Ruse for his success with the first land grant made in New South Wales, along with a gift of pigs and chickens. In February 1791, Ruse declared to the authorities that he was self-sufficient, and two months later, in March, he was granted a further 30 acres.
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. John Harris of the
New South Wales Corps for 40 pounds. The property is now the
Experiment Farm Cottage
Experiment Farm Cottage is a heritage-listed former farm and residence and now house museum at 9 Ruse Street, Harris Park, City of Parramatta, Sydney, Australia. It is one of Australia's oldest standing residences, being built in c.1834. It i ...
Museum of the
National Trust of Australia
The National Trust of Australia, officially the Australian Council of National Trusts (ACNT), is the Australian national peak body for community-based, non-government non-profit organisations committed to promoting and conserving Australia's Ind ...
.
In 1794, Ruse moved further out, to the junction of the Hawkesbury River with
South Creek, where he operated a less successful farm. Later, his source of income was wiped out by flooding, which was always a risk involved with farming in the Hawkesbury. Ruse seems to have been away from his family for some time and it has been assumed that he went to sea at the same time that he had his son James the younger indentured to Kable and Underwood. This left his wife, Elizabeth to take care of the family on her own. During this period, she had two children with convict James Kiss. These children were Ann Ruse Kiss (b. 1801) and William James Ruse Kiss (1806−1853). James Ruse was heavily in debt and it is suggested that the hard work of his wife Elizabeth saved him from bankruptcy. Elizabeth is shown in the records as supplying crops to the stores in her own right.
From 1828, James was employed as an overseer of Denham Court. In 1836, James Ruse and James Kiss were received into the Catholic church together. Ruse died at
Campbelltown on 5 September 1837 and is buried with wife Elizabeth and daughter Mary.
Ruse's gravestone, parts of which he carved himself, reads:
"Gloria in Axcelsis
SACRED TO THE MEMEREY OF JAMES RUSE WHO DEPARTED THIS LIFE SEPT. 5TH IN THE YEAR OF HOURE LORD 1837 NATEF OF CORNWELL AND ARIVED IN THIS COLENEY BY THE FIRST FLEET AGED 78
MY MOTHER REREAD ME TENDERELY WITH ME SHE TOCK MUCH PAINES AND WHEN I ARIVED IN THIS COELNEY I SOWD THE FORST GRAIN AND NOW WITH MY HEVENLY FATHER I HOPE
FOR EVER TO REMAIN"
Family life
James Ruse married Susannah Norcott in Cornwall, England in 1779. They had one daughter, Elizabeth (1779−1779) and one son, Richard (1780−1842).
After being transported for his crime and creating a new life in New South Wales, Ruse married fellow convict Elizabeth Parry (1769 – 27 May 1836)
on 5 September 1790.
They had five children together – Rebecah (1791−1792), James (1793−1866), Elizabeth (1794−1875), Susannah (1796 – 1872), and Mary (1798−1871).
Although the family history of James Ruse is well-documented, historical records never identified the parents of Ann Ruse Kiss (b. 1801) and William James Ruse Kiss (1806−1853), who were believed to have been adopted by the Ruse family. In 2019, genetic testing of their descendants indicated that they were in fact the children of Elizabeth Ruse and James Kiss. It is unknown whether James Ruse was aware of Kiss' involvement with Elizabeth.
Legacy
The memory of James Ruse is perpetuated in the naming of key locations in Sydney, including
James Ruse Agricultural High School in
Carlingford;
James Ruse Drive, running from
Granville to
Northmead
Northmead is a suburb of Greater Western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Northmead is located 26 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the City of Parramatta.
Northmead is ...
, near Parramatta; and
Ruse
Ruse may refer to:
Places
*Ruse, Bulgaria, a major city of Bulgaria
**Ruse Municipality
** Ruse Province
** 19th MMC – Ruse, a constituency
*Ruše, a town and municipality in north-eastern Slovenia
* Ruše, Žalec, a small settlement in east-ce ...
, a suburb in southwest Sydney.
A replica of his tombstone stands in the front garden of Barrengarry House, the administration block at James Ruse Agricultural High School. The original headstone, carved by Ruse himself, was moved by his descendants to a secure location after vandals damaged some headstones in the Old St Johns cemetery at
Campbelltown. The headstone is now in the care of the Campbelltown and Airds Historical Society at Glenalvon House in Lithgow Street, Campbelltown.
[Grist Mills Vol. 15 No. 3 CAHS Journal 2002]
In 1980, the noted Cornish folk singer
Brenda Wootton wrote and recorded the song "James Ruse" which uses as a chorus the last four lines of the headstone's inscription.
See also
*
List of convicts transported to Australia
Penal transportation to Australia began with the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788 and ended in 1868. Overall, approximately 165,000 convicts were transported to Australia.
Convicts
A
* Esther Abrahams (c. 1767–1846), English wife of ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruse, James
1759 births
1837 deaths
People from Launceston, Cornwall
Convicts transported to Australia on the First Fleet
Australian farmers
Farmers from Cornwall
Australian people of Cornish descent
British emigrants to Australia