James Ruse

James Ruse (9 August [1]/1759[2] – 5 September 1837) was a Cornish farmer who, at the age of 23, was convicted of burglary 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 (now Rose Hill near Parramatta), where he proved himself industrious and showed that it was possible for a family to survive through farming. Ruse received a land grant, from which he grew and sold 600 bushels of corn 30 acres (120,000 m2).[1] 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.[3] 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.

For the New South Wales Selective school named after James Ruse, see James Ruse Agricultural High School.
James Ruse
Born9 August 1759
Lawhitton, England
Died5 September 1837(1837-09-05) (aged 77)
Campbelltown, New South Wales
NationalityCornish, English
OccupationFarmer
Spouse(s)Susannah Norcott, Elizabeth Parry/Perry
ChildrenElizabeth (1779 - 1779), Richard (1780 - 1840), Rebecca (1791 – 1792), James (b. 1793), Elizabeth (1794 - 1875), Susannah (1796 – 1872), Mary (1798 - 1781).
Parent(s)Richard Ruse, Elizabeth Curne

Early life

James Ruse was born at Lawhitton,[2] Cornwall, England on 9 August 1759.[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 and other goods". He was reprieved and sentenced to transportation for seven years. He was sent on the Scarborough, one of the First Fleet, and arrived in Australia on 19 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.[5] 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.[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. John Harris of the New South Wales Corps for 40 pounds. 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. Later, however, his livelihood was wiped out by flooding, which was always the risk of farming in the Hawkesbury. James seems to have been away from the family for some time and it has been theorised that he went to sea at the same time 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 to 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 a joint overseer of Denham Court in partnership with his wife Elizabeth. 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 1837 NATIVE OF CORNWELL AND ARRIVED IN THIS COLONY BY THE FIRST FLEET AGED 77

MY MOTHER REREAD ME TENDERLY WITH ME SHE TOOK MUCH PAINS AND WHEN I ARRIVED IN THIS COLONEY I SOWED THE FIRST GRAIN AND NOW WITH MY HEAVENLY FATHER I HOPE

FOR EVER TO REMAIN"

Family life

James Ruse married Susannah Norcott in Corwall, England in 1779. He 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)[6] on 5 September 1790.[1][2] They had five children together – Rebecah (1791 – 1792), James (b. 1793), Elizabeth (1794 - 1875), Susannah (1796 – 1872), Mary (1798 - 1871).[6]

Ruse/Kiss DNA Project: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=708372276289807&id=519919595135077

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 Silverwater to Northmead, near Parramatta; and Ruse, 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.[7]

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

References
  1. "The Thief, The Farmer & The Surgeon (PDF)" (PDF). National Trust of Australia (NSW). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  2. Fletcher, B.H. "Ruse, James (1760–1837)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  3. "Background Sheet 1 – Brief Profiles of Significant People (PDF)" (PDF). K-6 Educational Resources – Board of Studies, NSW, Australia. Board of Studies. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  4. Serle, Percival. "Dictionary of Australian Biography R". Dictionary of Australian Biography (1949 Edition). Angus and Robertson, 1949. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  5. "First Farms". Discover Collections. State Library of NSW. Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  6. Partridge, Amanda. "James Ruse and Elizabeth Parry PDF)" (PDF). Turnbull Clan Genealogy Collection. compiled by Brian P Turnbull. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 April 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2011.
  7. Grist Mills Vol. 15 No. 3 CAHS Journal 2002
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