THE FOUNDATION OF AUSTRALIA'S FINE WOOL INDUSTRY.

On 26 June 1797, history was made when twenty four of the most prized, sought after and guarded sheep in the world staggered ashore at Sydney Cove after a long and rough sea voyage.[1] They had come from The Cape of Good Hope and were of the Spanish Escorial Flock, renowned as producing the finest wool in the world.[2]

They were brought in from the Cape, not by John Macarthur as many believe, nor by Governor Philip Gidley King, as others would have it, but by a first fleeter, Henry Waterhouse. He came out as a midshipman in the Sirius but was now, at 26, captain of the Reliance with his friends Bass and Flinders serving under him.

The meat situation in the fledgling colony was desperate and Governor John Hunter had sent the Reliance, and the Supply under Lieutenant Kent, to the Cape to purchase livestock in accordance with the King of England's instructions to make the colony more self-sufficient in food.[3] The sheep were brought in as Waterhouse's private cargo and `no ship ever went to sea so much lumber'd', Henry wrote to his father.[4]

Although Spain strictly banned export of its sheep, the Spanish King did send some of his Escorial flock to Prince William of Orange in the Netherlands and in 1789 he in turn sent two rams and four ewes to Colonel Robert Gordon, a loyal Orangeman, commandant of Dutch forces at the Cape and descendant of a Scottish immigrant. Gordon who had discovered and named the Orange River and had enhanced the Prince's standing in natural history circles by sending him the skin and vertebrae of the hitherto thought-to-be mythical giraffe and other natural wonders.

Following a shift in political power, in 1791 the Dutch Government ordered the return of the sheep but fortunately Gordon only sent back some of their offspring, not the originals.[5] He kept his flock on a Dutch East Indies Company farm out of Cape Town and it remained intact when the financially troubled Company was selling its assets, as the farm remained unsold.

When revolutionary French forces over-ran his country, the Prince asked England, where he was exiled, to temporarily take over the Cape to prevent the French gaining control of this strategic outpost. In 1781 the English had attempted to take it by force but were beaten off by the French, who were then allied with the Dutch. This time, in 1795, they easily overcame token Dutch resistance and took control. The political situation was tangled with some residents being pro-British, some pro-French and others proudly independent Dutch. Consequently Colonel Gordon was openly abused for the humiliating capitulation, not only by the citizens but by many of his troops as well. As a result he committed suicide.

Lieutenant-Governor King, Colonel Paterson and Judge-Advocate Collins were in port at the same time as Waterhouse and Kent, en-route to England on the Britannia. Mrs. Gordon, who with her husband had met the five officers when the First Fleet called at the Cape in 1787, gave three sheep to King, which were put on the Reliance but died soon after and three to Paterson which he took with him to England. She offered to sell the rest to the Government Commissary accompanying Waterhouse but he understandably declined as his task was to buy food, not wool.

Thankfully, Waterhouse had an entrepreneurial spirit, saw their value and with Kent's financial help, purchased them all at four pounds per head as a private venture.[6] Had the Dutch still been in control, it is doubtful that they would have allowed this `priceless' asset to fall into the hands of their rivals-in-trade, but Mrs Gordon, not of Dutch blood and embittered by the treatment of her husband, had no such qualms.

In Australia, John Macarthur offered Waterhouse fifteen guineas per head provided he could have the lot but Waterhouse wanted them to be dispersed so he kept some himself and divided the rest between Samuel Marsden, Captain Rowley and Macarthur. Waterhouse grazed his own sheep on the 140 acre Parramatta River property, the Vineyard, which he bought for 150 pounds from its original owner, Philip Schaffer, shortly after the sheep were landed. The property takes in present-day Rydalmere and Dundas. Hannibal Macarthur, who had been helping his uncle John and was now becoming a land holder in his own right, bought the property from Henry's estate in 1812 and built the mansion later known as Subiaco on it.

Waterhouse kept his own flock segregated and allowed only Spanish rams among them. As their numbers increased, he sold some to the Governor and others including acting commissary James Williamson and master boat builder Thomas Moore. When Waterhouse left the colony for good in 1800, the newly arrived paymaster, William Cox, bought most of the flock, including several of the original sheep, with the remainder going to John Macarthur.[7]

Thanks to Henry Waterhouse's enterprise and care, John and Elizabeth Macarthur, Samuel Marsden and the other fine-wool pioneers, had an ideal foundation on which to build their industry. We Australians have benefited greatly from the boost fine wool has given to our economy and we owe Waterhouse, equally with the pioneer woolgrowers, a great deal of gratitude.

We can only wonder how tempered their success would have been if the wool-hungry English mills, their capacity boosted by the Industrial Revolution, had not been denied access to their former suppliers in Spain and Saxony by the Peninsular War (1808-14) and Napoleon's blocking of trade between Europe and the `nation of shopkeepers'. By the time peace was restored, Spain was devastated and in turmoil and the English wool buyers had turned their backs on Saxony and were looking to New South Wales to supply their needs.

Henry Waterhouse died on 27 July 1812 aged 41 years and is buried at St John's, Westminster. In the enthusiasm, dedication and intelligence which he applied to his various tasks, he served the colony well; all in a day's work for an officer of the Royal Navy.

[1.] Historical Records of NSW ,Vol.3, p.287.

[2.] J.C. Garran and L. White, Merinos, myths and Macarthurs, ANU (Pergamon) Press, Sydney, 1985, p.37.

[3.] Historical Records of NSW ,Vol. 3, p.90.

[4.] Waterhouse 20.8.1797 letter.

[5.] J.C. Garran and L. White, p.37.

[6.] Harold B. Carter, The Sheep and Wool Correspondence of Sir Joseph Banks 1781-1820, Library Council of NSW in association with The British Museum (Natural History), 1979, pp.457-8.

[7.] ibid.

The Marsden Legacy

by Russell Moor

In the past, the credit for the foundation of the Australian merino flock has been firmly laid at the feet of the Macarthur family of Camden and much of that credit is justified.

Credit must also go to William Cox, who purchased the Waterhouse flock in 1810,[1] Rowland Hassall, Keeper of the Government flock, who supplied Macarthur with 100 picked ewes[2] and Alexander Riley of `Raby', who founded his stud in 1824, importing sheep from Saxony.[3] But, the story that never seems to be told, is the history of the Rev Samuel Marsden's flock.

James Hassall, Marsden's grandson, indicates in his book In Old Australia in 1902, some share of the honour of founding our merino industry justly belongs to the Rev. Samuel Marsden.[4]

When Captain Waterhouse landed the Spanish merinos acquired from the Colonel Gordon flock in South Africa in 1797, Macarthur offered fifteen pounds per head for the lot. This offer was refused and as time went on, Waterhouse's ewes lambed to the Spanish rams running with them, thus increasing his flock.

During the next few years, Waterhouse distributed a few sheep between Macarthur, Marsden, Captain Rowley and Captain Kent.[5]

Marsden was the only breeder who received any of the Waterhouse sheep who persevered with them at all. Marsden obtained only two of Waterhouse's flock directly, but he secured the few owned by Captain Rowley. Marsden bred successfully.[6]

Marsden had, from the very start, realised the importance of sheep in the colony and, by 1802, had acquired 2908 acres, carrying 1416 sheep. Next to MacArthur he was the biggest sheep breeder in the colony.[7]

After the crossing of the Blue Mountains and the settlement of Bathurst in 1815, the Government established Stock Stations west of the little town.

Marsden obtained a permit to occupy land west of Bathurst. A report of the district of Wellington, dated 16 February 1826, records Marsden having a station 30 miles from Wellington.[8]

Marsden, his three daughters and his son-in-law, John Betts, were granted land at Molong[9] -- known as the Molong Run in 1832. These grants were managed by John Betts and stocked with progeny of the Marsden sheep. They ran 8000 breeding ewes on the Molong Run.[10]

On 12 September 1843, John Smith purchased 15 828 acres of the Molong Run from the Betts family. Smith was Betts' superintendent of stock. He called his newly acquired station `Gamboola'. This purchase included a nucleus of Marsden sheep, which formed the `Gamboola Merino Stud' in 1846. Records in John Smith's letter book state -- He later purchased the remainder of Betts' sheep.

John Smith and his wife, Mary (nee Tom), prospered and by the time they had purchased `Boree Cabonne' in January 852, they controlled vast holding and an extensive merino flock.

`Boree Cabonne' was 35 840 acres and ran 8 478 sheep.[11] By 1853, Smith cut 80366 lbs of wool from 30318 sheep.

Lancelot Noel Smith, John's son, took over `Boree Cabonne' in 1872 and registered Merino Flock No 8.

The register of Stud Merino Flocks of Australia, Vol. XVII, 1938, describes the foundation of this stud -- "This flock was founded by the Hon John Smith of `Gamboola, Molong, NSW, from rams and ewes descended from the Spanish merinos purchased about the year 1840, from W M Betts, who had previously bought them from the Rev Samuel Marsden, whose sheep were imported. In 1848, the Hon John Smith imported rams from the Negrette flock in Spain."[12]

Kater Brothers, then owners of `Mumblebone', Warren, NSW, made their first purchase of foundation stud stock from the Hon John Smith in 1879, consisting of 75 ewes and one ram,. For several successive years they purchased from `Gamboola', the cast for age ewes with rams to serve them.

After the death of his brother in 1906, the Hon H E Kater took his half share of the `Mumblebone' sheep and since that date his flock has been known as `Egelabra Stud' Flock No. 32.[13]

Recorded in the Register of Stud Merino Flocks, Vol XVII 1938, are the following pure Spanish merino flocks descended from Marsden's stock though Betts, Smith and Kater Brothers and on to `Egelabra', as of June 1938 based on annual returns, 30 June 1937.

`Boree Cabonne' Cudal No 8 1481
`Egelabra' Warren No 32 21727
`Mt Tenandra' Gulargambone No 668 4,389
`Mumblebone' Warren No 63 17650
`Nyrang' Cudal No 70 489
`Woodside' Warren No 749 2280

The total registered Stud merinos in NSW in 1938 of pure Marsden blood totalled 48023.

During the 1950s-60s the increase in off-shoot studs from `Egelabra' was rapid and this will be the subject of on-going research.

In Molong this March, a committee was formed to establish the `Samuel Marsden Rural History Centre' with a view to researching and recording this great merino family.

[1] E.W. Cox, The Evolution of the Australian Merino, Angus & Robertson, Sydney, 1936, p.4.

[2] ibid., p.3.

[3] ibid., p.5.

[4] Reverend James Hassall, In Old Australia, R.S. Hews & Co., Brisbane, 1902, p.156.

[5] Cox, The Evolution of the Australian Merino, p.2.

[6] ibid., p.5.

[7] Bertha MacSmith, Quench Not The Spirit, Hawthorne Press, Melbourne, 1972, p.26.

[8] ibid., p.31.

[9] David A Rutherford, The Life and Times of John Smith, Rutherford, Forster, NSW, 1990, p.16.

[10] Bertha MacSmith, Quench Not The Spirit, Hawthorne Press, Melbourne, 1972, p.23.

[11] David A. Rutherford, The Life and Times of John Smith, Rutherford, Forster, NSW, 1990, p.53.

[12] N.S.W. Breeders Association, Register of Stud Merino Flocks in Australia, Vol. XVII, 1938, p.65.

[13] ibid., p.120.

The Macarthur family is generally credited with the establishment of Australia's fine wool industry from imported Spanish merinos. While their contribution cannot be disputed, Brian Evesson points out that it was Henry Waterhouse who brought the first merinos into this country and his contribution has been much underrated.

Russell Moor has also been researching the wool industry and highlights the work of the Rev. Samuel Marsden and the impact of his breeding program, particularly on flocks in the central west of New South Wales.

Article Details

Printer friendly Cite/link Email Feedback
Author:	Evesson, Brian; Moor, Russell
Publication:	Journal of the Royal Australian Historical Society
Date:	Jun 1, 2000
Words:	2129
Previous Article:	JOIN THE GREAT SEARCH FOR WARTIME MEMORABILIA.
Next Article:	Booknotes.
Topics:	Sheep breeding 18th century AD Textile industry Australia