Early Scots in Australia
CandL
Lena G
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The Scots who came to Australia
The Scottish who came to Australia. By Malcolm D. Prentis
(Extracts from his 1983 book, The Scots in Australia, selected by Annette
Ross)
Pride of place as Australia's first Scotsman goes to Captain John Hunter,
who arrived with Phillip in 1788, and became his successor as Governor of
New South Wales in 1795. Hunter set the pattern for a Caledonian influence
in the colonial administration.
As New South Wales was under military rule, early Scottish influence arrived
as Royal Marines. Major Robert Ross was the commanding officer from 1788 to
1791, he was also Lieutenant Governor. Also with the marines when they
arrived was Lieutenant George Johnston from Dumfriesshire, he later
transferred to the New South Wales Corps, as acting Administrator briefly in
1808 after his overthrow of Bligh.
It is difficult to know whether to describe Lieutenant John Macarthur as a
Scot : he was born in England to Alexander and Katharine MacArthur, Jacobite
refugees from Argyll. Captain of the NSW Corps was William Paterson, he
arrived in 1791, & administered the government in 1794 to 1795 & in 1809. He
clashed with Macarthur, who wounded him in their infamous duel in 1801.
In the colonial period, three Scottish regiments served in Australia. First
was Macquarie's unit, the 73rd Regiment of Foot, later known as 'the
Perthshires'. The second from 1833 to 1839, the Royal North British
Fusiliers, the 21st Regiment of Foot, after six years of duty they departed
for India. Thirdly, the famous King's Own Scottish Borderers, the 25th
Regiment of Foot. The regiment that relieved the 73rd was the 46th,
commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel George James Molle from Chirnside,
Berwickshire. The 46th was relieved in 1817 by the 48th Regiment, commanded
by Lieutenant-Colonel James Erskine, a Scotch-Irishman, who also succeeded
Molle as Lieutenant-Governor. The 3rd Regiment relieved the 48th in 1821
Colonel William Stewart taking its command and the Lieutenant-Governorship
in 1825.
Three of the first six governors of New South Wales were Scots, two of them
occupied the post for fifteen years, from 1810 to 1825. John Hunter was born
in Leith, the port of Edinburgh, in 1737 and rose to the position of
Vice-Admiral of the Red. Lachlan Macquarie's father, also Lachlan, was a
cousin of the sixteenth and last chief of the Maquaries of Ulva, a small
clan on a small island in an area dominated by Macleans and clan Campbell.
Maquarie's mother was the only sister of Maclaine of Lochbuie. His second
wife, Elizabth Campbell, was related to the Earl of Breadalbane. His father
was a tenant of the chief of clan Campbell, the Duke of Argyll. Thomas
Brisbane was Governor of New South Wales from 1821 to 1825.
Of the four Deputy Commissaries-General (the highest rank in the colony)
from 1813 to 1835, three were Scots. The first, David Allan 1813 to 1819.
During the term of William Wemyss from 1821 to 1827, William Lithgow
arrived in 1824 and commenced the accounts branch of the Commissary, and he
became the first Auditor-General from 1827 until 1852. Another Commissariat
officer was Stewart Ryrie. Wemyss's successor was James Laidley 1827 to
1835. Colonel William Stewart was succeeded as Garrison Commander and
Lieutenant- Governor in 1827 by Colonel Sir Patrick Lindesay from
Midlothian, he served for nine years. Lieutenant-Colonel Kenneth Snodgrass
from Paisley was appointed Commandant of Mounted Police and officer in
charge of the Ordnance Department in 1829, acting as Lieutenant-Governor of
Van Diemen's Land and administrator of New South Wales from 1837 to 1838.
Major Joseph Anderson, a Sutherlander serving with the 50th Regiment, was
commandant from 1834 to 1839. Alexander Maconochie, a paid-off navel
officer, became Superintendent on Norfolk Island, and implemented his humane
ideas of prison discipline.
Lieutneant Charles Menzies, RM, was the first Commandant at Newcastle
secondary penal establishment. The first Commandant at Moreton Bay, was
Captain Patrick Logan, from Berwickshire, arrived with the 57th Regiment
in1825 and commanded the Moreton Bay settlement from then until his death at
the hands of Aborigines in 1830. Logan was succeeded by Captain James
Olipant Clunie of the 17th Regiment, son of a Midlothian manse.
Apart from John Hunter, there were few Scots of the Royal Navy who made much
impact in New South Wales. However two Scottish navel lieutenants made
important contributions to the early sea-borne exploration of the colony:
John Murray and James Grant. Scottish navel officers also made a marked
contribution to medicine, several navel surgeons and surgeons of convict
ships were Scots. Most of then became noted landowners: three examples were
William Balmain from Rhynd in Perthshire, who arrived on the First Fleet,
David Reid of Aberdeen and Peter Miller Cunningham of Dumfriesshre.
The first Chief Justice and the first Puisne Judge of New South Wales were
Scottish. Sir Francis Forbes and his deputy, John Stephen who also became
the first Solicitor-General. Colonial botany was almost a Scottish monopoly,
as far as the official position of Colonial Botanist was concerned. William
Paterson, Sir Patrick Lindesay and Commissariat officer George Harper had
been keen amateur naturalists. Robert Brown from Aberdeen was one of the
great botanists of the nineteenth century, he came to Australia in 1800 as
naturalist on Matthew Flinder's Investigator. Charles Frazer from Blair
Atholl, Perthshire, was Colonial Botanist from 1819 to 1831, accompanying
Oxley on three expeditions. His two successors, Richard and Allan
Cummingham, who held the post from 1832 to 1839, both knew Robert Brown and
were influenced by him to work in Australia.
The colossus of the Survey Department was Sir Thomas Livingstone Mitchell,
Surveyor-General from 1828 to 1855 from Craigend in Stirlingshire, rose to
the rank of Major at the age of thirty-four. Mitchell's fame rests on his
explorations.
Scotland has a long tradition of producing engineers, two of the most
significant were David Lennox, the master mason from Ayr. He was appointed
Superintendent of Bridges in 1833. From 1844 to 1853 he was Superintendent
of Bridges for Port Phillip. John Busby was employed on coal mine works and
water supply engineering in Sydney 1824 to 1837, his legacy being 'Busby's
Bore', the water pipeline into Sydney. Also an important contribution was
made by Andrew Petrie, Clerk of Works 1837 to 1839 and later private
builder.
Two Scotts held the Colonial Secretaryship from 1825 to 1856 and another was
Colonial Treasurer from 1830 to 1856. The first Colonial Secretary was
Alexander McLeay, from Ross-shire. MaLeay's successor was Edward Thomson,
from Edinburgh.
The Colonial Treasurer from 1830 until responsible government in 1856 was
Campbell Drummond Riddell, the grandson of Sir James Riddell of
Ardnamurchan, baronet.
Scottish Convicts.
There were 8,207 Scottish convicts among nearly 150,000 transported to
Australia. Interesting enough only 4.8 per cent of male convicts were
Scottish, and 9.3 per cent were female. A relatively large number of
Scottish convicts were transported for larceny (burglary and break and
entering) committed in or around Glasgow and Edinburgh. Often, also, they
were multiple offenders. John Flynn was gaoled for theft, escaped, committed
another theft while free, and was transported to Van Diemen's Land in 1843.
Robert Gilchrist was convicted in January 1834 in Glasgow of housebreaking
with aggravation and transported to NSW for seven years. The famous Andrew
Thompson was convicted of burglary at Jedburgh in 1790 and transported for
fourteen years. William Highat was sentenced to fourteen years for sheep
stealing in Ayshire in 1816. James Ried was a young apprentice who
absconded, and was later reported to have been an old offender and escapee.
Thomas McGovan was a larcenous soldier from the 88th Regiment who was handed
over for trial to the civil courts for sentencing : he and two others were
transported for stealing 3 pounds 10 shillings at a tollgate.
Elizabeth McGuire, had been convicted over twenty times for drunkenness. And
a very high proportion of the Scottish women convicts were prostitutes, many
had been on the streets a long time, up to fifteen years in some cases.
Estimates for later in the nineteenth century place the number of Glasgow
street-walkers at six to seven thousand.
The two best known Scottish convicts in the earlier years were Thomas
Watling, 'the limner of Dumfries', transported for forgery. The second, was
Andrew Thompson who died in 1810 a wealthy man, the pall-bearers at his
funeral were Cox, Lord, Arndell and Gregory Blaxland. Mrs McLeod of Skye
was transported in the 1810's for burning down a neighbor's house in a fit
of jealousy.
Even more interesting were two batches of Scottish political prisoners sent
out in 1793 to 1795 and 1820. The so-called 'Scottish Martyrs' of 1792 are
far better known than the radicals of 1820. Their case inspired Robert
Burns's patriotic effusion 'Scots Wha Hae'. The martyrs numbered five,
strictly speaking: Thomas Muir, an advocate; Thomas Fyshe Palmer, a
Unitarian cleric; Maurice Margarot, a wine merchant; Joseph Gerrald, a
planter & barrister; and William Skirving, a tutor. A sixth man, a weaver of
Dundee called George Mealmaker, was sent out in 1800 and is sometimes
included among the Scottish Martyrs because he was connected with their
sedition in 1792. In fact, only two of the Martyrs, Muir and Skirving, were
Scottish, or three if we count Mealmaker. Their cases were notorious, their
exile was famous, and Muir's escape, subsequent adventures and death were
bizarre and more than sensational.
The ' Scottish Radicals' transported in 1820 were very different, lacking
the social status of the Martyrs, they were hardly known at all, yet made a
far greater contribution to New South Wales. Nineteen were transported as a
result of the affray at Bonnymuir near Stirling on 5th April 1820. Two
others, Baird and Hardie, were executed. James Clelland, one of the
radicals, had been saved from execution. John Anderson was from 1823 to his
death in 1858 at the age of sixty-five, schoolmaster at the Presbyterian
school held in the little old church at Ebenezer on the Hawkesbury. Another
Thomas McCulloch prospered from stocking-maker to convict to publican to
landowner. John McMillan exploited his trade of blacksmith and gradually
diversifying into ship work, tool-making and scale-beam making.
Scottish Immigration
On 18 May 1798 the Barwell arrived carrying two Scottish families destined
to make modest but worthy contributions to the colony. Andrew and Elizabeth
McDougall. A John and Honor Bowman and sons George and William came from
East Lothian, where John had experience building corn mills. Walter
Stevenson Davidson of Aberdeenshire arrived on the Argo in 1805 and was
granted 2,000 acres in the Cowpastures. William Howe, a Scottish borderer,
left the army after Waterloo, and settled in New South Wales, he was granted
3,000 acres at Minto. One who had a much more spectacular career was
ex-Royal Marine officer, James Mudie, who arrived in 1822. His partner was
John Larnach, who arrived from Caithness in 1823. Among the immigrants a
number of tacksmen and other well-to-do Highlanders were, Donald Mackay,
brother of the clan chief Lord Reay in 1821 & Alexander Macrae, tacksmen of
Glenshiel in 1822. The majority were Lowlanders, many from prominent
families, Francis Irvine, son of Irvine of Drum, head of the name in 1822
and Peter Hay of Melrose in 1825 who received a grant of 6,000 acres. One of
the best examples was George Ranken, third of eight sons of Ranken of
Whitehill in Ayrshire, who was recommended to the Colonial Secretary by
local notable Sir Alexander Boswell of Auchinleck.
Apart from straightforward settlers there was a small group drawn to
Australia by the prospects of trade. William Douglas Campbell of Elgin came
in 1797. Robert Campbell, his family has been lairds of Ashfield and
Duntroon and Alexander Berry became Laird of the Shoalhaven. Charles Hook
from Argyll and Fife-born William Walker were other early merchants
arrivals, along with Benjamin Boyd and A.B. Spark.
Assisted Immigrants first arrived on the 350-ton ship Stirling Castle,
chartered from Messes Alan Ker and Company, Greenock. There were two
ministers, the Reverend John Cleland and Thomas Thomson, and three
professors for the Australian College, Henry Carmichael, John Anderson &
William Pinkerton along with their wives or sisters. The famous 'Scottish
Mechanics' comprised fifty-four adult men plus their families: stonemasons
and bricklayers, carpenters and joiners, blacksmiths, plasterers, etc., and
all members of Christian churches & congregations. The Reverend J.D. Lang
made many other trips, bringing more tradesman & their families to
Australia. Between 1832 and 1850 approximately 88,988 assisted immigrants
arrived in Australia, about 14,000 were Scottish, or 15.11 per cent.
Scottish unassisted immigrants from 1832 to 1850 were about 25,000, or about
twenty to twenty-five per cent. Janet Templeton, a widow from Glasgow,
brought her nine children, employees, some merino sheep and a considerable
amount of capital on the chartered Czar in 1830, she settled in Parramatta,
but later moved to Melbourne in 1840 where she had a 10,000 acre run. Other
settlers in the 1830's were the Imlay brothers, Alexander Hunter of the
Monaro and Gippsland. John 'Tinker' Campbell in 1833, and Ernest G.B.E.
Dalrymple in 1839 were Darling Downs squatters.
A number of members of a Scottish-Norwegian family, the Archers, arrived in
1834 and 1838. The wide-ranging pastoralist author Gideon Scott Lang arrived
in 1841. Some of the Vandiemonian Scots who emigrated to Port Phillip were
Philip and George Russell of the pastoral Clyde Company, Thomas and
Somerville Learmonth later of Ericildoun station and Dr Alexander Thomas who
was involved in the pastoral, political, religious and economic affairs of
early Geelong and Melbourne.
A less reputable Vandiemonian was the Scottish bushranger, Captain Melville.
Their were about 4,860 Scots who found their own way to Australia.
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