Free Settler or Felon
George Forbes - Settler
Edinglassie - Map 7
Arrival in the Colony
George Forbes arrived in New South Wales with his brother Sir Francis Forbes on the Guildford in 1824.He was granted 2000 acres in September 1824. Another 4000 acres were reserved for purchase.
He stocked his estate Edinglassie with fine wool sheep and acted as superintendent on his brother's estate Skellatar
Peter Cunningham described the area in 1826 -
You enter first upon Edinglassie, the property of Mr. George Forbes, brother to our able and amiable chief justice, who possesses many thousand acres here, which he is stocking with fine woolled sheep. To the right is Captain Dickson's farm, and to the left in succession, the farms of Messrs. Carter, Mills, and Ogilvie. On the opposite bank there are only two resident proprietors, namely Captain Pike and Mr. Greig, the remainder of the land being all occupied as stock runs by distant proprietors. Mr. Ogilvie and his family are resident upon their property at Merton, the scenery whereof exceeds even that of Edinglassie, being still more various in its features; in fact, I may add, that it is the only place which , having before heard much praised, I was not disappointed in.
George Forbes occupied the land from 1825 until February 1837 when he sold it to investor James Atkinson (4), who increased the holding before selling it on to James White in May 1839.
The following men were assigned to George Forbes at Edinglassie c. 1828 - 1837. They were convicts and ex-convicts unless otherwise stated. Workers may not have remained on the same estates they were assigned to. They were often transferred or loaned to different farms and stations at harvest and shearing times.
| Convict/Worker | Ship~Date Assigned~Occupation |
|---|---|
| Bartlett, Thomas | Marquis of Hastings 1827; 1836; brickmaker's labourer |
| Batchelor, Francis | Layton 1829; 1832 |
| Braham, John | Hindostan 1821; 1828; carpenter |
| Byrne, Henry | Captain Cook 1832; 1832-1837 |
| Campbell, Michael | Ocean 1816; 1828; labourer |
| Cantler, John | Sarah 1829; 1837 |
| Collins, Patrick | Ferguson 1829; 1829; ploughs and shears |
| Connor, Michael | Captain Cook 1832; 1832; spadesman and labourer |
| Cordingley, David | Sarah 1829; 1829 |
| Cox, James | Minstrel 1825; 1828; shepherd |
| Daw, Peter | Sarah 1829; 1829; ploughman, shears, reaps |
| Delaney, Hilton | Hive 1835; 1837 |
| Doyle, Edward | Sir Godfrey Webster 1826; 1828; shepherd |
| Eagan, Thomas | Hadlow 1820; 1828; labourer |
| Everill, Thomas | Countess of Harcourt 1824; 1828; bullock driver |
| Flinn, Joseph | England 1826; 1828; labourer |
| Goodman, Henry | Layton 1829; 1834 |
| Green, Thomas | Hebe 1820; 1828 |
| Greenhatch, John | Midas 1827; 1828; brick maker |
| Hickey, Michael | Portland 1833; 1837 |
| Hines, Haggai | Adrian 1830; assigned on arrival 1830; shepherd |
| Hutchinson, James | Eliza 1822; 1828; labourer |
| Inches, Nairne | 1828; employed as Superintendent at Edinglassie |
| Jordan, James | Hive 1835; 1837 |
| Kennard, Daniel | Ann and Amelia 1825; 1828; labourer |
| Kenny, Michael | Eliza 1832; 1832; ploughman |
| Kirkham, Thomas | Adrian 1830; 1830 |
| Lee, Samuel | Katherine Stewart Forbes 1830; 1837 |
| Leonard, Thomas | Guildford 1824; 1828; ploughman |
| Loughren, Charles | Earl Grey 1836; 1836-1837 |
| Mace, William | Guildford 1827; 1828; labourer |
| Maloney, Daniel | Eliza 1832; 1832-1837 |
| Murphy, Edward | St. Vincent 1837; 1837 |
| Nicholson, Robert | Susan 1836; 1837 |
| Noakes, James | Came free; Emigrant per ship Florist |
| Nuttall, Charles | Norfolk 1825; 1828; labourer |
| Read, Robert | Portland 1832; 1832; ploughman, beemaster |
| Reaman, William | Georgiana 1831; 1831 |
| Rolfe, John | Georgiana 1831; 1831; horse dealer |
| Sanderson, John | Countess of Harcourt 1824; 1828; gardener |
| Smith, George | Marquis of Hastings 1827; 1828; shepherd |
| Wall, William | General Stewart 1818; 1837 |
| Waving, William | Eleanor 1831; 1831; shepherd |
| Welsh, Alexander | Earl St. Vincent 1823; 1828 |
| West, James | Midas 1827; 1837 |
| Williams, James | Lord Lyndoch 1833; 1837 |
| Wilson, William | Lady Harewood 1831; 1837 |
| Wood, John | Lord Melville 1830; 1832; stone cutter |
George Forbes died in June 1869 aged 82 at his residence Hyde Park Terrace, Liverpool street, Sydney
James White
James White arrived on the Fairfield in 1826, having been employed by the Australian Agricultural Company to bring a flock of sheep to Australia. On arrival he took the sheep to 'Retreat Farm at Parramatta before moving them to Port Stephens.In 1830 James White left the Australian Agricultural Company and moved to Ravensworth, the property of James Bowman where he was employed as superintendent.
Edinglassie was purchased by James White in 1839.
Employees at Edinglassie
In 1852 employees at Edinglassie included :Thomas Way,
Joseph Roe,
Robert Nicholson,
Thomas Larrance,
Kenneth Urquhart,
Thomas Byrnes,
William Dean,
John Trainer,
Patrick Byrnes,
Elijah Cartwright,
John McPhee,
John McCullum,
James Cornish
Benjamin Curn.
James White senior died in 1842.
Notes and Links
1). Edinglassie (University of Newcastle Cultural Collections)....
2) More about Edinglassie at NSW Heritage
3).
...The Scone Advocate 26 June 19454). State Records Authority of New South Wales; Kingswood, NSW, Australia; Archive Reel: 1583; Series: 12992; Description: Registers of Memorials for Land 1825-1842
5). Early Buildings in Muswellbrook
6). Muswellbrook History
7). Inns and Hotels
8). Rev. Richard George Boodle