Richard Rouse (1774 - 1852)
Richard Rouse was born in Oxford, England in 1774. He married Elizabeth Adams in 1796 before emigrating to New South Wales in 1801. Their first child, a daughter named Mary, was born in 1799. Richard and Elizabeth traveled to Australia as free-settlers on a ship called the Nile. The Nile was a small ship and conditions were very cramped with several other free-settler families and about 100 female convicts on board also. The journey took 6 months and the Nile sailed to Australia with two other ships called the Minorca and the Canada. Richard and Elizabeth's second child, a son named John Richard, was born in 1801 on board the Nile. They arrived at Sydney Cove in December 1801.
In 1802, Rouse was granted land at North Richmond which he called Oxford Farm. He bred and grazed livestock on the land, including horses, cows, goats and pigs.
Rouse was appointed Superintendent of Public Works and Convicts at Parramatta in 1805. During this time he lived at Parramatta, but still owned his land at North Richmond. The Rouse family was growing very rapidly with George born in 1805 and Edwin born in 1806. Unfortunately, just after the birth of their fifth child, Jane in 1809, George drowned in the Hawkesbury River. Another daughter was born in 1811, but died a couple of weeks later. A fourth daughter, Eleanor was born in 1813.
Rouse was a skilled carpenter and builder and in 1813, he began to build Rouse Hill House. The house was probably built between 1813 and 1818. Richard and Elizabeth had two more children during this period, George in 1816 and Elizabeth Henrietta in 1818.
Rouse Hill is thought to have been named by Governor Macquarie in 1813 after Richard Rouse. The official land grant at Rouse Hill came through in 1816 although Richard had begun construction of the house and had been working the land since 1813.
In his later years, Rouse was a successful farmer with much land to his name. His wife Elizabeth died after illness in 1848. Richard died in 1852 and is buried beside his wife in the churchyard at St. Peter's in Richmond. Other Rouse family members continued ownership of Rouse Hill House until 1978 and it has since been listed as a Historic Trust Building. The property is managed by the Historic Houses Trust of NSW and is open to the public.
Sources and more information:
Rouse Thornton, C. (1988). Rouse Hill and the Rouses. Thornton: Nedlands, WA.
Blacktown City Council Library Service - Local History Section - Vertical File: Biography - Rouse, Richard.
Internet Sites:
http://www.hht.net.au/museums/rouse_hill_estate/rouse_hill_estate