‘Our Irish farmers are once more beginning to prosper’. The contribution of Irish landowners and Irish farmers to the agricultural economy of Belfast, Australia.
In Australia when the colony was still in the early stages, land was quite easy to access. This showed a lot of promise for the Irish who wanted to leave Ireland in search for something different. In fact, Australia was quite ideal because land was easy to obtain, and unlike the Irish heading to America, this allowed them to be quite rural which is what seemed to be the preferred situation for the Irish overall. They liked to live in ‘small country settlements, farms, or even remote pastoral stations’ which was the case for the majority of the nineteenth century.[1] It was thanks to successful Irish land owners that the Irish were able to thrive in the Australian economy, contributing largely to it. This essay will discuss two Irish landowners in South Australia, one of whom was successful, while the other was not as successful. However, it cannot be denied that because of these two landlords, the town of Belfast, later known as Port Fairy, was able to successfully thrive thanks to the Irish contribution. The two landlords who will be discussed are James Atkinson originally from Armagh, and William Rutledge of Cavan. This essay will also briefly discuss one such farmer, Joseph Hammond, and his success on farming on these lands.
The essay will argue the case for the success of the Irish in the agricultural economy through a select number of primary sources such as James Atkinson’s own book, An account of the state of agriculture and grazing in New South Wales, which allows historians to get an insight to the different types of farming in Australia and how to manage the lands which were cultivated for farming. Other sources such as The Irish in Australia by James Hogan allows the reader to get an insight to the type of landowner James Atkinson actually was, and whether or not he was successful. It is through this source that it is understood why Rutledge was able to contribute to the success of Belfast in New South Wales. Finally, with the account of Joseph Hammond in
In the beginning of the settlement, land was quite easy to obtain for people. For example, in Australia, a ‘special survey’ was put in place, whereby people could obtain 5,000 acres of land at the price of £1 per acre. Those who already lived on the land found this to be a ridiculous idea, but nonetheless, many people gripped this opportunity as quick as they could. One such example of this is Irish attorney, James Atkinson. Atkinson was a notable figure around this area due to the fact that his special survey on 5,000 acres of land got approved despite the fact that the land he wanted was around a famous area: Port Fairy. Before being granted approval on his survey, many opposed the idea of him owning this land due to the fact that they believed that the harbour held many great opportunities. Despite this opposition, Atkinson came to own this land. One of the first things that James Atkinson did upon owning the land was naming it after Belfast in Ireland. He then subdivided the land, giving 4,000 acres over so that farming could be done upon it.[2] The land has often been regarded as “well cultivated land” which in turn caused it to be ideal for farming crops such as potatoes and wheat. The people of the town relied on this farming in Belfast as it allowed the town to progress economically as much as it did, often being referred to as the principal shipping port due to the fact that it was able to trade thanks to the port. Eighty six acres of the 4,000 acres for farming as divided by Atkinson had been giving for mainly cattle and sheep farming which furthered the economy in Belfast. Many of the men that Atkinson brought over were men from Munster and Connacht, not Ulster which was his hometown which can be seen as surprising. However, these men had undeniable skills in farming, thus Atkinson required them if he was going to have his farming land be successful in the long run. In fact, Irish farmers were often sought after in Australia for their skills, which Atkinson was fully aware of, henceforth his demand for men from Connacht and Munster.
Atkinson personally wrote a book detailing the agricultural aspects in New South Wales which was published in 1826 before Victoria was founded which is where his land would have been- in this book titled An account of the state of agriculture and grazing in New South Wales, he discusses the fact that he has many plans on the way in which crops should be planted and rotated every year; however, he admits that on his land he still has not had time to set out this plan but hopes to do so in the year or two following the publication of this book.[3] He states that his knowledge of the colony, having lived there, allows for him to create this book about the Agriculture in Australia so that he will be able to help future settlers in the “rising and interesting Colony”.[4] This shows that James Atkinson was quite able to contribute to the different types of farming in New South Wales, from crops to cattle. However, although Atkinson appeared to be a successful landowner in Australia contributing to the agricultural economy in New South Wales as depicted in his book, this was not always the case. Many years after the book was published, which some accounts argue was in 1844, and others say 1851, also displaying the importance of this land, was the fact that William Rutledge of Rutledge & Co. purchased half of the land from Atkinson. At this time, Atkinson was also beginning to come under scrutiny by those he leased land out to due to the fact that he was essentially an absentee landlord at this time. Not many people were particularly eager to have an absentee landlord, and it was referred to as Atkinson planting an “evil seed” on the tenants on his land in Belfast. He was often called selfish by people due to the high prices he wanted to sell his land at.[5] This would turn people off from paying for land from James Atkinson, thus ruining the agricultural economy in this part of New South Wales. Despite this however, it was said that Belfast was “making way”. Although it can be argued that it was not for William Rutledge, from Cavan Ireland, the land of Belfast, later known as Port Fairy, may not have succeeded as it eventually did.
The business that Rutledge did in Belfast was called a “prosperous one” due to the success he had there.[6] Originally, the idea for the land which James Atkinson had acquired, was that the two of them, that being Atkinson and Rutledge, would gather this land and lease it to Irish immigrants. However, as stated above, the land was given to Atkinson; Rutledge was given land in Kilmore instead at this time. There he advertised the land to appeal to Irish settlers and used the land for potato farming. In 1843, Rutledge came to Port Fairy where he began to manage the town, paying Atkinson sums of money that was made with the letting of the land.[7] However, eventually Rutledge began to sell the land in small allotments which allowed those who already leased land under Atkinson to become independent freeholders. Under Rutledge as landlord, the people of Belfast were able to stop paying thousands for an absentee landlord which allowed the town to profit and greatly improve overall. In the same year that Rutledge was said to have come into management of Belfast (1851), there is an account of Joseph Hammond who was one of the many farmers on the privately-owned land. He claims that they got more in Australia than they would have got back home in Ireland. Joseph Hammond was paying four times less than what his family were paying back home in Armagh in Ireland. Plus, Hammond was able to get 100 acres, whereas his father owned eighty seven acres back in Armagh. Hammond used his land for cattle farming.[8] Overall, this shows that there were far more opportunities over in Australia for farming, thus they could contribute to the economy better. Thanks to the management of Rutledge, although Atkinson was still present in owning the lands, Hammond and his family were able to make a better life for themselves allowing for their farming contribution in Belfast.
It is clear to see why there was often advertisements for the Irish to come over and farm in this new Colony. Although completely different to what they knew back home, the Irish saw the appeal of the land in Australia. When easy to access, Irish landowners grabbed at the opportunity to cultivate the land into something successful. As seen with the example of James Atkinson who was able to obtain 5,000 acres of land at a reasonable price thanks to the Special Surveys, Irish landowners were keen on using this land to contribute to the agricultural economy over in Australia. Although James Atkinson showed much ambition at first in the new Colony and its many prospects, he ultimately became an absentee landlord which the people of Belfast did not like. Due to this, Atkinson was not able to contribute to the agricultural economy as well as he should have. In his absence, William Rutledge came into management of the lands of Belfast which allowed the land to succeed further. One example of a farmer on these lands, Joseph Hammond, is the perfect example to show that these lands were able to succeed thanks to Irish landowners and Irish farmers. For years Irish farmers were sought after as seen in newspapers from this time and it can be seen from this essay with the examples given that it is clear why.[9] Conclusively, Australia was able to thrive in the agricultural economy thanks to the aid of the Irish.
Bibliography
Primary:
Atkinson, James, An account of the state of agriculture and grazing in New South Wales (London, 1887).
Hogan, James Francis, The Irish in Australia (London, 1887) pp 115-6.
The Australiasian, 3 June 1876.
The Carcoar Chronicle, 12 August 1882.
Secondary:
Campbell, Malcolm, Ireland’s Furthest Shores: Irish Immigrant Settlement in Nineteenth-Century California and Eastern Australia (USA, 2002).
Campbell, Malcolm, ‘The Other Immigrants: Comparing the Irish in Australia and the United States’ Spring 2000, Journal of American Ethnic History (http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.lib.ul.ie/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=9506040101&site=ehost-live) (21 March 2018).
Fitzpatrick, David, Oceans of Consolation: Personal accounts of Irish Migration to Australia (UK, 1994), pp 362-4.
O’Farrell, Patrick James, The Irish in Australia (Australia, 1987).
Reece, Bob, The Irish in Western Australia (Nedlands, 2000).
[1] Campbell, Malcolm, ‘The Other Immigrants: Comparing the Irish in Australia and the United States’ Spring 2000, Journal of American Ethnic History (http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy.lib.ul.ie/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=9506040101&site=ehost-live) (21 March 2018).
[2] Hogan, James Francis, The Irish in Australia, (London, 1887) pp 115-6.
[3] James Atkinson, An account of the state of agriculture and grazing in New South Wales (London, 1887) pp 28-30.
[4] James Atkinson, An account of the state of agriculture, p. VI.
[5] Patrick James O’Farrell, The Irish in Australia (New South Wales, 1987), pp 124-125.
[6] The Australiasian, 3 June 1876.
[7] Patrick James O’Farrell, The Irish in Australia, p. 124.
[8] David Fitzpatrick, Oceans of Consolation: Personal accounts of Irish Migration to Australia (UK, 1994), pp 362-4.
[9] The Carcoar Chronicle, 12 August 1882.
Irish Aussies: historical perspectives 