John macarthur wool pioneer biography samples

British Army officer, entrepreneur, landowner and politician

John Macarthur (1767 – 11 April 1834) was a British Army officer, entrepreneur, landowner and politician who was a highly influential figure in the establishment of the colony of New South Wales. He was also a pioneer of the Australian Merino wool industry, and was instrumental in agitating for, and organising, a rebellion against Governor William Bligh (now known as the Rum Rebellion) in January 1808.

Early life

John Macarthur was born at Stoke Damerel near Plymouth, England in 1767. His exact date of birth is unknown, but his baptism was registered on 3 September 1767. He was the second son of Alexander Macarthur, who had fled Scotland to the West Indies after the Jacobite rising of 1745 before returning to Plymouth to work as a linen draper and mercer.

In 1782, John Macarthur was commissioned as an ensign in Fish's Corps, a regiment of the British Army formed to serve in the American War of Independence. The war ended before the regiment was ready to sail and was disbanded in 1783. On half-pay, Macarthur went to live on a farm near Holsworthy in Devon, where he became interested in 'rural occupations' and contemplated a career in law. Instead, in April 1788, Macarthur returned to full-pay army duties, securing a commission as an ensign in the 68th Regiment of Foot, stationed at Gibraltar. In that same year, he married Elizabeth Veale of Bridgerule near Holsworthy.

New South Wales Corps

In June 1789, Macarthur secured a lieutenancy with the New South Wales (NSW) Corps, a regiment formed to serve at the recently established convict outpost of Sydney. According to his wife, he had the "expectation of reaping the most material advantages" of being attached to an army regiment in the new colony. It has also been argued that he was driven by a desire to escape the financial and social embarrassment of being the son of a tailor.

The S

This article is about the Australian pioneer. For other uses, see John MacArthur.

John Macarthur (1767 – 10 April 1834) was a British army officer, entrepreneur, politician, architect and pioneer of settlement in Australia. Macarthur is recognised as the pioneer of the wool industry that was to boom in Australia in the early 19th century and become a trademark of the nation. He is noted as the architect of Farm House, his own residence in Parramatta, and as the man who commissioned architect John Verge to design Camden Park Estate in Camden, in New South Wales. He was instrumental in agitating for, and organising, a rebellion against the colonial government in what is often described as the Rum Rebellion.

Early and personal life[]

Macarthur was born near Plymouth, England the second son of Alexander Macarthur, who had fled to the West Indies after the Jacobite rising of 1745 before returning and working as a linen draper and 'seller of slops', according to some accounts. His exact date of birth is unknown, but it is known that his birth was registered on 3 Sep

John Macarthur (1767 – 10 April 1834) was a British army officer, entrepreneur, politician, architect and pioneer of settlement in Australia. Macarthur is recognised as the pioneer of the wool industry that was to boom in Australia in the early 19th century and become a trademark of the nation. He is noted as the architect Farm House, his own residence in Parramatta, and as the man who commissioned architect John Verge to design Camden Park Estate in Camden, in New South Wales.

Early life

Macarthur was born near Plymouth, England the second son of Alexander Macarthur, who had fled to the West Indies after the Jacobite rising of 1745 before returning and working as a linen draper and 'seller of slops', according to some accounts. His exact date of birth is unknown, but it is known that his birth was registered on 3 September 1767.

He spelled his surname "M'Arthur" for most of his life. He often varied it to "MacArthur". The spelling "Macarthur" (with a lower case "a") became established only very late in his life.

Personal life

John and Elizabeth Macarthur married on October 1788 and they subsequently sailed to the new colony after John joined the New South Wales Corps in 1789. Elizabeth gave birth to a daughter on the voyage to the new colony but the baby did not survive. John and Elizabeth Macarthur parented four sons: John, Edward, James (1798) and William (1800), the later two being born at Elizabeth Farm.

Military career

In 1789, John Macarthur was commissioned as an ensign in Fish's Corps, a regiment of the British Army formed to serve in the American War of Independence. The war ended before the regiment was ready to sail and was disbanded in 1783. On half-pay, Macarthur went to live on a farm near Holsworthy in Devon, where he eviden

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Production Notes:

The Index to Letters and General Index have been added to the Table of Contents. A few obvious typographical errors have been corrected. Most of the punctuation remains unchanged, as do the missing apostrophes. Captions of several illustrations have been expanded in the body of the work.

SOME EARLY RECORDS

OF THE

MACARTHURS OF CAMDEN

JOHN MACARTHUR.

EDITED BY

SIBELLA MACARTHUR ONSLOW

SYDNEY
ANGUS & ROBERTSON LTD.
89 CASTLEREAGH STREET
1914

Printed by

W. C. Penfold & Co. Ltd., 183 Pitt Street, Sydney

for

Angus & Robertson Ltd.


London: The Oxford University Press

Amen Corner, E.C.

DEDICATION

In editin