Richard Rouse (1842-1903) was born at Guntawang near Gulgong, NSW, He was the oldest child of Edwin Rouse (1806-1862) and his wife Hannah Terry Hipkins (1819-1907) and was a grandson of Richard Rouse and Elizabeth nee Adams of Rouse Hill in the Parramatta district of New South Wales.
Richard was born on 2 January 1842 at Guntawang, near Gulgong, NSW, eldest son of Edwin Rouse, grazier. In 1861 he managed Guntawang, 1619 hectares on the Cudgegong River and inherited it on the death of his father in 1862. His first cousin, also named Richard, (son of George Rouse) was also a pastoralist and stud-breeder and ran the property named Biraganbil.
Richard married Charlotte Emily Barnard (1844-1902) in July 1865 in Hobart, Tasmania. Their children were:
- Mabel Digby - 1867-1937
- Ernest Edwin - 1868-1934
- Florence Amy - 1874-1961
- Stanley Barnard - 1870-1930
- Marian Emily - 1872-1952
- Winifred Viva - 1882-1883
Career
Richard bred pedigree carriage horses, cattle and merino sheep and Guntawang became noted for its lavish hospitality. He also held other properties. He was also the principal shareholder in the Guntawang Freehold Gold Mining Company. He represented Mudgee in Parliament 1876-77 and 1879. In 1895 he published The Australian Horse Trade, which stressed the breeding advantages of the ’Yorkshire coach-horse’ for the United Service Institution. Rouse was a magistrate and regularly sat on the bench. He was also mayor of Gulgong in 1876 and 1899-1903 and a member of the Union Club and first president of the Gulgong Turf Club in 1871.
Source: Monument Australia
Richard Rouse of Guntawang and his wife Charlotte Emily nee Barnard, around 1865
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The following carte-de-visite portrait seems to be from a suite of studio portraits of Edwin and Hannah's children taken at a single session in about 1866.
Richard Rouse (?), around 1866
Source: Sydney Living Museums
NEWS ITEMS
1894 - MUDGEE. Mr. Richard Rouse's CandidatureIn the Mudgee Town Hall on Friday evening, Mr. Richard Rouse, of Guntawang (who is contesting the Mludgee electorate as the chosen candidate of the protectionists), held a most successful meeting, the hall being well filled.
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Source: The Australian Star (Sydney, NSW : 1887 - 1909) Tue 3 Jul 1894 Page 6
1902 - Obituary. - MRS. R. ROUSE.
Last week our Gulgong correspondent reported the serious illness of Mrs. R. Rouse, of Guntawang, who was afterwards removed to Sydney for medical treatment, but we regret to say that her death occurred on Monday evening. The deceased lady, who was 58 years of age, was a sister of Dr. Barnard, who at one time practised at Gulgong, and had earned for herself the loving respect of all who knew her. On Wednesday morning the remains arrived in Mudgee, and the funeral took place at Guntawang. Deceased is survived by her husband and three sons, Messrs. Ernest, Frank, and Stanley Rouse, and one unmarried daughter. Our Gulgong correspondent writes:
"Quite a gloom was cast over the town on Tuesday morning when the news reached Gulgong that Mrs. R. Rouse, of Guntawang, had breathed her last. The deceased lady had been ailing for some time, and notwithstanding the skill of the best physicians in the State she succumbed. The late Mrs. Rouse will be greatly missed at Guntawang and Gulgong, as she was noted for kindly acts and for doing her best to relieve the suffering poor. Many telegrams and letters of condolence were sent to the bereaved husband and children, for whom the deepest sympathy is felt."
Source: Mudgee Guardian and North-Western Representative (NSW : 1890 - 1954) Thu 13 Feb 1902 Page 13
Rouse died at Guntawang on 2 March 1903, survived by three sons and a daughter. His estate was sworn for probate at over £12,400.
Richard Rouse headstone, Guntawang
Mr. Richard Rouse, of Guntawang, Mayor of Gulgong, died on Monday after a short illness. The deceased, who was 63 years of age, was a native of Rouse-Hill, near Windsor, where the family lived for many years.
The Guntawang Estate, which the late Mr Rouse managed for many years, was renowned for its high-class stock, especially blood horses, many sporting silk in Mr Rouse's name. In the western districts, the deceased was well known as a successful exhibitor, and did much towards raising the standard of stock in those parts. In this connection, the name of Rouse has bsen identified for the past 50 or 60 years in various parts of the State.
Mrs. Rouse predeceased her husband about twelve months ago, but a family of three sons and a daughter survive. A brother-in-law is Mr A. A. Dangar, of Barooma, Singleton, while there are three sisters residing in England.
Source: Singleton Argus (NSW : 1880 - 1954) Sat 7 Mar 1903 Page 5
Source: Singleton Argus (NSW : 1880 - 1954) Sat 7 Mar 1903 Page 5
The death is reported this week of Mr. Richard Rouse, of Guntawang. The deceased gentleman was a son of the late Mr. Edwin Rouse, of Rouse Hill, near Windsor, and was a Hawkesbury native.
In 1861, shortly after leaving school, he took charge of Guntawang, and had lived there ever since. His cousin, Mr. Richard Rouse (brother of Mrs. C. Beresford Cairnes, Parramatta), who added "junior" to his name to prevent confusion, about the same time went to Biraganbil, a neighbouring station. For the past 40 years the two cousins have been engaged in breeding high-class horses, cattle and sheep, and devoting their spare time principally to sport.
