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"James Payten of Woodbine" by Verlie Fowler |
By Verlie Fowler
Copyright © 2005 Campelltown & Airds Historical Society Inc. All rights reserved.
(extracts from article published in "Grist Mills" Vol. 1 No. 6 & Vol 2 No. 1, Oct 1983 & Feb. 1984)
[In 1983 Sara Payten lent the 1869, 1875 and 1889 Diaries of James Payten and other family papers to Verlie Fowler, who subsequently penned an article based on the diaries and papers provided by Miss Payten.]
Nathanial Payten won a respected place in Parramatta society, being associated with many important building projects, most in partnership with architect James Houison.
Nathanial and his wife Susannah had eleven children. Two of their sons married daughters of Thomas Rose. Edward Payten wed Hannah Rebecca Rose and James Payten exchanged marriage vows with Sarah Elizabeth Jane Rose at St Mary the Virgin Chapel, Denham Court in 1866.
In 1873 whilst living at "Leppington Hall", James Payten acquired "Woodbine", which would remain the Payten family home for almost a century. Woodbine had a frontage to Campbelltown Road (earlier known as Liverpool or Sydney Road). After the RTA rerouted a section of Campbelltown Road immediately north of Morgan's Gate Bridge, the old road was renamed Hollylea Road.
But to commence our story, we go back to the year 1855 when "Rose Cottage" became the home of Sarah Rose, widow of Thomas Rose of "Mount Gilead". The land attached to Rose Cottage was 76 acres and this was the farm that was later known as Woodbine.
When Sarah's son Alfred Rose acquired Rose Cottage in 1867, he purchased not only the house and its 76 acres but also its furniture, china, glassware, books, cattle, horses, carriages, farming implements, coach house utensils, etc. Alfred Rose also owned Boloco Station, Dalgety. He was a lawyer by profession.
The diaries of James Payten give an insight into not only the Payten family but also the times during which they lived.
The diaries recall James used to join Alfred Rose on shooting and fishing expeditions.
The 1869 diary records frequent visits to Alfred Rose and his mother at "Rose Cottage"; "went to Campbelltown in carriage"; "went to Campbelltown in dogcart". On 23rd February James "papered room for Mrs Rose".
Visits to Parramatta were also frequent.
4th Feb: "Received 2 cases fruit from Woolpack and a keg of brandy from Williams".
7th Feb: "Nat and Betsy drove from Parramatta and returned". (Nat Payten Jnr, brother of James, had become licensee of the famous Woolpack Hotel.)
In 1869 James Payten was doing business with Campbelltown butcher Dan Fowler, buying and selling cattle and sheep.
17th Feb: "sold Dan Fowler 2 cows @ £3 per head & bought from him 21 sheep at 4/-". (£3 is now $6. 4/- was 4 shillings, now 40 cents.)
A few dramas are recorded in the diaries. Following two days of heavy rain in May 1869: "Jim the butcher washed horse and cart and all down the creek. Horse saved."
The Goulburn Railway was opened on 27th May 1869. "Goulburn Railway opened. Alfred & I went. Alfred went to Wingello & I home". (Edward and Hannah Payten lived at Wingello and visits to and from Wingello were often.)
Sarah, widow of Thomas Rose, passed away on 20th June, 1869.
A lucky escape was recorded on 7th September, when: "Buchanan child fell out of train. Not much hurt".
31st Dec: "Alfred & I to Campbelltown. Propose opening the season. Shooting tomorrow at Tom Bull's".
After Rose Cottage passed to James Payten in 1873, Alfred Rose continued to live there with his brother-in-law, sister and family.
Much of the 1875 diary of James Payten is taken up with entries about ploughing and harrowing, planting of crops, fencing and general farm management.
Feb. 24: "Sowed Cape Barley for green-stuff - also mangold wurtzel. George also ploughing for turnips."
Mar. 2: "Grass & crop growing wonderfully."
Mar. 3: "George & I ploughed a furrow along fence on the hill to make it sheep proof."
Mar. 4: "Dressed sheep's feet - a few cases foot-rot." "George & I repaired and enlarged calf pen."
Between the old mill built by John Keighran and Woodbine homestead an orchard was planted; fruit included apples, quinces, plums, almonds, walnuts and figs.
Mar. 12: "Took peaches & quinces to Mrs Dwyer. Sent box jam to Wingello."
Easter Monday: "Alfred & I shot 3 snipe, 1 bittern at Narellan. Afterwards went to Narellan Races."
Mar. 30: "Went to Denham Court. Elected Church Warden."
Apr. 24: "The hounds met at C'town. Went to see them start."
The diary continues recording day-to-day routine of ploughing, harrowing and rolling paddocks in readiness for planting various crops. Carting and spreading manure, fathering firewood, picking corn, mending fences and gates, tending stock - these were just some of the many tasks which kept James and his workman George ever busy.
Apr 21: "I clipped Quince hedge."
May 21: "George and I went to Harrington Park for hurdles - brought one load 43 hurdles."
Jun 7: "Flood pretty high - about a foot in the barn." (The Bow Bowing Creek had broken its banks again.)
Jun 24: Photographer took views of the house etc." (The photographer was Edward Holledge.)
Jul 9: "Alfred and I went to Sydney. Attended sale of Lincoln & Leicester sheep. Bought 2 half bred Lincoln for £1 (wethers)."
Jul 13: "Let Shaughnessy agistment in mill paddock 1/0d. per week."
Jul 15: "Harris and I nailed up doors and windows in old Mill." (This was the steam flour mill built by John Keighran).
Jul 16: "Put notice up at the old Mill."
Jul. 21: "Alfred, P. Hurley, Ferguson and I went to Larkin's, Appin, for wallabies - got none." (Edward Larkin owned Windmill Hill at Appin.)
Jul. 23: "I finished putting hurdles between me and Ray, to secure sheep. Killed a sheep for Trip."
Jul. 29: "Cut and tailed 19 lambs. Tally 21."
Jul. 31: "George for firewood and carting manure to the asparagus bed. A. Fowler came for some hay. Sheep got into Ray's oats."
Aug. 7: "Killed Buffalo cow weighing 595 lb."
Aug 9: ""Salted beef. Sent ¼ beef to Wingello."
Aug 10: "Alfred, Ferguson and I went to Georges River - shot 2 rock wallabies."
One of Alfred Rose's favourite pastimes was fishing. From the diary we learn that two good locations for fishing were Menangle and Robin Hood (the latter presumably being the creek near Robin Hood inn.
Aug. 11: "Alfred grafting peaches."
Aug 14: "Sarah, children and I went to the river for lilies, stag-horns, etc."
Aug 16: "Put in 100 cabbage plants. Made some cases for fruit."
Aug. 19: "Made kennel for dogs. Trip commenced fencing on hill." (The Payten family was devoted to its dogs - pointers and setters.)
Aug. 21: "Prepared cases for sending fruit to Sydney (oranges)."
Aug. 23: "Picked oranges for Sydney."
Aug. 24: "Took cases oranges to the Station."
Aug. 25: "Children went to Circus."
Later in August, Dr Muller, a close friend of Alfred Rose, passed away. Muller and Rose had been bailed up by a bushranger whilst riding together down at Wingello some years previously. A bookcase and saddles belong to Dr Muller were brought back to Woodbine a few weeks after his burial.
Sep. 20: "George ploughing in the garden. Broke the plough - took it to Parker's to be mended." (Parker was a blacksmith.)
Sep. 24: "George carted 10 loads of gravel to the front and I spread and raked it."
In late September 1875, as farmers anxiously searched the skies for rain clouds, a special church service for rain was held. James continued planting seed, hoping for rain.
Sep. 29: "Planted some pumpkins, cucumbers, water melons, rock melons."
Oct. 2: "J. Melville came up - gave an estimate for painting house. Agreed for £12."
Oct. 4: "Turned old kitchen into dairy."
The drought continued and by mid-November James was writing "Carting water - tank nearly empty."
Nov. 22: "I commenced shearing. Did 13."
The Georges River was a popular place to visit and during November James took his children to the river to escape the oppressive heat. In 1876 the Reverend Thomas Alkin arrived in Campbelltown as Rector of St Peter's Church of England, bringing with him a keen interest in botany. Alkin formed the Campbelltown Botanical Collecting Society, whose members included Alfred Rose, James Payten and others. Members of the Botanical Collecting Society explored bushland along the Georges River, studying the native flora. James Payten's son Alfred won book prizes for collecting specimens of wildflowers.
The children of James and Sarah Payten - Alfred, James, Percy, Arthur, Herbert and Rose - shared their father's enthusiasm for sporting activities. The spacious lawns of Woodbine provided a perfect location for a family game of cricket. Later the Payten sons demonstrated their cricketing prowess in matches played on The Green (now Mawson Park) in Campbelltown and at Camden.
James Payten was a man of deep religious conviction. He maintained that there were certain activities one did not do on Sundays. Playing marbles was one of them, as his sons were reminded when caught red-handed one Sunday.
Young Alfred Payten attended Campbelltown Public School for a time and was later transferred to Sydney Grammar School. His brothers attended The King's School at Parramatta. James was determined to provide his children the best education possible.
Entries in the 1889 Diary of James and Sarah Payten indicate James was no longer so reliant upon the assistance of paid labour as son Percy was old enough to shoulder some of the responsibility for farm management. Another son, Alfred Rose Payten, had been indentured to a Sydney architect in 1885 with his apprenticeship to be completed at the end of 1889.
Sheep, cattle and pigs were being fattened on Woodbine for sale to local butchers such as James Wilson, whose butcher's shop stood just north of the then Post and Telegraph Office in Queen Street, Campbelltown.
Jan. 9: "Sold Wilson 16 sheep - 14 at 10/-, 2 at 12/-."
Jan. 11: "Sarah went to Mrs Kidd's to arrange about the banquet at the opening of the new Court House." (The Hon. John Kidd and his wife Sophia lived at "Blair Athol".)
Jan. 19: "Attended the Banquet at the opening of the new Court House, Campbelltown." (The banquet was held in the Court House.)
Jan. 30: "Took Herby to King's School." (Herbert was a son.)
Jan. 31: Alfred and the boys and I went to Menangle for the night with the nets."
Feb. 1: "Returned from Menangle at 9 o'clock. Caught 16 mullet and perch and some herrings."
Feb. 2: "Man cutting up currant vines in the creek."
Feb. 4: "Alfred, the boys and I went to Menangle for the night. Forgot the tent. Made a substitute. It rained most of the night."
Feb. 6: "Sarah went with Mrs Moore (Badgally) to the opening of King's School Chapel. Attended Church Wardens' meetoing at Barker's."
On February 21 James and friends went to Glenlee and Taber's property where they shot 7 hares.
Feb. 23: "Alfred went to Manly on the invitation of Mr Gore." (A. J. Gore was the Manager of the Commercial Bank.)
On 27, 28 and 29 February James Payten and his son Percy carted manure for the garden which James ploughed, harrowed and sowed with barley.
On March 7, James Payten visited a Sydney doctor because of an eye infection. For the next few months he would have to make a succession of similar visits to doctors in Sydney. Occasionally the eye infection seemed to improve, but inevitably it turned for the worse again. During these worrying times, many friends came to visit James and Sarah at Woodbine, including the Rev. and Mrs Alkin, Mr & Mrs Kidd, Mrs Moore, Mr and Mrs John Davies of "Holly Lea", P. Hurley, Mrs Park and Mrs E. Fieldhouse.
About this time Sarah took up writing in the diary.
Apr. 3: "Went to meeting about Bazaar."
Apr. 19: "Alf went into Camp with the Mounted Infantry."
May 1: "Went to see Mrs Rudd and Mrs Fowler. Both have pretty girl babies."
May 9: "Went to Sydney. Got Bazaar goods."
May 10: "Mounted Infantry Ball." (Captain Antill was one of the official party.)
May 15: "Mrs Kidd and Mrs Fowler came with Bazaar goods."
May 18: Bazaar. Took £35 on our table.
Tragedy struck in June. James's eye was so badly infected that doctors recommended removal of his eye and the operation was duly carried out. Again, friends and relatives rallied round.
Jun. 28: "Complimentary Ball to Mr & Mrs Fowler."
James and Sarah travelled to Goulburn on 14 August and a noticeably different hand wrote underneath the diary entry "Percy boss!"
A week later Hannah and Edward Payten returned with James and Sarah to Woodbine. James gradually recuperated and once again took up writing in the diary.
Oct 9: "Sarah and I went to hear Dr Jeffries lecture 'Destruction of Pompeii'."
Oct. 11: "Alfred Sarah and I went to Gosford, thence by steamer to Sydney. Got stuck in the bar and had rather a rough passage."
Later that month James Payten and Alfred Rose left for New Zealand. Sarah wrote: "Got a letter from James. All good news. They were as far as Auckland."
On his return, James again took up the diary: "Alfred and I returned overland from Melbourne and New Zealand. Stayed a night in Goulburn on our way."
Nov. 22: Agreed with a man to shear the sheep, also with Selems to cut the wheat which is very rusty." (Most local farmers had given up growing wheat after rust destroyed crops in the 1860s.)
Dec. 12: "Sarah went to Sydney for Christmas supplies."
Dec. 13: "Sent return to Stock Chief Inspector. Horses 7, Cattle 15, Sheep 33, Pigs 8."
James Payten died on 3 December 1890, aged 56.
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