A LIFE HISTORY OF A " GENTLEMAN FARMER"

This history of Alexander Cunningham McClymont was compiled by Lesley Cowper in the months since the reunion, as she gathered more information from members of the family. The photo of very early " Manuka" has only recently come to light and it is interesting to see that "the gentleman farmer" had a lot of work to do at that time to create "Manuka" and its garden as we have seen it in many of the subsequent family photos.

Alexander Cunningham McClymont

Born at Castle Douglas, Buittle Parish Kirkudbrightshire, south-west Scotland, and baptised 9.7.1838 at Cuil farm, the second son of Thomas McClymont b 8.2.1807 Ayr, Straiton d. 26.11.1852 and Ann Cunningham b Wigton, Glenluce 1.2.1810 d. 10.10.1887 He had an older brother James b 3.11.1834, and younger siblings, Thomas b 24.1.1843 d 2.2.1846 aged 3, and Agnes Jane b 9.6.1846 d.21.12.1921 in Edinburgh, and George McTaggart McClymont b 16.8.1848 d 11.3.1876 aged 27 in London. His father was a farmer of 330 acres employing 9 labourers at Cuil farm, Buittle Parish, Kirkudbrightshire.

In the 1851 census of Scotland, Alexander, known as Sandy, was staying in the house of his uncle George and aunt Eliza McTaggart, sister of his mother. George was a farmer of 500 acres at Overlaw farm, Rerrick Parish, Kirkudbrightshire.

Counting back, Alexander, aged 18, and his older brother James, aged 22, arrived in Victoria, Australia about 1856. His death certificate says that he lived in Victoria for 5 years. The story that we grew up with was that the two brothers went to the goldfields in Victoria where they had a horse that pulled up the earth from the mine, and on a whistle from one of the brothers it would step smartly sideways and empty the load in the appropriate place. Years later the brothers saw this old horse again, pulling a baker’s cart, laden with bread. To make sure it was the same horse, they gave a whistle and the old horse stepped smartly sideways, unloading the bread in the street!

About 1861 Alexander, and presumably his brother James, went to Port Chalmers, New Zealand as goldminers, and were at Tuapeka goldfields near Lawrence. Alexander lived in NZ for 14 years and farmed near Invercargill right at the south of the South Island.

6.9.1865 Alexander married Isabella McKinnon in the house of her mother Flora nee Cameron in the Waimatuku district, NZ. Isabella’s father, Neil McKinnon had died in 1860 shortly after settling there on the farm. Alexander was aged 27 and had been living at Riverton in NZ for 5 years. Isabella was aged 18 and had been living at Riverton for 5 years also.

The 1869-70 Electoral Roll for Riverton shows:

McCLYMONT, Alexander Cunningham/Riverton/freehold/(1) Section 18, block 6 Riverton (2) 360 acres upper Ford, Jacob’s River Hundred (3) 200 acres block 4, Jacob’s River Hundred.

1870-71 same, 72-73 same minus “Section 18, block 6”

1875-76 no trace

Two other McClymonts owning land in the vicinity were

Gilbert/Invercargill/Mataura Hundred

James/Heddon Bush/Homestead on Run No 135, Oreti District.

In “Records of Early Riverton and District” “Fairview” was originally a large and rich farm of mixed terrace and river flat, first owned by a man named McClymont who went to Australia.

Alexander and Isabella’s children were born:

1866 Thomas Neill in Riverton NZ b. 16.6.1866 d. 3.6.1932 bd Warialda

1868 Samuel Cameron, Riverton NZ b. 24.2.1868 d. 15.11.1924 Qld Reg

1869 James, Riverton NZ b.16.8.1869 d.20.4.1949 bd Inverell

1870 George McTaggart, Riverton NZ b.29.11.1870 d.10.9.1945 bd Inverell

1872 Ann Cunningham, The Mains NZ b.4.6.1872 d.28.3.1951 Bondi

1874 Flora, Riverton NZ b.22.9.1874 d 17.6.1958 Qld Reg

15 Feb 1875 Mr A and Mrs McClymont and 6 children were passengers (cabin) on the Macedon from Port of Melbourne to Sydney. As his brother James was married in Kirkudbright 9 March 1875 it is presumed they left NZ about the same time.

1876 Isabella b Warialda d 14.5.1959 Chatswood bd Inverell

1878 Mary Jane d.2.5.1938 Inverell

1880 Alexander b.20.4.1880 d.11.11.1949 bd Longreach

1882 Robert b.5.3.1882 d.25.11.1956 Coolangatta

1884 Hugh b.10.1.1884 Inverell d 3.2.1947 Qld Reg

1885 Agnes b 13.10.1885 d.2.7.1940 Qld Reg bd Inverell

1887 Archibald b.27.8.1887 d. 29.8.1953 Qld Reg bd Inverell

1893 Norman Clarence b.19.10.1893 Inverell d. 4.7.1970 Inverell

Alexander grew the first wheat in the Inverell district. “In 1896 the largest crop grower in the Inverell district was AC McClymont of Manuka, Little Plain, with 215 hectares. Forty hectares were usually regarded as all that one man and team could cultivate, so larger areas could be worked only by using several teams of horses.” Later Norman was the horsetailer feeding 110 horses.

Manuka was part of the holding of Myall Creek. Alexander had been offered a block of 10,000 acres but he felt he could only handle 5,000 acres. The property was called Manuka after the dense scrub (tea-tree) they knew from Invercargill. Manuka had an extensive garden and a gardener from amongst the Morrow men who looked after Manuka during the war years for Agnes and Isa.

It seems Alexander was of short and stocky stature and sandy complexion. He was a champion weightlifter in NZ. He built the hall at Mt Russell for the recreation of his employees. He had wanted to be a doctor but lack of education prevented that so he was a great reader. He liked to read half the night and would spend the night on the old couch that was on the verandah at Manuka.

29 November 1900 Alexander passed away at Manuka aged 62 years. Apparently he went down to the farm to watch stooks of hay being loaded onto a wagon. He picked up a fork and threw a few up himself, had a heart attack and died there and then. His youngest child was 7 years old and the eldest 34. Cause of death was given as ‘dilatation of the heart and aorta with fatty depositions on the heart’. He is buried in the Presbyterian section of the Inverell Cemetery.