James Ainslie (pastoralist)

James Ainslie
Born	1787 Sprouston, Roxburghshire, Scotland
Died	11 April 1844 (aged 60)
Spouse(s)	Betty Catteral (1818–1821; her death) Jya Ngambri (1825–1835; he left)
Children	James Ainslie b. 1820 Ju Nin Mingo (or Nanny) b. 1827

Betty Catteral (1818–1821; her death)

James Ainslie b. 1820

James Ainslie (1787–1844) was a Scottish shepherd, best known as the first overseer of the property known as Duntroon in the Australian Capital Territory. During his time on the Limestone Plains he is said to have had a relationship with an Aboriginal woman. After 10 years at Duntroon, Ainslie returned to Scotland and after numerous offences committed suicide in jail in 1844.

The suburb Ainslie, originally a part of Duntroon, is named after James Ainslie, as is Mount Ainslie.

James Ainslie was born in Roxburghshire Scotland (at the Scottish Borders) in 1787. He married Betty Catteral in Rufford, Lancashire in 1818.

The couple had a son in 1820, also named James Ainslie. Before their child's first birthday, Betty died age 25.

Leaving his son behind, James Ainslie traveled to New South Wales, Australia in the ship Admiral Cockburn, arriving in February 1825. He was recruited by Robert Campbell in 1825 to establish a sheep station in the Limestone Plains of New South Wales. On his way from Bathurst to find an appropriate site for a sheep station, Ainslie and his convict labourers came across a terrified group of Aboriginal Australians near Booroowa. It is said that the Indigenous people had never seen sheep or white people before and believing Ainslie to be a dead spirit "sacrificed" a woman to him, who they had earlier "stolen" from down on the Yass plains. Ainslie was guided to the south-east by that woman and established Campbell's property, later named Duntroon in the area of present-day Canberra.

...
Wikipedia