Not all Rowland’s interests were concerned with his mission as a preacher. He had a growing family and assigned servants to support and, although he had the 100-acre land grant at Dundas – to which he added 60 acres – it seems that he did not devote much time to it personally as far as cultivation was concerned. In 1801 his sole stock consisted of two horses, five sheep, two goats and one hog, hardly enough to support his dependants.
He, like others in the colony, was struggling to make ends meet and he was one of a group of settlers to petition Governor Hunter in January 1800 to maintain the price of wheat at the level of the previous year and to establish a public store from which they may be supplied with “necessary articles of life”.
In September 1800, on the recommendation of Rev Samuel Marsden, Governor King appointed Rowland to the charge of the granary at Parramatta which were in rooms owned by John Jamieson, and the stores at Toongabbie, as government storekeeper. This lasted only two years because he was dismissed for “not having discovered the constant frauds practised by repeated Forgeries of the Deputy Commissary of Parramatta’s initials to obtain wheat from His Majesty’s stores…”
He moved from his temporary residence at George Barrington’s and established a general store of his own at Parramatta. According to his grandson, Rev James S. Hassall, Rowland Hassall: “… was the first to import wax headed dolls -from England and they created quite a sensation with people travelling from all parts to get them. They sold at £1 per doll. He also imported the first privately owned piano.”
In 1804 his store was robbed, a nightsafe was removed and found later at the back of the property. Advertisements were placed in the Sydney Gazette for the restoration of the following articles, which give some indication of the goods which he sold:
- 21 Yards of Snuff or Salmon-coloured Kerseymere
- 11 Yards of Drab ditto
- 9 and a half Yards of White ditto
- 10 Pair of Waite cotton Hose
- 1 Piece of Book-Muslin
- 22 Yards of Cotton Lining
- 400 ditto of Riband of different colours
- 15 Purple and White Common Cotton Shawls
- 20 Large Shawls of different patterns
- About 24 Barcelona Silk Handkerchiefs
- Ditto 14 bird eye ditto
- 2 Black Plated Hats
- 3 White with Green-under ditto
- 5 Diaper Table Cloths
- 11 ditto Napkins
A reward of ten pounds sterling was offered.
Unfortunately, this was not the last of Rowland’s problems with the store, which was a regular target for robbery and forged promissory notes by the convicts. On one occasion, reported in the May 1807 Sydney Gazette, an intruder tried to enter by the chimney before the family had even gone to bed and fled when challenged.
One of the activities Rowland was involved in was to sell Old Port Wine in bottles and two casks of Port Wine belonging to Captain William Kent of the Royal Navy – an important transaction in a colony which relied on the bartering of rum as currency. He also became an agent and bought and sold properties as well as managing the property of Governor and Mrs King, which was done so well that Surgeon Harris wrote to King to say that Hassall and Hayes, his co-manager, were doing well: “I have every reason to be perfectly satisfied with their conduct and attention to your interest”.
Rowland acted as administrator of the estate of Edward Larkham and also managed Rev Samuel Marsden’s property and interests when he was overseas. In fact Rowland was very disturbed by the departure of Marsden and his family and dreaded the prospect of losing his “best and dearest friends in the Colony”. When the Marsdens returned, Rowland met the ship, Ann, on 27 February 1810, made arrangements for the landing of their luggage and had £34 in cash for their immediate needs. He had spent £6 in repairing their house in Parramatta and their affairs had prospered while he was managing them.
Even by 1804 Rowland was doing so well that his father, James, in England, who had heard of his progress from a visitor, wrote with wonder that he understood: “that you keep a Carriage, and deal in all sorts of Cloth, Silks, Rum, Brandy, Liquors, and in short everything but Bread… that the weekly return of your business amounted to £100. That you was grown very fat – All these things gave me great pleasure to hear of, particularly of your regularity in keeping the Sabbath very strict”.
In 1804 the Irish convict rebellion touched the lives of many people in the colony. Rowland went to preach at Castle Hill and noted that all seemed quiet but when the rebellion started W. Pascoe Crook and his family and Mr Joyce all sought refuge at the Hassall home. Mrs Hassall remained at the house with the children and the men went to help guard Parramatta Barracks until Major Johnston arrived with his troops.
Later, Mary Hassall recalled the saga when, as a four year-old, she was woken from sleep and bustled out into the dark and up to the Barracks with the other women and children. At the time she recalled being very excited by all the bright flares of torches and people shouting. Rowland and Mr Crook went out into the night with their fowling pieces to defend the family but when the convicts’ plans went wrong and they didn’t attack Parramatta at all, they were spared the difficulty of having to shoot anybody.
Wool Growing
Rowland began to experiment with wool growing, again with the assistance of Rev Samuel Marsden and George Barrington, who supplied him with stock. Though his efforts were largely unheralded, there is no doubt that Rowland played a large part in the establishment of the Australian wool industry – perhaps as great as Marsden and even John Macarthur, whose flocks he tended when he was away in England. He ran his own sheep and those of other breeders around the Brickfields in Parramatta and at Baulkham Hills.
In July 1805, Governor King asked Marsden and Macarthur to compile a list of questions regarding sheep breeding and Rowland was one of the respondents. The questions and answers, provided three weeks later, were as follows:
- Have you any true bred Spanish Sheep in your flock?
- Do you endeavour to preserve the Spanish breed of Sheep pure and unmixed with other breeds?
“I have only to say that I have no true Spanish Sheep in my flock.” - What other Breed of Sheep have you that produce Fine Wool?
“I find that the cross breed betwixt the Spanish Ram and the Bengal Ewe produces tolerable good wool.” - What rams have you had in your Flocks and from whom and from what Country did you obtain them?
“I have one good ram of my own of the Cross Breed, and a Spanish Ram that Revd Mr Marsden was so kind as to lend me, and nearly the whole of the flock was purchased from the Revd Mr Marsden and the late Mr Barrington’s Flocks.” - Do you think breeding the Pure Spanish Sheep will be as profitable to you as if you bred other kinds?
“It is my opinion that the Cross Breed of the Spanish Ram and the bengal Ewe is most profitable as their wool is not of the worst quality, being hardy they will live where others will starve, they are generally good meat and their increase is also great. (For example) The Revd Mr Marsden about 26 months ago was good enough to let my daughter Mary have a small Bengal Ewe in exchange for a Wether Sheep and at this date the said Ewe has increased to eight in number and they are some of the best and healthiest sheep in the flock.” - Do you think the Wool of all kinds of Sheep improves in this colony?
“I cannot give any decided answer as the certain cares of a great family prevents general observations. Therefore must leave it to Gentlemen of more leisure and better judgement.” - How many sheep do you possess at this time?
“I have under my care 216 Male and Female Sheep – part belonging to Mr Edward Lamb part to myself and 15 of them to Mrs Kilpack.” - How long do you suppose it will be before your whole Flocks will be increased to twice their present number?
“This seems the most difficult to answer as the wet seasons, the dishonesty and carelessness of the Shepherds, the destruction that the Native Dogs often make, as well as many other causes that might be mentioned argues much against their increase. But as the question is only put on a supposition we may say from two to three years.” - What means have you adopted to improve the Carcase and Fleece of your Sheep?
“I just observe that to improve the fleece and size I have borrowed Rams from the Revd Mr Marsden’s Flocks which have had the desired effect. To improve their health and strength I removed the Sheep from the low grounds around the Brickfields Parramatta to Baulkham Hills but having no shed the weak Sheep with the Lambs that was yeaned, in the wet most of them died. And if I had not removed the Flock when I did from Parramatta I verily believe I should have lost them all as those low parts of land seem to abound with some kind of minerals that causes the water to be so brackish that it is neither good for Man nor Beast and has a great tendency to infect the Sheep with the Rot.”
Obviously, Rowland was a solid breeder and his answers were both informative and insightful. Notable was his terse response to question 6, where he appears to have a shot at those “Gentlemen” who merely appeared to be experts. It is worth noting also that the Pure Spanish Sheep referred to was the Spanish Merino and the Cross Breed that Rowland was working on became the staple Merino of the Australian wool industry.
Land Grants
By 1808 Rowland had acquired 1300 acres of land, including a grant of 400 acres on the Nepean at Camden which he called Macquarie Grove, now the site of Camden airport and where Hassall Cottage still exists. Rowland’s farm management skills were shown with his movement of flocks and assessment of water and it was not surprising that he was given the care of others’ flocks. It was clear that Rowland had learned a great deal about sheep farming and was using his knowledge and observations to good effect.
In 1809 he even expanded into horse breeding, having established stables which were also used for Sunday and Friday evening religious services. He had a three year-old stallion named Northumberland’s Son with which he planned to service 40 mares in a season at three pounds each.
Many of these commercial activities were frowned on by his former preaching companion, William Pascoe Crook, who criticised Rowland for his entrepreneurial interests. He persisted, however, and by 1820 he held 3000 acres around Parramatta, Dundas, Prospect, Mulgrave Place and which included 400 acres at Cook and 400 acres at Bringelly – which Rowland had called Coventry after his birthplace.
In November 1810, the newly appointed Governor Macquarie made his first inspection of the interior of the colony and was accompanied at various times by Rowland. The first occasion was at the farm of Mrs King on South Creek, where Rowland acted as her agent looking after 700 head of horned cattle. In his diaries, Macquarie noted that they were “in very high condition”. Rowland returned to their camp, where he dined with the party before returning to Mrs King’s farm. Six days later he joined them again on the Hawkesbury River and accompanied the Governor on a tour of Seven Hills and Toongabbie while the rest of the party went by carriage back to Parramatta.
