Archibald Clunes Innes was born at Thrumster, Scotland in 1800.
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He joined the army in 1813 as an ensign in the 3rd regiment, served in the Peninsular War and had attained the rank of captain when he arrived in Sydney in 1822.
In 1824 and 1825, he served in Tasmania where he distinguished himself in catching escaped convicts and was appointed ADC to the Lieutenant Governor of NSW.
In 1826, he was appointed commandant at Port Macquarie and was promoted to rank of major.
In 1828, he resigned his commission and was appointed superintendent of police and magistrate at Port Macquarie.
The depression practically wiped out all of Innes’ assets and ruined his health.
In 1830, he became police magistrate at Port Macquarie where he was granted 2568 acres with contracts to supply the convict population with food and for this he was granted convict labour.
Innes named his grant “Lake Innes” and established a homestead there. At “Lake Innes” he produced the first sugar in Australia and also went in for sheep and cattle.
Seeing a future in the pastoral industry, he acquired stations throughout the north.
In New England he owned ‘Waterloo” in the Walcha district, “Kentucky” near Uralla, and “Furracabad” in the Glen Innes district.
As far as we know, Major Innes did not live in the Glen Innes area. He made “Lake Innes” his headquarters, employing managers on his properties.
The Deepwater Diary records Major Innes passing through Deepwater Station in the 1840s.
When he took possession of Furracabad Station he changed the name to Glen Innes.
Major Innes is credited with having a road built from Port Macquarie to New England.
The rural depression of the 1840s, when wool became valueless and sheep were being boiled down for tallow ruined Major Innes and his properties were taken over by the Bank of Australasia.
Archibald Mosman bought “Glen Innes” from the bank and when our town was established in 1854, Mosman suggested that the town be called Glen Innes and he reverted to “Furracabad” for the property.
The depression practically wiped out all of Innes’ assets and ruined his health.
Leaving Port Macquarie, he accepted an appointment as assistant gold commissioner and magistrate at Nundle and later police magistrate at Newcastle where he died in 1857.
Taken from Scottish Pioneers, by A. W. Cameron and Eve Chappell, 1996.
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