James Shearer and his family immigrated to South Australia, arriving at Adelaide on 6 February 1852.
James Liddle Shearer was born on the Orkney Island of Shapinsay on 24 March 1799 and married on 15 February 1837 to Frances Sketheway, born 8 April 1812. They left their home on the Orkney Island of Shapinsay and on11 November 1851 they boarded the barque Caucasian at Plymouth England, bound for South Australia.
The Shearer’s coming to South Australia and to South Rhine started way back in 1797 when a group of worshippers from Shapinsay regularly made the four mile sea journey from their home on Shapinsay to attend services at the Secession, or Dissenters’ church in Kirkwall on Mainland Orkney.
On Sunday 3 November 1822 several boats left Shapinsay to cross the water between Shapinsay & Mainland known as “The String”. There were 16 in one boat which capsized, 12 perished and only four were saved in the cold dark water of “The String”. Two of the four were James Shearer aged 23 years and his elder brother Thomas aged 25 years. From an early age James had been a member of the Secession Church and in 1831 was ordained as one of the first four elders of the newly form United Secession Congregation of Shapinsay. In common with all the elders of the new Kirk he received a summons of removal from Captain David Balfour (Laird of Shapinsay) in 1847 but presumably avoided eviction by writing a formal apology to the Laird. James and his younger brother Magnus (also an elder) were tenants of Roundabout, a farm which extended to 60 acres. Their reprieve however was short lived as in 1851 they were removed to work the much smaller farms of Hilton (12 acres) and Quoybanks (10acres). This further act of victimization was more than James was prepared to tolerate, so soon after, he decided to emigrate.
James, his wife Frances and their children Janet 13, Christina 9, Mary Trail 7, Frances 5 and James 2, arrived in South Australia where James found work as a dairy-hand for Thomas Matthews on his large estate. They spent their first night at the Windsor Hotel N.E. Road, Adelaide and the next day were taken to a rough hut on the South Rhine near the dairy. He later bought land in 1856 through which the Rhine flowed and set up a dairy herd for himself and later diversified with grape growing as well. James was very involved in the building of the School at South Rhine for which he laid the Foundation stone on 15 August 1864 and the school subsequently opened on 19 November 1864. The school was also used as a chapel until a church was completed on the 26th April 1882.
A document was deposited under the Foundation stone that read;
The Foundation stone of this building to be used for a school and chapel on a piece of ground given by Mr. Peter Miller was laid by Mr. James Shearer on the 15th day of August one thousand eight hundred and in the Twenty seven reign of our Most Gracious Sovereign Lady Queen Victoria and in the presence of the Trustees Peter Miller, John Dowden, William Windsor, Builder William Berry and Hon. John Sheppard.
During the Great War a grandson of James Shearer called at “Balfour Castle” to thank Mr. Balfour for evicting his grandfather and so setting the family on the road to prosperity and a better life. It was perhaps; unfortunate that they did not meet face to face, as Mr. Balfour was either away in London, or just “not at home”!!!!
Children of James and Frances Shearer
1. Janet, married Richard Godfree.
2. Christina, never married.
3. Mary Trail, married Peter Miller.
4. Frances, married James Fotheringham Miller.
5. James, married Sarah Ann Dowden and continued the family farm at South Rhine.
All the Shearers who came out from Shapinsay and their spouses’ are buried at South Rhine with the exception of Janet and her husband, Richard Godfree who are buried at the Payneham cemetery.
James donated the land for the South Rhine Presbyterian Cemetery and since 2008 John Shearer, a descendent of James and the owner of the farm, with his wife Judy, have been caretakers of the Cemetery.
Frances died 3 November 1867 aged 55 ½ years and was the first burial in the cemetery. James died 2 September 1882 aged 84 ½ years and
Acknowledgements:
The String Disaster by Peter Groundwater Russell
The Eviction of Shapinsay Elders from their homes 1847
