Richard Rouse

The plaque erected by the employees of Guntawang commemorates Richard Rouse (1842-1903)

Richard Rouse (1842-1903) and Richard junior (1843-1906), pastoralists and stud-breeders, were first cousins and grandsons of Richard Rouse of Rouse Hill. Richard was born on 2 January 1842 at Guntawang, near Mudgee, New South Wales, eldest son of Edwin Rouse, grazier. In 1861 he managed Guntawang, 4000 acres (1619 ha) on the Cudgegong River near Mudgee and inherited it on the death of his father the next year.

He bred pedigree carriage horses, cattle and merino sheep and Guntawang became noted for its lavish hospitality. He also held other properties. He was also the principal shareholder in the Guntawang Freehold Gold Mining Co. He represented Mudgee in Parliament 1876-77 and 1879. In 1895 he published The Australian Horse Trade, which stressed the breeding advantages of the ’Yorkshire coach-horse’ for the United Service Institution. Rouse was a magistrate and regularly sat on the bench. He was also mayor of Gulgong in 1876 and 1899-1903 and a member of the Union Club and first president of the Gulgong Turf Club in 1871.

Tablet erected by the employees of Guntawang to Charlotte Rouse, the wife of Richard Rouse.

Richard Rouse bred pedigree carriage horses, cattle and merino sheep and Guntawang became noted for its lavish hospitality. He also held other properties. He was also the principal shareholder in the Guntawang Freehold Gold Mining Co.



He represented Mudgee in Parliament 1876-77 and 1879. In 1895 he published The Australian Horse Trade, which stressed the breeding advantages of the ’Yorkshire coach-horse’ for the United Service Institution. Rouse was a magistrate and regularly sat on the bench. He was also mayor of Gulgong in 1876 and 1899-1903 and a member of the Union Club and first president of the Gulgong Turf Club in 1871. Richard married Charlotte Emily, the daughter of James Barnard, in 1865 in Hobart Town.