Born in 1794 at Oldbury, in Kent, James spent his boyhood on his father's well-run farm, developing a lasting respect for the best features of English farming. In 1810 he took up a clerical position in the Deptford naval dockyard, staying for nine years before emigrating in 1819.

Upon reaching Sydney in 1820 he was appointed by Governor Macquarie as principal clerk in the Colonial Secretary's Office. A responsible position, it enabled Atkinson to familiarise himself with conditions in NSW and to establish contacts.

In July 1822 he resigned and, during that year, two grants of 800 and 700 acres, which he named 'Oldbury' and 'Mereworth', were surveyed for him and which he immediately worked.

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Macquarie rewarded his industry with another 500 acre grant and grazing rights to a further 4,000 acres of crown land.

By 1826 he had amassed an extensive stock of cattle, sheep and horses, constructed a house and outbuildings, brought 150 acres under cultivation and enclosed the principal parts of his land.

In five years he became a successful farmer who fully maintained twenty convict labourers, was accepted by the wealthy free settlers and moved in high society.

In 1825 James sailed for England on family matters, leaving his property in the care of his brother John, who was also a settler. While in England, James published in 1826 the book An Account of the State of Agriculture and Grazing in NSW to provide prospective settlers with practical information to help prepare them for life in a strange and distant land.

This book provides us with valuable insights into early colonial architecture, cultivation methods and types of agriculture. This extract is about horticulture:

"The esculent and culinary vegetables and roots of Europe are all grown in great perfection, together with many others that cannot be raised in England. Fruits are in great abundance and variety, and many of exceptional quality; the principal are oranges, lemons, citrons, peaches, nectarines, apricots, figs, grapes, olives, loquats, grenadillas, pears, apples, plums, cherries, quinces, mulberries, raspberries, strawberries, and pomegranates, the whole of which arrive at great perfection.

Peaches are more abundant than any other fruit; considerable quantities of cider are made from the juice; and swine are fed with them by many people, for three or four months in the summer and autumn."

Little is known about James as a person, but Brian Fletcher, who wrote the Introduction to the Sydney University Press 1975 Facsimile Edition of Atkinson's "Account", suggests he was intelligent, unassuming, cautious, matter of fact and humane.

James arrived back in the colony on January 24, 1827 having become engaged en route to 29-year old Charlotte Waring, an attractive woman of strong personality and convictions who had been appointed governess to the children of Hannibal Macarthur.

The couple were married in September 1827 and had a son and three daughters, one of whom, Caroline Louisa, became a novelist and naturalist.

As a leading settler, James interested himself in the development of the district and from 1827 sat on the local bench of magistrates. He also played an active part in the affairs of the Agricultural and Horticultural Society and held annual ploughing matches on his estate to promote better farming.

He published two other works, one on Saxon sheep farming and the other was On the Expediency and Necessity of Encouraging Distilling and Brewing from Grain in NSW. He proposed that settlers owning over 100 acres be permitted to operate their own stills, rather than having to send grain to the distilleries in Sydney. He argued that this would place farming on a surer foundation.

In 1827 he erected the first windmill in the district and raised the quality of his livestock by bringing back from England a bull, a stallion and 30 Saxon sheep. He sold meat and grain on the local market, despatched wool to England, produced cloth for his convict servants and distilled 'some very good spirit' from his grain.

James Atkinson died prematurely on April 30, 1834 at his property Oldbury after a 'painful and lingering', but unspecified illness. His assets were worth over £4000. His death was widely regretted and the Sydney Monitor described him as a 'gentleman of great energy and considerable talent'.

The Oldbury homestead still stands today - a testimony to this remarkable pioneer settler.

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