James Pile


James Pile was a South Australian pastoralist who had extensive holdings on the Darling River in New South Wales, and was succeeded by his sons John, William, and Charles, collectively known as the Pile brothers.

History

Pile was born in Beverley, Yorkshire
He is recorded as being involved sometime around 1840 with John McKinlay and Richard Holland in droving a mob of cattle from the Hawkesbury region of New South Wales to South Australia.
He left for South Australia on the ship Anna with his wife and family and brother George, arriving in November 1849.
In 1850 he became licensee of the Black Bull Hotel, Hindley Street, relinquished later that year.
In 1851 and 1852 he was licensee of the Old Spot Hotel on Murray Street, Gawler, but was forced to relinquish it by the weight of outstanding debts.
McKinlay was from around 1850 a family friend. In 1863 he married Pile's daughter Jane Pile.
By 1864 Pile had settled two miles north of Gawler, at "Beckwith" property owned by Thomas Stubbs, and Stubbs' residence to 1858. George Pile was also at "Beckwith" in his last years, died there in May 1861.
He acquired a considerable area of land at Gawler East and Gawler South, as well as properties at Munno Para East and Nuriootpa, which he stocked with horses and cattle droved overland from Sydney.
Some time around 1860, on McKinlay's recommendation, Pile took up land with western frontage on the Darling River, which became Cuthero, of, and Netley stations. A year or two later he sold Netley station to the brothers Joe and John Dunne.
Around the same time he also acquired Polia station.
At first he stocked Cuthero and Polia with horses and some 1,200 cattle.
When his sons reached adulthood he left them to manage of the properties, and built for himself a fine house "Oaklands" on McKinlay Avenue, Gawler East, where he retired, was appointed Justice of the Peace and served as a Town Councillor and Elder of the Presbyterian Church. "Oaklands" was also the home of John McKinlay after he married Pile's daughter, Jane, and where he died at the end of 1872.
Around 1870 the sons turned their attention from cattle to sheep, which thrived, and soon they had built up their small flock to some 200,000. Then came the "seven years' drought" of 1880–1886, and their numbers fell to 12,000. The sons ran the stations until 1899 when, in the grip of the Federation drought, the lease was resumed, was sold to Ben Chaffey in 1909, who later sold it to Arthur Crozier.
;James jun.
His eldest son, he drowned while attempting to cross the River Darling anabranch in a bark canoe.
;Isabella
His second daughter, she married Thomas Glen, died 6 October 1864, a week after giving birth, two weeks after the drowning of her brother James.
;John
His eldest son was born in Scotland and emigrated to South Australia with his parents. He was educated at Gawler, where he encountered Dick Holland and with whom, at age 13 or 14, he made his first overland droving trip from Sydney to Adelaide with horses. He made his next trip with John McKinlay, who shortly afterwards took over Lake Victoria Station. He managed Cuthero station after the retirement of his father.
He retired to "Netherby", Mitcham. He was a prominent racehorse owner and member of the Adelaide Racing Club. His horses also raced successfully at Gawler, Wentworth, Wilcannia, Menindee, Broken Hill, Albury, Wagga Wagga and Hobart.
Mahdi, Havelock and the steeplechaser Confidence were among his best horses.
In May 1897 he sold all his racehorses. Seth Ferry purchased Havelock and Joe Carr bought Confidence.
He died at his home, High Street, Glenelg.
;William
His second son William Pile was born in Glasgow, and emigrated with his parents.
At the time of the Victorian gold rush, he drove sheep to Ballarat, where he sold them for a handsome profit.
William "Willie" Pile became manager of Polia station, and served as the local magistrate.
A keen racing man, he was a member of the South Australian Jockey Club 's first committee, and owner of The Assyrian, Country Girl and First Water. For a time his horses were trained by J. Eden Savill, but after Savill sued certain members of the SAJC committee, Pile included, he withdrew his patronage and a year later sold his stables, horses and all his stock. Savill bought The Assyrian, which went on to win the 1882 Melbourne Cup.
He subsequently joined the Adelaide Gun Club, which in the days before clay pigeons used live birds as targets.
He had a hobby farm at Morphettville close to the racecourse and the Holdfast Bay railway line, and there built a pigeon tower with boxes for 700 birds, which became a well-known local landmark, and deliberately made larger and taller than that of "Ben" Rounsevell nearby.
;Charles
Charles was the Piles' youngest son, and emigrated with his parents. He was educated at the school run by L. S. Burton.
He worked on Cuthero station, and while mustering cattle discovered woodcutter John Hide and his wife, suffering from exposure and dehydration, and the bodies of their five children, having been without water for four days.
He retired to "Oaklands", Gawler, but died, intestate, at South Terrace, Adelaide.
He is not to be confused with Charles Ogleby Pile, Magistrate and Justice of the Peace of Bulahdelah on the Myall River.

Family

James Pile married to Isabella Pile
  • Anne Pile married David Power in 1851, owned Moorak Estate near Mount Gambier; sold to W. J. Browne and left for Scotland, returned to settle in Toorak, Victoria. Power Street, Mount Gambier was named for him.
  • Isabella Pile married Thomas William "Tom" Glen on 8 October 1857. Tom was bookkeeper at Cuthero.
  • James Pile accidentally drowned near Cuthero station
  • Jane Pile married explorer John McKinlay on 17 January 1863. They had no children.
  • John Pile married Emilie Mary Moore at Sandhurst on 7 September 1881. She was a daughter of James and Hannah Moore of Kangaroo Flat
  • William Pile married Mary McLean on 27 May 1873. Mary was a daughter of William McLean, sen., the founder of Polia Station.
  • Charles Pile never married.
  • Jessie Pile, lived at Gawler. She died intestate with a fortune of £100,000.
George Pile also on Anna, died at home of his brother James.

Possibly related

Several other people with the surname Pile, and also involved in the hotel and racing industries and subject of newspaper articles, but for whom no family connection has been found are:
Martha Pile, second daughter of John Pile married Charles Smith Hannington ; married Alfred Snelling on 31 October 1855. She married again, to Thomas Jellett on 1 July 1868. He bashed, then disowned her; she was confined to Destitute Asylum,
Edward Pile married Mary Ann Dugan, licensees, Somerset Hotel. Among their 3 sons and 4 daughters were:
  • Lance Pile also jockey, died from injuries received when horse Nicotine collapsed in hurdle race, Strathalbyn
  • Alfred Edward Pile was a jockey in the employ of Seth Ferry, sued him unsuccessfully.