Stewart Ryrie (1778—1852) was a colonial settler of New South Wales and patriarch of the Ryrie family of colonial settlers.

He was born at Caithness in Scotland in 1778. He served in the British Army, as Deputy-Assistant Commissary General—a rank equivalent to Lieutenant—on the staff of Commissary general|Commissary General Sir Robert Hugh Kennedy, during the Peninsular War, and was said to have been present at the Battle of Waterloo.^[1][2]

Ryrie came to New South Wales, in 1825, as the new Deputy Commissary General—a rank equivalent to a Lieutenant colonel (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant Colonel or Major (United Kingdom)|Major—to work in the Commissariat Department of the colony. He brought his family with him.^[3] His first wife Anne (née Stewart) had died in 1816, and he married Isabella (née Cassels), prior to leaving Scotland in 1825. He had six children—four sons and two daughters—from his first marriage, and another three sons were born in Australia from his second marriage.^[4]

The Governor of New South Wales, between 1824 and 1831 was Ralph Darling. Ryrie's deceased wife, Anne, was the sister of William Stewart (governor)|William Stewart (1769—1854). Stewart was Lieutenant-Governor of New South Wales, under Darling, who regarded him favourably and granted him land at Mt Pleasant, near Bathurst, New South Wales|Bathurst.^[5][6][7][2]

The Ryrie family became prominent landholders, during the years of Darling's administration; both as a result of land grants made by Darling and by taking up squatting runs outside the Nineteen Counties. During these years, the family took over parts of the traditional lands of the Walbanga people^[8] (a group of the Yuin) and the Ngarigo people.^[9]

In 1827, Ryrie was appointed by Darling to act as the Auditor of Colonial Accompts, an auditor of the accounts.^[10] Ryrie retired from the Commissariat Department and public duties in 1829.

In 1829, he took up a Squatting (Australian history)|squatting run, Coolringdon|'Coolringdon', one of the earliest colonial settlements in the Monaro.^[11] However, he appears to have resided at his son William's landholding, Arnprior, Larbert|'Arnprior', at Larbert, New South Wales|Larbert, near Braidwood, New South Wales|Braidwood. When his son James died in 1840, James's holding, at the adjacent locality of Durran Durra, was consolidated with 'Arnprior'.^[12] Ryrie and and his son, William, were prominent backers of The Wool Road.^[13]

However, it appears that the family fortunes were badly affected, by the drought and economic depression of the early 1840s and probably also by the failure of The Wool Road and the port of The Wool Road#South Huskisson—a port on Jervis Bay|South Huskisson. The economics of their operations were also adversely impacted by the ending of the assignment of new Convicts in Australia|convicts to private landholders, in July 1841.^[14]

In 1841, Ryrie was advocating increased immigration, giving evidence that the lack of shepherds were affecting his grazing activities.^[15] By this time, his sons had extended their grazing lands to the Port Phillip District, at what is now Yering, Victoria|Yering, by taking over part of the traditional lands of the Wurundjeri people.

He was insolvent in March 1844, with a deficiency of .£7,861 10s. 5d.,^[16][17] a large amount at that time. 'Coolringdon' officially changed ownership around this time. In 1845, Ryrie's son, Stewart Ryrie, Jun., was managing 'Coolringdon' on behalf of a new owner, Dr Francis Lascelles Wallace, who was Ryrie's son-in-law.^[18][2] William Ryrie tried, unsuccessfully, to dispose of 'Arnprior', in November 1844,^[19] possibly in relation to Ryrie's insolvency. However, Ryrie would continue to reside there, for the remainder of his life, and both properties remained within the Ryrie family.

Ryrie died, on 11 December 1852, at 'Arnprior',^[20] and his widow, Isabella, died there in May 1855.^[21]

His children became the second generation of what would be an enduring pastoral dynasty. The extended Ryrie family grew as a result of intermarriage with other colonial settlers, particularly with female descendants of John Mackenzie (colonial settler)|John Mackenzie and Alured Tasker Faunce.^[22][2]

Two of the sons of his first marriage became prominent. William Ryrie (1805—1856) is notable as a pioneering settler colonist of the Braidwood, New South Wales|Braidwood district of New South Wales and the Port Phillip District (now Victoria (Australia)|Victoria).^[23] Stewart Ryrie, Jun. (1812—1883) is notable as an explorer of the Snowy Mountains and as a pioneer settler colonist of Jindabyne, New South Wales|Jindabyne; he married, Janet, daughter of John Mackenzie.^[18] Their brothers James (1806—1840)^[24] and Donald (1810—1888),^[25] assisted William to settle the new Port Phillip District.

The three Australian-born children of his second marriage also became prominent. Alexander Ryrie (1827—1909) and David Ryrie (1829—1893), are notable as pioneering settler colonists, of Michelago and Bombala, New South Wales|Bombala, and as politicians.^[26][27] These two brothers both married daughters of another colonial settler, Alured Tasker Faunce, who were also granddaughters of John Mackenzie. John Ryrie (1826—1900) was a grazier residing in the Dubbo area, and he held vast landholdings in New South Wales and Queensland.^[28]

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