BALLARAT, VIC. — James Scobie was an unassuming gold miner who came to Australia from Scotland to make his fortune on the Ballarat goldfields. After becoming involved in a fight at the Eureka Hotel, also known as Bentley’s Hotel. Scobie died on Saturday, October 7, 1854.
An inquest into his death absolved the hotel owner, Bentley, and his staff of any wrongdoing. The miners, however, felt that justice had been thwarted, and held a meeting outside the hotel on October 17.
Tempers flared, a riot ensued, and the hotel was burnt to the ground. As a result of this, more troopers were sent from Melbourne, and miners were subjected to more frequent licence checks, and more frequent clashes between miners and troopers.
Another inquest into Scobie’s death was held on November 18, 1854, during which Bentley and two of his staff were found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to three years’ hard labour in the road-gangs.
The general dissatisfaction generated by these events, and the acquittal of the hotel keeper at the inquest, was a catalyst in the events leading up to the Eureka Stockade of December 3, 1854.
Scobie is buried in the Ballarat Old Cemetery. His grave is marked by a broken column, a symbol of a life cut short.
