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www.lpi.nsw.gov.auLPI | HISTORICAL PARISH MAPS

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HISTORICAL PARISH MAPS

Facts at a glance• Parishmapsareanindextoidentifyinghistoricalland

recordssuchastitles,surveyplans,tenuresandgazettes.

• Mostmapsshow:

- boundariesofindividuallandparcelsinrelationtophysicalfeaturessuchasroads,rivers,railwaysandwaterbodies;

- referencestoCrownplans,theofficialsurveyplansforportionsofland;

- namesofthefirstlandowner,granteeorlesseeandthefirsttitleinformation(Volume-Folio)foreachparcelgrantedafter1863;and,

- administrationactivitiesoverCrownlandssuchasreserves,licenses,leasesandroads.

• The‘cancelled’mapsareagoodstartingpointforresearchifyouare:

- investigatingthehistoryofyourproperty;

- establishingthehistoryofalocality;or,

- interestedinareasthatyourfamilysettledinNewSouthWales.

• Therearemorethan35,000earlyeditionparishandpastoralmapsonline,accessibleviatheHistoricalLandRecordsViewer.TheviewercanbeaccessedfromhomeortheofficebyselectingtheHistoricalLandRecordsviewericononwww.six.nsw.gov.au

Readfurtherformoreinformationabouthistoricalparishmaps,howtoaccessthemapsonlineusingtheHistoricalLandRecordsViewerandacommonsearchexample.

Description The‘HistoricalParishMap’collectionisavailableonlineviatheHistoricalLandRecordsVieweronLPI’sSpatialInformationeXchangeportal(www.six.nsw.gov.au).Thecollectionincludes35,000earlyeditionparishandpastoralmaps.

TheparishmapwasthebasicfabricforlandadministrationinNewSouthWalesandisakeyindextoidentifyinghistorical

landrecords.Themapswereusedformorethan150yearsrecordingpropertyboundariesandprovidingreferencestoCrownlanddealingsandthefirstgrants.

Asparishmapsrecordedchangestolandovertimetheywereprogressivelysupersededonceitbecamedifficulttochartornotefurtherinformationonthem.Themapswerecancelledasneweditionsreplacedthem.

Twosetsofcounty,parish,townandvillagemapswerecreatedandmaintainedbytheformerDepartmentofLandsanditspredecessors.Onesetofmapswaskeptatthedistrictofficeandaduplicatesetwaskeptintheheadoffice.

TheHistoricalParishMapcollectionareallthecancelledCrownlandparishmapsandpastoralholdingmapsoriginallycapturedaspartoftheParishMapPreservationProject.Themajorityofthesewerefromthedistrictoffice.

Thehistoricalparishmapscomplementthe‘ChartingMap’collection,alsoaccessibleonlineviatheHistoricalLandRecordsViewer.TheChartingMapcollectionincludesthelasteditionsoftheLandTitlesOffice(LTO)chartingmapsandCrownlandparishmapsincirculationbeforecomputerisation.

Background to the maps – dividing NSWIn1825GovernorBrisbanewasorderedtoundertakeageneralsurveyofthecolonyofNewSouthWalesandbreakitupintocountiesforthepurposeoflandadministration.Eachcountywastobedividedintoparishes,theboundariesofwhichwerefixedbyconveniencesuchasfollowingtheborderofsurveyedlandornaturalfeatureslikerivers.ThefirstcountyinNewSouthWaleswasnamedCumberlandbyGovernorPhilliponthebirthdayofKingGeorgeIIIinJune1788.

In1829settlersinthecolonywereonlypermittedtotakeuplandwithinanareadefinedbythe19Counties.ThelimitsofsettlementextendedtoKempseyinthenorth,BatemansBayinthesouthandWellingtontothewest.

Despitethedefinedboundariessquattersranlivestockoutsidethelimits.By1836theSquattersActwasproclaimedallowinggrazinglicensesoutsidethe19Counties.Withtheintroductionofselectionoflandbeforesurveyin1861,landwasquicklysettledthroughoutthestateandthelimitsofsettlementbecameredundant.By1848NewSouthWaleswasdividedintothe141countiesthatstillexisttoday.

www.lpi.nsw.gov.auLPI | HISTORICAL PARISH MAPS

Maps available online in the Historical Parish Map collectionPastoral Maps

Pastoralmapsshowboundariesofholdingswhichwereagriculturalrunssettledbysquatters.

Afterthe1850sgoldrush,whichsawalargeinfluxofnewsettlers,therewasademandforlandthatwasalreadytakenupbysquatters.Asaresult,the1861“Freeselectionbeforesurvey”Actallowedselectionoverleasedareas.Thepastoralmapsrecordedwhichpartoftheholdingwasresumed,andmadeavailabletothenewsettlers,andwhichpartwasleased.Thepartremainingwithsquatterswasusuallytheareawhichhadundergoneimprovements.Theseimprovementsaresometimesshownonthepastoralholdingmaps.

Extract from the ‘Pastoral Run Carinda’ map available via the Historical Land Records Viewer

Onlyonecopyofthesefragilemapsonpaperandlinenexist,andthesearethePastoralHoldingMapsavailableonlineviatheHistoricalLandRecordsViewer.In1882theGardenPalaceExhibitionBuildingintheBotanicGardensburntdownandwithitnearlyalltheCrownlandleasedocuments,plansandmapsstoredtherewhiletheLandsDepartment’sBridgeStreetbuildingwasbeingconstructed.Departmentalstaffreconstitutedrecordsfromsecondaryinformationwithmapsshowingtherunsdividedintoleasedandunleasedareaspursuanttothe1883MorrisandRankineRoyalCommissionandthesubsequent1884CrownLandsAct.

County Maps

Countymapsusuallycoveranareaofabout10,360hectares.Thisis40squaremilesatascaleof4milestoaninch,whichisabout1:250,000.Atsuchasmallscale,theyareusefulasacadastralmapforshowingmajorphysicalfeatures,largeportionsandtheparisheswithinthecounty.

Parish Maps

Theparishmapisalandadministrationtoolthatprovidedthebasisforrecordinglandtransactions.ParishmapswerepreparedbytheCrownLandsOfficeusingplansofportions.Portionsaresequentiallynumberedparcelsoflandineachparish.Parishmapsshowtherelationshipofportionboundariestoroads,rivers,railwaysandwaterbodies.

Aswellasrecordingboundaries,parishmapsareanindextolandrecordssuchastitles,deeds,gazettes,tenuredocuments,surveyplansandotherlandrecordsforeachoftheparcelsoflandinthatparish.

Forexample,grantees’namesanddatesofgrantsmadepriorto1863maybeshownonthefaceofthemap(markedintherelevantportion)orrecordedwithinaschedulewiththeportion’snumber.ParishmapsalsoreferenceoriginallandgrantsandfirsttitlesissuedbetweenthecommencementoftheRealPropertyActon1January1863and1October1981.Firsttitlereferencesissuedsince1October1981areshowninaschedule.

Note:ForlandadministrationpurposesNewSouthWalesissplitintothreedivisions:Eastern,CentralandWestern.FewCrownparishmapshavebeencompiledforlandintheWesternDivision(whichisroughlywestofalinefromMunginditoBalranald).PrivateparishmapsforlandwithintheAustralianAgriculturalCompany’sgrantinthecountyofGloucesterwerepreparedbythecompany.

Town Maps

Whenatownlieswithinaparishitslocationisindicatedonthemapbutrelevantinformationisshownonamoredetailedscaleinatownorvillagemap.

Townmapshavesimilardetailtotheparishmapbutshowallotmentsandsectionsofthetowninsteadofportionsoftheparish.Itisimportanttorecordthesectioninatownasallotmentnumbersareduplicatedineachsectionwhichcanleadtoconfusion.

Note:Crowntownmapshavenotbeencreatedfor‘private’townswhichweresubdividedoutofprivatelyownedland.

What the Historical Parish Maps are used forHistoricalparishmapsshowinganareaforthetimeperiodyouareresearchingprovideinformationaboutalocationanditspeople.Itisakeyindexforidentifyinglandtitlerelatedrecords.BystartingyoursearchwiththeearliestparishmapyoucantracelandstatusfromwhenthelandwasfirstgrantedbytheCrownandworkforwardsovertime.

Byexaminingpreviouseditionsofmapsatdifferentpointsintimeyoucanalsoseehowsubdivisionsandotheractionshavealteredpropertyboundaries.

How the records are indentifiedThehistoricalparishmaps(cancellededitions)areidentifiedbycounty,parishandedition.Itisimportanttoselectthecorrectcountyasthesameparishnamecanexistinmorethanonecounty.

Otherthantownmaps,aparishmapnamedoesnotnecessarilyrelatetoalocation.IfyoudonotknowtheparishusetheGeographicalNamesBoard’sonline‘namesearch’(www.gnb.nsw.gov.au).Asearchbylocalityorsuburbwillrevealtheparishandcountyname.

Identifying Pastoral Holding Maps

ToidentifyapastoralholdingmapnameyoucanviewthePastoralMapIndex.Theindexallowsyoutogeographicallylocatethepastoralholdingonastatemapwhichwillhaveanumberandacorrespondingnameofthepastoralholdingmaponaschedule.

www.lpi.nsw.gov.auLPI | HISTORICAL PARISH MAPS

ThePastoralMapIndexcanbeaccessedbysearchingon‘Keyword’orby‘Attribute’,‘IndexMap’,viatheHistoricalLandRecordsViewer.

?Extract of the Pastoral Map index accessible online via the Historical Land Records Viewer

Search exampleAcommonsearchusingthehistoricalparishmapsistoinvestigatelandthatisofinterestorbelongstoyourfamily.Yourfirststepistosearchforthecancellededitionsoftheparishmapwhichcoverstheareaoflandyouareinterestedin.

Onceyouknowthenameoftheparish,themapcanbeaccessedbysearchingoncountyand/orparishnamesviatheHistoricalLandRecordsViewer‘searchby’window.Toreducethenumberofsearchresultsonlyhavethe‘HistoricalParishMaps’boxtickedinthe‘searchfor’windowoftheviewer.

InthisexamplewearesearchingonScotlandIsland,inPittwater.ScotlandIslandisintheparishofNarrabeen.YoucansearchforthecancellededitionsoftheparishofNarrabeenbykeywordorattributesearch,selectingparishandentering‘Narrabeen’asperthefollowingillustration.

STEP 2:Selectattributeandparishnameinthe‘searchby’windows,thentypeintheparish

STEP 1:Toreducethenumberofsearchresultsonlyselect‘HistoricalParishMaps’

STEP 3:Clickonanyofthemapattributesinthesearchresultswindowtoviewthemap

Thesearchresultswindowwilllistallthehistoricalmaps(cancellededitions)availableforthatparish,showingmapeditionandyear(whenthisattributeisavailable).Clickonanyofthemapsinthesearchresultswindowtoview.

Note:Notalloftheeditionsstillexistandassuch,werenotabletobemadeavailableonline.Toviewthelastparishmapincirculationsearchfortheparishinthe‘ChartingMaps’collectionintheHistoricalLandRecordsViewer.

www.lpi.nsw.gov.auLPI | HISTORICAL PARISH MAPS

Extracts of cancelled Narrabeen Parish maps which shows the orginal grantee of Scotland Island.

Onceyouhavefoundtheparishyoucanusetheviewertozoomintotheareaofinterest.Theparishmapwilltypicallyshowtheboundariesofland,oftenwithaportionnumber(orallotmentandsectionifwithinatown).Thelaterparishmapswillhavescheduleswhichidentifythecorrespondingplannumberandtitlereferencesforeachoftheportions.ThetitlesandplanscanthenbeorderedviaLPI’sOnlineShop,accessibleviatheshoppingcarticononwww.lpi.nsw.gov.au

The Parish Map extract shows the original grantee for portion 20. The schedule shows the plan for portion 20 is 179-1572 and the Torrens Title is Volume 3477 Folio 248. Images of these records can be purchased from the LPI Online Shop.

Important: Tofindouthowtointerpretaparishmapyoucanaccessadetailedguidecalled‘SearchingtheRegistrarGeneral’sMapsandPlans’.Theresourceincludesaglossaryforthedifferentacronymsusedonaparishmap.Thisguide,alongwithothers,isavailabletoviewordownloadforfreeontheLPIwebsite:http://www.lpi.nsw.gov.au/about_lpi/publications/search_guides

Further informationAlthoughtheparishmapwasnotdesignedorintendedasanarchivaldocument,itisanindispensiblesourceforidentifyinglandrecordsandunearthingvaluablehistoricalinformation.

Furtherassistancewithfamilyandlocalhistoricalsearchingcanbesoughtfrom:

State Records

TheWesternSydneyRecordsCentre(WSRC),143O’ConnellStreet,Kingswood(originalarchivesandmicroform)

www.records.nsw.gov.au

State Library of NSW MacquarieStSydneyNSW2000www.sl.nsw.gov.au

Portion number

Original grantee name

Plan number for portion

Torrens Title (Vol. Fol.) for portion 20

Location on the face of the parish map

Portion number

Land and Property Information

Head office1PrinceAlbertRoad

QueensSquareSYDNEYNSW2000

GPOBox15SYDNEYNSW2001

T 130005263761292286666

F61292334357

Disclaimer:Thisdocumenthasbeenproducedformarketingandcommunicationpurposesonly.ImagesareusedforartisticpurposesonlyandmaynotbeindicativeofCrownland.

Informationiscorrectattimeofprintingandissubjecttochangewithoutnotice.

©August2012LPI(B)P12/10/049