Curio

State Library of New South Wales
Plan of the allotments of ground, granted from the Crown of New South Wales

Plan of the allotments of ground, granted from the Crown of New South Wales

1814
Printed map
London, 1814
Bequest of Sir William Dixson, 1952
DL Z/Cb 81/1

This map shows land grants made in the Sydney region to 1813. It was created to accompany the booklet, An Accurate List of the Names of the Land-holders in the Colony of New South Wales (corrected to 1813). Together, the coloured map and list could be purchased for 10 shillings and sixpence; the list alone for 6 shillings and sixpence.

The two large plots closest to Sydney, 7 and 9 on the map, represent the first land grants made in the Surry Hills area. Major Joseph Foveaux received 105 acres (42ha) in 1792 and Commissary John Palmer received 90 acres (36ha). The area marked Green Hills had been named Windsor by Governor Macquarie in 1810, but on the basis of this map it seems that the name had not yet been adopted.

Many place names on the map are no longer used. For example, the area marked Liberty Plains now encompasses the Municipality of Auburn and includes the modern suburbs of Lidcombe, Auburn, Newington and Homebush Bay. The area named Bulanaming’ (point H), is located between Sydney, the Cooks River and the Parish of Petersham.

This is a cadastral map, a term used for maps which describe both the boundaries and the ownership of properties.

In 1787 Augustus Alt was appointed as the colony’s first surveyor-general. He had to adapt traditional English survey techniques to the new landscape, which had very different conditions. In the early years surveying concentrated on laying out towns around the perimeter of the Sydney basin and defining the limits of land grants. Few printed maps of land surveys exist from this period.

The map shows several land grants made to women, including to Sarah Bellamy, granted 20 acres (8ha) near Petersham (lot 22) and Mary McDonough, granted 50 acres (20ha) near Botany Bay (lot 45).