NRS-18096 | Head Office Crown lands tenure cards

Full description

This series of Head Office Crown lands tenure cards was created to document the agreements made between the State of New South Wales and landholders in relation to the occupation of Crown lands through tenure.

In 1861 Crown lands management was reformed with the Crown Lands Occupation Act 1861 (25 Vic. No.2) which allowed for the leasing of Crown lands. The Act regulated the occupation and management and subsequent alienation of Crown lands. 

Prior to 1907 details of Crown tenures were recorded in registers arranged by tenure type. In 1907, abbreviated details of all current holdings which had not been granted were transferred to the Crown lands tenure card system. The contents date of some tenure cards therefore predates 1907. (1)

Two duplicate sets of tenure cards were created. The district offices created a district area set of cards and would then inform the Head Office which would create a comprehensive duplicate set of tenure cards for all districts.

There are a large number of types of tenure including but not limited to: closer settlement leases, settlement leases, conditional purchases, town lands lease and weekend leases.

The arrangement of the Head Office tenure card series is by tenure type. Within the tenure type the arrangement can vary but the majority of tenure is arranged and listed alphabetically by district then chronologically. The individual arrangement becomes clear in the item level descriptions.

Some tenure types contain multiple systems of arrangement. Within 'settlement leases', 'conditional leases', 'residential leases' and 'section leases' the classification system within districts changed from a numerical to an annual numerical system and both examples can be found amongst these tenure cards.

The tenure cards for 'after auction purchase' and 'auction purchase' demonstrate three types of arrangement: firstly from the 1890s these cards are arranged alphabetically by district and chronologically, these cards are defined by the 1000 number prefix, this system of arrangement changed from 1968 to 1977 to an annual numerical system, where all districts were inter-sorted into this system, thirdly the system of arrangement changed to alphabetical by district arranged by an annual numerical system. Some of the 1000 number prefix arranged cards seem to have been inter-sorted into this alphabetical by district arrangement.

The tenure cards for 'tender purchases' do not have any classification number and are arranged by district with no other system of arrangement within the run of cards.

There are also examples of tenure cards that are arranged alphabetically by the surname of the person holding the lease.

Within the tenure type the cards are also arranged by whether the card is current, current/spent or spent. Spent cards have been removed from the general run of current cards and have a separate sequence.

The templated fields on tenure cards vary according to tenure type and the size of the card but the majority of the cards contain the following headings: Holding; Land District; Parish; County; Shire; Conversion/Subdivision of; Formerly; Date Applied for: Date Allowed/Approved/Confirmed; Portion; Allotment; Section; City/Town/Village; Locality; Plan; Papers LB (Land Board) HO (Head Office); ADP Account; Nature of Transfer; Holder; Date of Transfer; Record; Area; Rent; Effective Date; Gazette or Authority; Crown Improvements; Term; Road Construction Costs; Classified Area; General Notations; Rent Re-appraisement Due; Minister's Consent Required; Depth Restriction; Subsidence Clause; Building Condition; Survey Completed/Deferred; Mortgagee Address; Basal Holding; Certificate of Conformity; Lease Instrument; Perpetual Lease Grant; Holder's Address; Office Notations.

The physical format of the cards is paper based cards in small to medium and large sizes.

Tenures can be readily identified from the parish maps and from registers of tenures.

Crown Land Tenure was converted to the Real Property (Torrens) System prior to the introduction of the Crown Lands Act 1989 (Act No.6, 1989). The conversion of all live tenures in the Eastern and Central divisions of the State was completed prior to 1 January 1986, with the Western Division following on and completed prior to 1 January 1987. This ended the notation of tenure cards and since this time no more have been created in either the regional or Head Office of Lands. (2)
 
Endnotes
1. A Guide to searching NSW Lands Title Records - User guide - Searching the records of the Registrar General, p.60; NSW State Archives file 08/0624 D18/23504.
2. A Guide to searching NSW Lands Title Records - User guide - Searching the records of the Registrar General, p.61; NSW State Archives file 08/0624 D18/23504.