NRS-15910 | Land Resumption Books

Full description

The Government Railways Act, 1858 (22 Victoria Act No. 19) authorised the Railways Commissioner 'to acquire lands required for railway development purposes and to enter into and upon the lands and grounds of any person whomsoever and to survey and take levels of the same and to ascertain and stake or set or take and appropriate for the purposes herein mentioned such parts thereof as may be necessary and proper for the laying out and making and using any railway and all other works' (1) From 1889 the Land Valuation Branch of the Department of Public Works undertook this work for the Commissioners for Railways (2) and the responsibility transferred to the Valuer General in 1916. (3)

While it appears that from 1889 the series was created by the Land Valuer’s Branch within the Department of Public Works and from 1916 by the Valuer General they were apparently retained by the Railway Commissioners and their successors where they were required for evidential purposes.

The Land Resumption Books which comprise this series contain information relating to various properties to be resumed during the construction of railway lines. The series consists of small books in no apparent arrangement. Contents are handwritten entries containing: name of owner, lot number, takings number, amounts, settled claims as well photographs of properties. Some books also list the parish and county and an estimation of probable expenditure for lands, buildings and damage to properties.

The Land Valuer’s book contains purpose of land use, value, location, dimensions and some sketches of properties including boundaries. There is also a field survey book of the Redfern Tunnel. This book states the description of existing buildings, location, size of property, value of the building and name of owner.

There is also a miscellaneous book which contains copies of memoranda and sketches of the following properties: Albury Hospital site, Careron (?) School site and extensions to Pyrmont Public School.


Custody History
From 1955 until 2000 the State Rail Authority of New South Wales maintained an 'in house archives', consisting of the archival records of Authority, its predecessor agencies and the private railway companies taken over by the government. The date ranges of the records were from 1849 until 2000. When the decision was made to close the 'State Rail Archives' the parts of the collection that were required as State Archives were transferred to the State Records Authority of NSW. Those record series were incorporated into the State Records series system of archives control and were re-numbered.

This series was formerly part of the State Rail Archives collection where it was identified as series R214. It may have been reviewed in the State Rail Archives as series R214 and could have been previously cited as such in notes by researchers at State Rail Archives or in publications or unpublished works.


Endnotes
1. Government Railway Act, 1858 s.10.
2. Public Works Act, 1888 s.27 (i).
3. Valuation of Land Act, 1916 s.68.