Surveyor General guide

The cartographic records of the Surveyor General provide some of the most detailed and comprehensive descriptions of the nature, agricultural potential and occupancy of land in the colony.

Historical overview

In his Rules and Regulations for the Surveyor General's Office, 16 Apr 1828, NRS 13932 [5/2700], Surveyor General Thomas Mitchell set apart a small room on the upper floor of the Surveyor General's Office for:

the arrangement of all maps in alphabetical order for the better preservation of the order which is essential for the purpose of ready reference...

The numbering system

Cartographic records

From the earliest surveys of the Colony maps and plans produced by the Surveyor General's Department were arranged in alphabetical order and assigned a running number. Initially all maps and plans were assigned a different number even if they were of the same place or formed parts of a large plan.

The practice of assigning certain types of plans the same area or feature number (known as the 'small number') and distinguishing them by a plan number (the 'large number') originated in about 1829 or 1830 as the number of plans increased and assigning a separate number became too difficult to administrate.

The following example illustrates this system:

The Index to Crown plans, 1792-1886 lists plans number using this system. The Surveyor General's number has been included in the index.

• Search the Index covering 1792-1886

Records we hold

Cartographic Records

NRS-13859 Crown Plans, 1792-1978

This series includes the earliest surveys of New South Wales including those of towns and villages, squatting districts, counties and parishes, roads, rivers, mountain ranges and maps of explorers' expeditions. Individual maps and plans are described the series below.

View-only digital copies of Crown Plans are available on NSW Land Registry Services' (LRS') Historical Lands Records Viewer (HLRV), accessible in the Reading Room. Once an image becomes available on HLRV, high quality digital copies may be purchased from LRS Information Brokers.

Catalogues of Maps and Plans

NRS-13870 Catalogue of maps and plans, 1792-1887

(COD 84-87)

The catalogue lists the maps and plans alphabetically by subject. A large number of the maps and plans listed in the catalogue are still held by the Lands Department. The maps and plans we hold are listed in our catalogue.

Correspondence

NRS-13736 Letters received from surveyors, 1822-1855

(Reels 3051-3098)Letters received from surveyors

The letters received from surveyors, mostly relate to matters such as the survey description of farms, reserves, churches, schools, rivers and mountain ranges, or forwarding tracings and plans. There are also letters relating to employment of convicts in survey parties, and the granting of tickets of leave.

A list of the letters and major localities is available.

NRS-13768 Copies of letters sent to surveyors, 1832-1863

(Reels 2826-2835)

These volumes contain copies of letters sent to surveyors. The subject matter includes: the measurement of land grants, the survey of rivers, mountain ranges etc., letters transmitting descriptions of lands and tracings in connection with surveys to be carried out, the laying out of towns, villages and roads.

NRS-13770 Copies of letters sent to salaried surveyors, 1864-1881

(Reels 2835-286)

These volumes contain copies and summaries of letters sent to salaried surveyors including some sent under 'blank cover'. The subject matter includes the: instructions about the trigonometrical survey of the colony, allocation of work between surveyors, lists of printed instructions sent to surveyors, instructions to measure land, and the laying out of towns, villages and roads. For letters sent to licensed surveyors 1864-1882 see NRS 13769.

Land grants and Leases

The Surveyor General's Maps and plans often contain references to individuals occupying land. The following sources may provide additional information.

NRS-13836 Registers of land grants and leases *ARK, 1791-1924

NRS-13837 Index to registers of grants Cumberland and elsewhere *ARK, 1792-1865

(Reel 2560, COD 205)

Sketch Books

NRS-13886 Sketch Books, 1828-1890

(Reels 2778-2782)

These records consist of tracings and sketches (in many cases forwarded by surveyors as enclosures to letters) inserted into volumes in numbered folios. The tracings and sketches mostly relate to: sketches and tracings of towns and villages and of extensions and alterations proposed thereto, and of allotments sold or granted to various persons.

Other sketches and tracings are of land, the ownership of which was in dispute, or of encroachments on Crown lands, and of tracings of reserved roads through allotments, and of street alignments in towns. There are also tracings of land reserved for churches, schools, cemeteries and other public purposes. Among the sketches there are also included lithographs of private sub-divisions and some architectural plans and sketches. Sketches and tracings inserted in the sketch books were often the basis from which maps and plans were compiled.

NRS-13887 Index to Sketch Books, 1794-1860

Copy of X750A on Reel 2778, COD 206 and COD 259

Surveyors' Field Books

NRS-13889 Surveyors' Field Books, 1794-1954

These are diaries of surveying expeditions, descriptions of natural features, and sketches of farms, town allotments and roads. Trigonometrical observations and triangulation surveys are also included. In some field books references to map and plan catalogue numbers have been added.

NRS-8472 Surveyors' Field Notes, 1902-1972

These volumes of field notes are in a format similar to earlier, nineteenth century, field books already held as State archives. The Field notes contain details of measurements of surveys and were used in conjunction with the drafting of plans. They are arranged by year and then in volume number order. NRS-8473 Reference to Field Notes, 1902-72 [4/9613] contains an index and a register for these volumes of field notes.

NRS-18887 Surveyors' field books - Departmental surveyors [Surveyor General], 1925-1993

This series replaced NRS-13889, Surveyors' field books [Surveyor General]. These records were created by surveyors who were either employed by the Surveyor-General and Department of Lands or in private practice.

From 1925 the books were prefixed with either an X or a Y and a number. From 1933, this was replaced by an LD prefix and a number. The field books were known as the LD Series until 1975 when they became known as the New Series.

From 1975 to 1977, the prefix became LD with the year and a number. From 1978 onwards, the prefix became LD with the year, a number and Lands Office title abbreviation.

Additional Sources

Researchers should consult the catalogue under the following agencies:

• Colonial Secretary
• Lands
• Registrar General, and
• Railways.