A brief overview of the major sources we hold that relate to the main records of the Commissioners of Crown lands and key related series.
This Guide provides an historical background on the conditional purchase scheme in NSW from 1862 to 1951, also known as 'free selection before survey' along with a list of the major record series and step-by-step guidance on how to access them.
An overview of county, parish and town/village maps created by the Department of Lands and its predecessors and a background to the Parish Map Preservation Project.
An overview of the Court of Claims and a list of the main records series in our collection. The Commissioners appointed in the court were empowered to hear the claims of all persons holding or claiming to hold lands where grants had been promised and claiming to have grants delivered to them.
This Guide provides a brief overview of the major sources in our collection that relate to the occupation of Crown lands in the period prior to 1856.
Goldmining can be a challenging field of research. The record series listed in this guide may assist.
The records listed in Guide relate to the original alienation of land from the Crown. Parish maps are useful for research in this area, as they record original grants.
A joint initiative between NSW State Archives and Lands and Property Information (LPI) to provide online access to a number of historical land title records was announced in November 2010. Using the popular search tool PIXEL (now HLRV) researchers can now search and view Old Form Torrens Title Registers, Charting Maps and Crown Plans online. We offer free access to HLRV in the reading room: access high quality colour images of an ever growing digital collection of land title records. Please be aware copies, including printing, digital photography and screen dumps, cannot be made from these public terminals. Colour copies can be ordered through the NSW Land Registry Services network of approved information brokers.
Preorder RecordsThe Real Property Act, 1862 established a system whereby owners could convert land granted prior to 1863 to Real Property Act title. This is done by what is called a Primary Application. These records are an important research resource as the supporting documentation lodged with the application often remains in the packet.
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.