Early Land Grants of Strathfield

The first land grants to free settlers in NSW. were made in the Strathfield Municipality in 1793 in response to Governor Philip’s request for the introduction of ‘practical farmers’ to the settlement. These settlers ( who arrived on the ship Bellona in January, 1793) were described in the Secretary of State’s Despatch of July 14th, 1792, as “Thomas Rose, aged 40, farmer from Blandford, his wife, Mrs. Jane Rose, and their children, Thomas, Mary, Joshua and Richard, also Elizabeth Fish, aged 18, related to the family.”

Other members of the group were “Edward Powell, aged 30, farmer and fisherman from Lancaster, Thomas Webb (and his wife) gardener, Joseph Webb, aged 18, nephew of Thomas Webb, Frederick Meredith, baker, and Walter Brodie, blacksmith”. Meredith, Thomas Webb and Powell had already visited Sydney as ordinary seamen.

An area ‘at the upper end of the harbour above the flats and to the South Side’ having been selected by the settlers, their different allotments were surveyed and marked out and early in the month they took possession of their land, giving the name “Liberty Plains” to the district in which their farms were situated.’

Powell and Thomas Webb first received 80 acres each, Meredith and J. Webb, 60 acres each and Rose and his family, 120 acres. All settlers had their passages paid and received on landing an assortment of tools and implements from public stores, 2 years provisions, 1 year of clothing, and the services of convicts assigned to them. Joseph Webb named his grant “Lutner Farm”, Rose “Hunter’s Hut”, Meredith “Charlotte Farm”, Thomas Webb “Webb’s Endeavour” and Powell “Dorset Green”.

The settlement at Liberty Plains for agricultural purposes was immediately followed by a progressive settlement of the surrounding area — it had been Grose’s wish to have a settlement midway between Sydney and Parramatta for the “convenience and safety of the traveling public”.

Hence, much of the land immediately to the North (Concord) and North West (Abbatoirs and its environs) was allotted to the non-commissioned officers and privates of the NSW. Corps (many of whom disposed of their 25 acre lots as soon as granted).

With the assistance of convict labour the ‘Liberty Plains’ settlers cleared and cultivated the land, but the productive capacity of the land becoming soon exhausted under cropping, continuous clearing of the land was found necessary and this costly process appeared to have reduced the farmers to a state of poverty. Such was their plight that a Committee of Enquiry under Samuel Marsden and Surgeon Arndell was set up to report and as a result it was decided to increase the holdings of the settlers in 1798 — hence an additional 70 acres was granted to Rose and his sons, and 60 acres fronting Parramatta Road and Homebush Bay to Meredith.

So unproductive was the land that most settlers, whilst retaining an interest in their farms, obtained employment elsewhere. e.g. Powell entered the Public Service as a constable at the Hawkesbury River. Mrs. Thomas Webb, whose husband had died in 1795, abandoned her right to her husband’s land and this, together with Powell’s grant ultimately became the property of Simeon Lord whose name appears on the official maps as grantee of the combined areas of 160 acres.

Meanwhile, Captain Thomas Rowley, having been granted an area of 260 acres in 1799, adjoining the other grants, increased his Liberty Plains property in 1803 by adding the grant of Joseph Webb and the end of Rose’s 120 acres. Following the first unsuccessful farming attempts, the area remained almost in a state of neglect until the return of Powell in 1807 to his original grants, which he again took up, in addition to the adjoining 80 acres formerly held by Thomas Webb.

Shortly afterwards, Powell was granted an additional 19 acres with frontage to the Parramatta Road on the North and (the now) Coventry Road on the West. Anticipating the patronage of the traveling public, Powell erected a building on the Parramatta Road which he called the “Halfway House” and having obtained a liquor licence, established a hotel and store. By his death in 1814, Powell had acquired 500 acres — that is all of the land granted to the free settlers on the left bank of Powell’s Creek. The entire property having been left to his son, Edward Powell, and daughter, Mary, it was first rented out and then purchased in 1823 by James Underwood (the original grantee’s son-in-law).

Meanwhile, further grants had been made to the north west and south of the original grants: 920 acres to Darcy Wentworth in an area north of Parramatta Road and running from Powell’s Creek to Haslam’s Creek and to the Parramatta River upon which Wentworth chose to erect his homestead named “The Homebush Estate”: and 570 acres in 1808 to James Wilshire, bounded on the south by the Cooks River (between the now Chalmers Road and the Boulevarde and Coronation Parade) which he called ‘Wilshire’s Farm’. This land was later acquired by Samuel Terry in 1824 and named the ‘Redmire Estate’ after Terry’s birthplace in Yorkshire. After the death of his widow, Rosetta, in 1858, the land was sold to W. W. Bilyard. The Estate was further subdivided in 1867 into blocks from 3-13 acres each with frontages from 4-8 chains to Station Road, Railway Road, Homebush Road, Liverpool Road, Water and Dean Streets and Redmire Boulevarde (former name of The Boulevarde).

The Redmire locality became incorporated under the name of ‘Strathfield’ (the residence of John Hardy, a City jeweler) on June 2, 1885, when local government was formed. The original areas of the new Strathfield Municipality included Redmire, Druitt Town [now Strathfield South] and Homebush.

Sections of the Underwood property to the south of the railway (opened in 1855) were subdivided for sale in 1878. The Sydney Morning Herald of November 2, 1878, described the subdivision thus: “. . . a portion of the estate close to the railway station has been laid out as the ‘Village of Homebush’. The ground was allotted into 15 sections, intersected by streets, with names almost identical with those in use to-day.

On June 30, 1823, 450 acres to the west of the free settlers’ land and extending from Parramatta Road southerly to the Liverpool Road had been granted as a ‘glebe’ to the Chaplain of St. James’ Church, Sydney. After 1826, this reverted to the Crown, and in 1841 was divided into 2 portions of 256 and 283 acres and sold. The northern 256 acres was purchased by Joseph Hyde Potts, and the southern 283 acres, purchased by Joseph Newton. (Barker Road now separates these two areas.)

In 1858 the Newton Estate was acquired by Judge Joshua Josephson and marginal portions of the area were afterwards subdivided and sold. Most were sold under the title ‘Josephson’s Estate’ from 1916 onwards.

Father John Joseph Therry was granted 47 acres in an area called ‘Bark Huts’ in March 1837. To finance the building of the original St. Anne’s Church (foundation stone laid July 1841) Father Therry offered 4 acre blocks for £25, but insufficient money being available, a further 134 allotments were offered for sale in 1854 and the streets of the subdivision named after Saints or dignitaries of the Church.

So it was that during the latter part of the 19th century many of the old semi-rural grants within the “Liberty Plains” District, especially along the principal lines of traffic, were subdivided into homestead areas and later into residential allotments, to meet the requirements of professional men, merchants and government officials.

This information was originally published in ‘Some Notes on the Municipality’, Strathfield Council, 1974. Some corrections and amendments have been made to this material by Cathy Jones 2004.

It is not widely know that parts of Enfield are built on James Wilshire’s original 1808 land grant [later known as the Redmire Estate], which extends from Redmyre Road to the Cook’s River. The Redmire Estate subdivision of 1867 not only commenced the residential development of Strathfield, but also parts of Enfield [later known as Strathfield South]. However, the development of Enfield and Strathfield differ as reflected in the establishment of separate Municipal governments - Strathfield Council [1885] and Enfield Council [1889]. However, since the abolishment of Enfield Council in 1949, a large part of the Enfield district [including Strathfield South and parts of Enfield, Belfield, Greenacre and Chullora] has been incorporated into Strathfield Municipality. The discussion of early land grants is confined to the area of Enfield located within Strathfield Municipality.

The area of Enfield is made up of many land grants including the James Wilshire grant, John Alford grant, William Roberts grant, Fr Therry’s Village of St Ann’s grant and a number of smaller grants.

The Redmire Estate, an area of 524 acres, was first granted to James Wilshire in 1808 and regranted 1810 by Governor Macquarie. It was then called Wilshire’s Farm and bounded at the north by Redmyre Rd, east by The Boulevarde and Coronation Parade, west by Wallis Avenue and at the south by the Cook’s River. In 1824, Wilshire sold this land to Samuel Terry, who renamed the land the ‘Redmire Estate’, named for his birthplace near Yorkshire. After the death of Terry’s widow, Rosetta, the land was purchased by William Billyard, who subdivided and commenced selling lots in 1867. Ferdinand Reuss, an architect and surveyor of Pitt St Sydney, was responsible for surveying the Redmire Estate.

The subdivision of the Redmire Estate [Deposit Plan 35] included creation of streets, which provided access between land divisions. Liverpool Rd was opened in 1814 and the alignments of lots in the Redmire Estate reflect the existing roadway. The other streets created by this subdivision plan include Homebush Rd, Railway Road [now Albyn Rd], and Dean Street. Water St was presumably established at this time to provide access to the Cook’s River, hence the name. Incidentally, the much disliked ‘dog-leg’ in the road between Homebush Rd and Water St was created by the subdivision of the Redmire Estate in 1867. The size of the lots of land close to the Cook’s River are much larger than land in Strathfield. Lots adjacent to the Cook’s River measured 12-16 acres compared to average size of 9 acres in Strathfield.

The earliest reference for Water St in post office directories is the 1889 Sands Sydney Directory for Druitt Town [later renamed Strathfield South]. Druitt Town’s boundaries are described as ‘Commencing on the west side of Punchbowl Road to Cook’s River, and on the south side of the Liverpool Road to Cook’s River on the south’. The first property on Water St appears in the 1890 Sands Directory [Druitt Town] for John Jones, though Water St appears in 1889 Sands as a locational reference. Other streets, which are established in the 1880’s containing properties include: Barton Street, Brooklyn Street, The Causeway, Dean Street, Edward Street, Hill Street, John Street, Liverpool Rd, Maria Street, Punchbowl Road, Terry Street and William Street.

Water St was eventually continued into Belfield with the construction of a timber bridge over the Cook’s River. Incidentally, the timber bridge was washed away in 1935 and replaced by a concrete structure[1]. Water St Belfield is part of the 1810 John Alford grant, which is discussed in the next section.

The suburb of Belfield is divided at Punchbowl Road between Strathfield and Canterbury Councils. The Strathfield section is composed of a number of land grants including a grant of 100 acres to John Terry Hughes [1802-1851], a whaler, brewer, flour merchant was granted 100 acres. J T Hughes was the nephew of Samuel Terry. 120 acres was granted in 1810 to James Morris [1759-1813], a private in the NSW Corps who arrived on the Second Fleet. Smaller grants were allocated Harriott Carr [30 acres in 1810] and J Mollett. A large part of this area was set aside as Enfield Park by the Enfield Municipal Council. The land was resumed by the NSW Government in 1916 and redeveloped as the Enfield Marshalling Yards.

The Alford Grant of 1810 was later subdivided as the ‘Clareville Estate’. Water St [Belfield], Victory St, Elliott St and Clareville Close and Bark Huts and Elliott Reserve are built on this estate. Fortunately, land title searches and historical documentation have been made available thanks to the efforts of Scott and Christina Robshaw and Peter Jones and Sandra Austin, who have undertaken considerable research on their homes in Water St. With this information available, it is possible to detail a history of the ‘Clareville Estate’.

John Alford, an ‘animal doctor’, received a grant of 60 acres in 1810. The conditions of the grant did not permit sale of property for a period of five years. Alford’s grant was bounded by Cooks River and two public roads which appear to be the current Coronation Parade and Punchbowl Rd, which on a 1831 Cadastral map is a continuation of the same road. Part of the grant deemed 15 acres to be made available to the government for further public roads. The Crown also had rights to timber on the land for naval purposes. Alford was also granted 60 acres at Holsworthy in 1831 and died in 1858[2]. Incidentally, the grant to Alford was one of the last free land grants in NSW as regulations were introduced in 1831 for all lands to be sold by public auction.

Apparently, Alford established a small farm on the grant before selling his grant to Henry Marr, a dealer from Sydney, in March 1815 for the amount of £100. In 1818, the land was transferred to Edward Wardropper, presumably upon the death of Marr, either through purchase or inheritance [there is insufficient documentation]. By 1826, the land was seized by the Sheriff, John Mackaness, after the death of Wardropper, possibly for unpaid debts or possibly he died intestate without family. I have not been able to locate any details regarding death of Wardropper in NSW.

The land was transferred by conveyance to William Henry Moore on 5 September 1826, prior to its’ sale to John Stephen on 13 September 1926. I am unsure whether the land transferred by feoffment[3] to Moore because of Moore’ position as Crown Solicitor or because he was also the owner of ‘Brighton Farm’ which bounded Alford’s grant on the Cook’s River and had a personal interest in the property. Moore’s land is situated where Coronation Parade is located today [on the Burwood Council side]. Moore was also known to John Stephen, through legal connections, who eventually purchased the Alford land holding and the sheriff John Mackaness is known to be a close friend of Stephen’s son Francis [detailed in the Australian Dictionary of Biography reference to John Stephen]. The documentation describes the transaction as:

‘land was lately purchased by him the said William Henry Moore of John Mackaness Sheriff of New South Wales aforesaid by virtue of an execution issued against Edward Wardropper the late proprietor……that for the consideration aforesaid by the said William Henry Moore hath granted unto the said John Stephen…..’

William Henry Moore [1788-1854] was a prominent Sydney solicitor. In 1815, Moore and F Garling were appointed as the first non-convict solicitors in the colony of NSW for the salary of £300. Moore continued his lucrative private practice but ‘his career as a public servant was chequered’ resulting in Governor Macquarie terminating his salary and privileges after Moore continually let the Crown down in criminal case[4]. However, in 1917, Earl Bathurst censured Macquarie and Moore was reinstated with all his privileges. Moore continued as Crown Solicitor until 1834 when Governor Bourke suspended Moore for neglect of duties. Bourke’s decision was upheld.

In November 1826, the land was sold for £60 to Justice John Stephen of the Supreme Court of Sydney. Stephen also acquired the former grants of John Nichols and Joseph Broadbent and built a country estate, which he named ‘Clareville’, on the 250 acres he now owned. ‘Clareville’ was located on the north side of Punchbowl Rd, near the Cook’s River crossing. The Cadastral Map of ‘Clareville’ is dated 1831-1839 and clearly shows the location of the property near the Cook’s River[5]. In the book Belfield: History & Memories, ‘Clareville’ is described as Alford’s farm, which was cleared, fenced, had wheat planted and had forty head of cattle on it[6].

The Stephen family are a prominent family in government, law and the arts in British and Australian history. The Stephen family in Australia are prominently associated with law and government, the legal firm Stephen & Stephen [now Mallesons Stephen & Jacques] was founded by this family. The Stephen family are also prominent in the Arts. Sir Leslie Stephen [1832-1904], nephew of John Stephen, established the British National Dictionary of Biography. Writer Virginia [Stephen] Woolf and artist Vanessa [Stephen] Bell were his daughters.

Clareville, Parish of Saint George Sydney [cartographic material], 1831-1839, National Library of Australia at http://nla.gov.au/nla.map-f547

‘Crown Solicitor’s Office’ at www.records.nsw.gov.au/cguide/c4g/crownsol.htm

Fortier, R & Muir, L., Belfield: History and Memories, Canterbury District Historical Society, 2002.

[1] P14, Enfield Municipal Council Annual Report 1936

[2] Thomas, Bryan ‘The original colonial landholders of Sydney’, 1982. Information provided by Alford descendent Jenny Forward in July 2006 confirms Alford's date of death as 4 August 1858, verified by obituary in Sydney Morning Herald on 5 August 1858.

[3] Feoffment is a term used in the Old Titles System, which is a conveyance in fee simple with a livery of seisin. The process involved a ceremony accompanied by witnesses whereby the grantor passed to the grantee a sod of earth. Source: Butterworth’s Concise Australian Legal Dictionary, Second Edition.

[4] ‘Crown Solicitor’s Office’ at www.records.nsw.gov.au/cguide/c4g/crownsol.htm

[5] Clareville, Parish of Saint George Sydney, 1831-1839, National Library of Australia

[6] Fortier, R & Muir, L ‘Belfield: History and Memories’, Canterbury District Historical Society, 2002.