Lachlan Macquarie 2010 - April highlight

Last month's highlight: Macquarie's instructions to James Meehan for the laying out of the Five Townships of Windsor, Richmond, Pitt town, Wilberforce and Castlereagh dated 26 December 1810. Notice Macquarie's attention to detail in the instructions: he sets a regular width for the streets and the assignment of land to be used for the Church, School, Gaol and Guard house. He even gives directions as to the type of

dwelling houses which may be built.

 

» Lachlan Macquarie Gallery

 

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Instructions given to James Meehan for the laying out of the Five Townships

 

Secretary’s Office Sydney

26th December 1810

 

Sir

 

His Excellency the Governor deeming it expedient/in

order to guard against any misunderstanding on your part/to commit

the Instructions which He has already given you verbally on the

subjects of the New Townships now about to be finally, laid out and

for the further purpose of your explaining the same to all persons

concerned, so that at any future period, no doubt as to His

Excellency’s intentions may be started, has instructed me to convey

His directions to you to proceed immediately, to Windsor, where you

are to apply for, and receive from Mr Cox the Chief Magistrate, the

Several Returns of the Settlers Names who are desirous of forming

their future Residences within the said New Townships

 

So soon as you have received those Returns, you

are with the least possible delay, to commence the business of

laying out in a clear and distinct manner the Several Town-

Ships of Windsor, Richmond, Pitt town, Wilberforce and Castlereagh

in which duty you are to require the assistance of Mr Evans, the

Deputy Surveyor. These Townships are to be established on the

High Grounds already surveyed and allotted for those purposes by His

Excellency, the Governor on the several Commons within the respective

Districts to which these Townships are to be attached As a

General guide to you in the execution of this very important business

you

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You are principally, to observe and follow the subsequent Rules

and Orders in the marking out the several Townships and

allotments for the Settlers who mean to reside therein

1st You are mark out the several Townships by

regular lines accurately defined, and the streets

to be laid out are to be 66 feet wide – those streets

running lengthways thro’ the Town are to be parallel

to, and 8 chains distant from each other – these streets

are also to be intersected by others crossing them at

right angles, which streets are to be the same

width with the others, but are to be laid out 12

chains apart from each other, and are also to be in

parallel directions

2 In the Center of each Town or Township you

are to assign a Square Space of Ground containing

396 feet on each side for the purpose of erecting a

Church, a School House, a Gaol and Guard House in

and you are to set apart 2 acres of Ground on the

rear of the central square for a Burial ground, with

an expection in this particular with regard to Windsor

and Richmond, instructions for which will be

noticed herein.

3 The Townships are to be laid out in regular

Allotments for the future Inhabitants in the

Following proportions. Viz.

Allotment

For settlers holding Farms less than 30 1½ Acres

For

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Allotment

For settlers holding Farms of 30 and less than 50 Acres 2 acres

Do [Ditto] Do [Ditto] of 50 and less than 100 Do [Ditto] 3 Do [Ditto]

Do [Ditto] Do [Ditto] of 100 acres and upwards 4 Do [Ditto]

4 But as there is not a sufficiency of unappropriated Land

in the Township of Windsor to make the allotments equally

great as the foregoing whilst that which is disposable

becomes of course the more valuable, you are to make

the distribution of it accordingly to the following scale

namely

Allotment

For Settlers holding Farms less than 30 acres ¾ acre

Do [Ditto] Do of 30 and less than 50 Acres 1 Do

Do [Ditto] Do of 50 and less than 100 do 1½ Do

Do [ Ditto] Do of 100 acres and Upwards 2 Do

 

The main streets or those which run lengthways in Windsor

are to be parallel and 5 Chains asunder, and the

Streets at right angles with them or running cross-

ways are to be 12 Chains apart and throughout paral-

lel to each other the Width of the Streets to be 66 feet as

in the other Townships Fifty acres of Ground are to

be reserved for small Town allotments for the accom-

modation of Tradesmen which Ground is to commence

from Rickaby’s, Mr Marsden’s and Thomas’s farms

and to extend thence to the Farms on the South Creek

The allotments to be reserved for the settlers who have

Farms on the Banks of the River are to commence

at the termination of the 50 Acres reserved for the

Tradespeople Every Person holding a Farm on the

Bank of the River which is liable to the Floods, is to

have an allotment assigned him, whether his Land

is

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is held by Grant or Lease from the Government or by Purchase

or Lease from the original Grantee It is however to be

clearly understood in this place that such allotments are

never to be sold or alienated independent of the Farms for

the security of which they are now first to be granted, nor is

any Person whatever who holds Land on the River to get

an allotment in a District Township but that wherein

his Farm is situated to which he is to be exclusively attached

and limited.

5 You are also to number the Farms on the banks of

the Hawkesbury and Nepean which are subject to the floods

in the same order they are placed on the Chart Viz

No 1, 2, 3 and so on for their entire number and

corresponding numbers for the Town allotment are to be

given to the settlers, paying due attention to the proportions

already prescribed When this duty is performed you are to

make out a complete register off all the allotments thus

assigned in order that it may be referred to in any Cases

of dispute which may in future arise respecting them.

6 The dwelling houses to be erected in the several Town-

ships by the settlers are to be either made of Brick or

weather boarded, to have Brick chimneys and to roofed

with shingles each house is to contain not less than two

apartments, with a glazed window in each room and

the side walls are not to less than 9 feet high A

Plan of such dwelling houses with suitable offices will be

left with each District Constable to which every Settler in

the erection of his house and office must conform as

already

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already prescribed in His Excellency’s address to the settlers under

the Head of General and Government Orders dated the 15th

instant and you are to take pains to making this

injunction perfectly understood

7 You are also to locate a Glebe of 400 acres of Land

for the present and future use Chaplains resident at

Windsor the situation to be a convenient and

eligible one within that Township or in the town-

ship of Richmond, but you are by all means to avoid

marking it out in any situation whereby it might

prove injurious or inconvenient for the Farms on

the Banks of the River, either by its shutting up or

excluding their free communication between their Farms

so sealed and the Town Common assigned for the

grazing of their cattle. Neither is the Glebe to extend

nearer than one mile to the Towns of Windsor or

Richmond.

8 The Burial Grounds for the Townships of Windsor and

Richmond, and the Grounds whereon it is intended to

erect the Churches and School houses are to be con-

sidered as exceptions to the rules laid down in the 2nd

Paragraph of these Instructions, and are to be marked

out for them as the Governor has already directed

9 In any cases not provided for in these present in-

structions, you are to be guided by the verbal directions

which you have already received from His Excellency,

the Governor, and you are by all means to impress

These His Excellency’s Instructions on every person

who

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who may feel an interest therein

I am Sir

Your Ob H ble Servt

[Obedient Humble Servant]

 

Signed Jno Thos Campbell

Secy

 

[John Thomas Campbell

Secretary]

 

James Meehan

Actg Pl Surveyor

[Acting Principal]

Sydney

Done