State Archives Collection

This index covers requests from individuals for land - leases and purchases - received by the Colonial Secretary's office between 1826 and 1856.

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

Conditional purchase was a process of obtaining a Crown Grant of land in NSW before it was surveyed. Watch as we discuss how to navigate this tricky area of research

This court resolved the claims of people who had been promised land grants but were not in possession of the titles, or where the land was in the possession of others claiming to have lawful right to it

This index will be of interest to those researching early or disputed land ownership

Sources relating to the occupation of Crown lands in the period prior to 1856

Depasturing Licences permitted settlers to graze stock on Crown Lands "beyond the limits of location". The "limits of location" refer to the nineteen counties of settled area extending from Sydney.

Breaking into a chain of title may be easier than you think

How to make sense of all of the details on a parish map

This is an index of the first six volumes of the Surveyor General's Registers of Land Grants and Leases [7/445, 7/447-451] and contains all grants to 1819, mainland grants to 1822 and Cumberland grants, 1823-65

These records 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

Land value refers to the monetary value of the land only and does not include the value of the home or other structures on the land

How to search for early land grants and records of the occupation of Crown land before 1856

The 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

This webinar explains the differences between old system and Torrens title and how to read these documents

A list of the main land records in our collection that relate to returned soldier settlement after World War I. The passage of the Returned Soldiers Settlement Act 1916, (Act No 21 1916) allowed the settlement of returned soldiers on Crown and Closer Settlement lands. When applying for land, an ex-serviceman was required to complete a Qualification Certificate which was a declaration of his or her status as an ex-service person and eligibility for land

Explore the beautiful and informative tracings and sketches made by surveyors working in the field

This webinar explores the records of this Court, how to find them and what they can tell you about NSW land ownership in the 19th Century

The Valuer General gradually took over responsibility for valuing land in NSW from 1919. This webinar looks at the valuation rolls created by this department and how they can be used for family and local history

An introduction to how to read and use Crown Plans, particularly for family and local history research