Land grants
Introduction
Early grants of land were available to free settlers, convicts who had completed their sentence, and military personnel. The finding aids listed in this guide will help in locating details of individual grants.
- European convicts, military, and free settlers first settled in Tasmania’s south in 1803. If your ancestors arrived at this time they are likely to have settled at Sullivan’s Cove and to have been part of the development of Hobart Town.
- In the north, a settlement was established in 1804 at Port Dalrymple on the Tamar River. Launceston was named in 1807 as Port Dalrymple’s main settlement, with the first land grants in the North of the State being granted in 1808.
- By 1823 European settlement had stretched from Hobart to Launceston
- Between 1804-1834 there were land grants to free settlers, convicts whose sentences were completed, and military personnel.
- Because the Deeds registry was not established in Tasmania until 1827, there are few property transaction records before then.
What can I see online?
Search and view many records in the Tasmanian Names Index, including land grants between 1832 and 1935.
Land granted to returned servicemen after WWI under the Returned Soldiers Settlement Act, 1916
What’s available physically?
The following works by Thelma McKay resolve most land grant enquiries.
Other useful archival sources for locating land grants
The LIST (Land Titles Office)
The LIST (Land Information System Tasmania) is an online government resource that helps you trace the history of Tasmanian land and property through the use of historic maps, plans, deeds and titles, and access to Deeds Registry records (1827-1862 registrations of land transactions) and records of the Land Titles Office (1862-current). Using the online map application LISTmap, you can view and create customised maps using multiple layers of information.
Other useful resources