Cadastral divisions of Tasmania

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The 18 counties of Tasmania

1873 map of Tasmania, showing the 18 counties

The Cadastral Divisions of Tasmania refer to the division of Tasmania into counties and parishes for cadastral purposes, which are part of the cadastral divisions of Australia. There are 18 counties in Tasmania, although in the early nineteenth century there were several other systems, with 36 counties and 9 other divisions used. The counties are referenced in the 1911 Britannica, with Hobart described as being in Buckingham County [1], Launceston in Cornwall County [2] and Beaconsfield in Devon County [3]. The counties are only used for land titles today, while the Local Government Areas of Tasmania with cities and municipalities are used for political and administrative purposes.

[edit] 18 counties

The 18 counties are shown in most maps of Tasmania in the mid to late nineteenth and earlier twentieth century. These counties are subdivided into parishes, and are the counties which are used for cadastral purposes today. The counties in the east and centre were proclaimed by 1850 [4], while the western counties of Wellington, Russel, Montague, Lincoln, Franklin, Montgomery and Arthur were proclaimed during the 1850s. [5]

Arthur County
Buckingham County
Cornwall County
Cumberland County
Devon County
Dorset County
Franklin County
Glamorgan County
Kent County
Lincoln County
Monmouth County
Montague County
Montgomery County
Pembroke County
Russell County
Somerset County
Wellington County
Westmoreland County

[edit] Other divisions

Map from 1852 showing nine divisions in the eastern part of the island.

Some maps show a different system of nine divisions which cover the eastern part of the island, such as this 1831 map and 1852 map which show divisions named thus:

Launceston
Norfolk Plains
Campbelltown
Clyde
Oatlands
Oyster Bay
New Norfolk
Richmond
Hobart Town

[edit] Early counties

Map showing the names of the 36 counties as used in 1855

Some early maps of Van Dieman's Land show 36 counties, not covering the whole island. These were used since the 1820s [6]. This 1846 map shows similar divisions, but subdivided even further. These are the 36 counties as listed and numbered in J. Archer's 1855 map: