NRS-22196 | Cadastral field books [Roads and Maritime Services]

The Crown Lands Alienation Act 1861 (25 Victoria Number 1) established requirements for dedicating land for public purposes, including roads, which required surveys to be undertaken. The accompanying Crown Lands Occupation Act 1861 (25 Victoria Number 27a) enabled the government to withdraw land from lease for any public purposes, including roadways and set out the right for government surveyors to legally enter leased land. The Ministry for Public Works oversaw these functions before the establishment of the Main Roads Board under the Main Roads Act 1924 (Number 24) that came into effect on 1 January 1925. The Board was empowered to carry out surveys for the creation and development of main roads. The Board could resume land under the Public Works Act 1912 (Number 45) to construct roads.This series contains survey data collected manually in traditional survey field books are part of land survey records. The surveyors’ cadastral field books were used by surveyors for capturing and recording survey data and notes whilst working in the field. These books often contain notes about buildings and topography, astronomical observations for charting coordinates, boundary marks and other details that go beyond what is shown in plans that resulted from the survey and as such these records take precedence over registered plans.The field books in this series detail surveys of land acquired from various sites across New South Wales that were required for road construction and development.The books record detailed land survey information, buildings and properties along their lines, angles, distances, curves, bearings, markings and levels. The surveyor was also required to sign all field books and any pages with survey field measurements, data, diagrams and sketches used to set out the survey work.The field books also contain information such as the name of the surveyor, date signed by surveyor, date of transmission, date of registration, purpose and location of the survey e.g. Municipality or Shire, Parish or County.Most books contain additional information such as references to plan numbers, search packet numbers and file numbers. Some books have been stamped ‘microfilmed’ on the front cover and include microfilm reference numbers inside the book.Arrangement The books are numbered by year and region. The field books at times include indexes identifying the area surveyed. They can be identified by their field book number and some are folioed. They are kept according to acquisition projects for areas along roads such as State Highways (SH) or Main Roads (MR).There are different field book type numbers and sizes. Examples of type numbers include Field book 4; Field book 14; Field Book 105. Other field books used by surveyors included Level Books and Stadia books. Field book cover colours are associated with different field book type numbers.