land &grants

By His Excellency Arthur Phillip Esquire., Captain General & Governor in Chief in & over His Majesty’s Territory of New South Wales & its Dependencies.

WHEREAS full Power & Authority for Granting Lands in the Territory of New South Wales, to such Persons as may be desirous of becoming Settlers therein, is vested in me His Majesty’s Captain General & Governor in Chief in & over the said Territory & its respectively the Twenty fifth Day of April, One Thousand seven hundred & eighty nine.

In PERSUANCE of the Power & Authority vested in me as aforesaid. I do by these Pretents. GIVE & GRANT unto NATHANIEL LUCAS His Heirs & Assigns to have & to hold for ever, Fifteen Acres of Land to be known by the name of LUCAS’S FARM, laying in Granville Valley, Sydney Township, Norfolk Island, the said Fifteen Acres of Land to be had & held by him the said Nathaniel Lucas, His Heirs & Assigns free from all Fees, Taxes, Quit Rents & other acknowledgments, for the space of Ten Years, from the Date of these Pretents; Provided that the said Nathaniel Lucas, His Heirs or Assigns shall reside within the same & proceed to the Improvement & Cultivation thereof; such timber as may be growing or to grow hereafter upon the said land, which may be deemed fit for Naval Purposes, to be reserved for the use of the Crown, & paying an annual Quit Rent of One Shilling after the expiration of the Term of Ten Years before mentioned.

IN TESTIMONY whereof I have hereunto set my Hand & Seal of the Territory, at Government House, Sydney in the Territory of New South Wales, this Third Day of January in the Year of Our Lord, One Thousand seven hundred and ninety two.

That your petitioner was one of the first who landed in the Colony on its first colonization and when an Establishment was formed on Norfolk Island Petitioner volunteered himself for that Settlement and by his useful services and good conduct there he was confirmed Master Carpenter of the Civil Department.

Your Petitioner most humbly begs leave to acquaint Your Excellency that he remained in that Situation (until the ?) Reducement of the Establishment of Norfolk Island took place by which means it not, only impoverished him but distressed him to the lowest Ebb in Life compelled then to quit Norfolk Island for Port Jackson, in hopes in some Measure to retrieve his Loss, when shortly after his arrival here his Misfortunes heaped upon doublefold in consideration of the great and many losses he had sustained together with his strict and attentive services for so many years on account of Government as well his having a Wife and Eleven children Lt. Col. Foyeaux while Lt. Gov. of Norfolk Island had been an eye witness of his long and meritorious service most kindly, interposed and through his Measure was again appointed a Superintendent' in Sydney as well through his Interest he obtained the enclosed Grant of Land & Lease.

Your Petitioner most submissively begs leave to approach Your Excellency flattering himself under the (pending ?) circumstances you may be most graciously pleased to sanction the said Grant & Lease and for which singular favour.

Lucas, Nathaniel Scarborough, Middlesex, Carpenter. Lucas was among the early arrivals at Norfolk Island, where he later occupied various positions of responsibility. Superintendent of Convicts awaiting discharge, 1792. Acting Master Carpenter, in November, 1795. He received a grant of 15 acres at Norfolk Island, and while there married Olive Gascoyne. Had nine children when he left the Island. In 1806, he had the lease, for 14 years, of Lot 93, near St. Phillip’s Church, Sydney. Superintendent of Carpenters at Sydney in 1814, receiving a salary of 50 pounds per annum. He was granted 500 acres at Minto.

He contracted for the building of St. Luke’s Church, Liverpool, but the difficulties he had with Greenway, the architect, preyed on his mind, and caused him to take his own life in 1818. He had been in business also as a miller at Liverpool, and his family was still carrying on the business in 1828.