The year 1821 was a most important one in the history of land settlement in Van Diemens Land. In that year Macquarie issued 180 land grants, containing a total area of 53,702 acres. He also visited the settlement for the second time in April of this year and expressed himself well pleased with the progress the settlers had made, and promised the industrious additional grants. This is what historian Fenton says of this visit:—
At the time of his former visit in 1811, the total population did not exceed 1500. Now it was 7400, with greatly augmented resources, 15,000 acres of cultivated land, 35,000 head of horned cattle, 170,000 sheep, 550 horses and 5,000 swine.
Macquarie was received with great enthusiasm. His Excellency was delighted with hie reception, with the climate, the place and the people. He found the colony in a comparatively tranquil state, and the free inhabitants prosperous. There were 426 houses in Hobart Town and 2700 souls. The Governor-General was fond of giving names to the places he visited. He named the towns of Perth, Campbell Town, Oatlands, Brighton, Roseneath, Sorell, and Elizabeth Town, the last in honour of his wife; the name was afterwards abandoned and that of New Norfolk substituted, Macquarie Street, Plains, Harbour and River were named in honour of the Governor-General.
The following are the most historic grants issued during this year:- 7000 acres to Edward Lord - he was the first officer who administered the Government on sudden death of Governor Collins. It appears from a statement in the grant, that Collins granted Lord 14 acres of land at Macquarie point, in what is now the Oueen's Domain. Lord was induced by the Government to relinquish it, and received as a solatium this 7000 acres at Lawrenny, which was then and is now one of the most valuable natural tracts of pasture land in this State. In addition to this area, Edward Lord received, simultaneously, an ordinary grant of 3000 acres adjoining the last-named property. These grants were issued on the 24th August, 1821. Two grants of 200 acres and 800 acres respectively were issued to ex-Lieut.-Governor Thomas Davey and 1000 acres were granted to his daughter, Miss Margaritta Davey, on the Clwyde River (please note the peculiar old-fashioned spelling). Andrew Bent, the father of the Tasmanian press, was on 15th November, 1821, granted 50 acres at Glenarchy, (please note again the old way of spelling), the locality we now know as Glenorchy. Governor Sorell was given three grants this year, one of 220 acres at Macquarie Plains — I conclude this was in exchange for his original grant at South Arm, which he ceded to Gellibrand, actuated probably by public spirit — an additional 500 acres at Macquarie Plains, and another 500 acres at Meander River. Edmund William Sorell was also given a 1000-acre grant at Macquarie Plains.
Captain James Kelly was on 31st March 1821, granted a 21 years lease of 1 rood and 17 perches at the corner of Collins and Campbell Streets, Hobart Town, almost opposite the Theatre Royal, where he built the house still standing, which he called Rock House. He certainly was a most wonderful man; he circumnavigated Tasmania in a whale-boat and generally loomed large in the early history of Hobart Town, where he acted for many years as pilot and harbour-master. Other historic persons who received grants this year were Thomas Hayes Jun., an ancestor of our present Premier, the Hon. J. B. Hayes. The grant in question was for 30 acres at Bagdad. Edward Curr, who later was well known as the local representative of the Van Diemens Land Company, was granted l500 acres at Green Ponds during this year. Richard Dry, who was at this time adding acre to acre in the building up of the Quamby Estate, near Westbury, received two grants, totaling 1500 acres.
Thomas Reibey's name appears for the first time in these records of early grants as the recipient of a grant of 600 acres in the year 1821 in the northern portion of Van Diemens Land. He was the ancestor of the Hon. Thos. Reibey, the owner of the Entally estate, who, as Chief Secretary, broke up the historic prison at Port Arthur in 1877. The grantee is described by Calder as "a land owner near Carrick and, I believe, master of the brig Governor Macquarie." George Espie was granted 700 acres at Green Ponds in 1821. This grantee, so the legend goes, sold his property in Van Diemens Land to Gamaliel Butler, one of Hobart's first solicitors, for an annuity, and surprised that gentlemen by his longevity. It is related that after the annuitant had lived a unconscionably long time the lawyer decided to send his daughter to vist Mr. Espie in England, in order to see him in the flesh. Mr. Espie entered heartily into the spirit of the adventure and capped it all by meeting the ship with his carriage, and insisted on taking the lady for a drive round London. Another historic name among the grantees of this year is that of Thomas F. Gorringe, who received a grant of 800 acres at Green Ponds, where his descendants live to the present day. He was a surgeon.
A noticeable feature of the grants issued during this year is that the areas are described as being in districts much further afield than any of the earlier areas. It was in this year that the Lake River, Green Ponds, Breadalbane Plains and Macquarie River districts are first mentioned in grant deeds. The last grant signed by Governor Macquarie for a grantee in Van Diemens Land appears to have been one at Launceston for 1 acre and 18 perches, in favour of Thomas Archer, signed on the 15th October and registered on 15/11/1821. The streets by which the land was bounded had not at that date received their names. But, though Macquarie did not have the pleasure of signing any more grants, the promises he made during his tour through the colony during this year made plenty of work for his successor, Governor Brisbane, in the years to come.
It is, I think, the general opinion of historians that Macquarie, though an estimable character in many ways, was suceptible to flattery and that he most lavishly bestowed gifts of land to those of his various staffs, and even to settlers who were well versed in .... (?) 1
- 1Some Historic Grants - Critic (Hobart, Tas. : 1907 - 1924) 13 July 1923: p2
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