Farringdon is a locality in the

Queanbeyan–Palerang Regional Council Queanbeyan–Palerang Regional Council is a Local government areas of New South Wales, local government area (LGA) located in the Southern Tablelands region of New South Wales, Australia. The council was formed on 12 May 2016 through a merger of t ...

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, Australia. It is located about 17 km southwest of Braidwood on the western bank of the

Shoalhaven River The Shoalhaven River is a perennial stream, perennial river that rises from the Southern Tablelands and flows into an open mature wind wave, wave dominated estuary#Lagoon-type or bar-built, barrier estuary near Nowra on the South Coast, New Sou ...

. At the , it had a population of 21. The area now known as Farringdon lies on the traditional lands of

Walbanga The Walbunja, also spelt Walbanga, Walbunga and Wulbunja, are an Aboriginal Australian people of New South Wales, part of the Yuin nation. Language The Walbunja language may be a dialect of Dhurga. Country The Walbunja people are a subgroup o ...

people, a group of

Yuin The Yuin nation, also spelt Djuwin, is a group of Aboriginal Australians, Australian Aboriginal peoples from the South Coast (New South Wales), South Coast of New South Wales. All Yuin people share ancestors who spoke, as their first language, ...

. It was known by early settlers originally as Jinero or Jineroo, a settler rendering of an Aboriginal word. After settler colonisation, the area lay within the

Nineteen Counties The Nineteen Counties were the limits of location in the colony of New South Wales, Australia. Settlers were permitted to take up land only within the counties due to the dangers in the wilderness. They were defined by the Governor of New Sou ...

that were opened to settlement. The name, 'Farringdon' is from an early land grant known as 'Farringdon Park' or just 'Farringdon'. It was by such early land grants that the land in the area was taken from the Walbanga, and what would later be known as

native title Aboriginal title is a common law doctrine that the land rights of indigenous peoples to customary tenure persist after the assumption of sovereignty to that land by another colonising state. The requirements of proof for the recognition of ab ...

was extinguished. Major

William Sandys Elrington Major William Sandys Elrington (1780–1860) was a British military officer, veteran of the Peninsula War, and colonial settler of New South Wales, Australia. He is associated with the locality of Farringdon and the village of Majors Creek, bot ...

took up a land grant, known as 'Mount Elrington', in 1827. Elrington had a 29-year military career, including service in the

Peninsula War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...

, before selling his commission and migrating to Australia. Elrington sold his land and left Australia for good, in 1846. His former home, still known as 'Mount Elrington', is renowned for its historic garden. The garden was begun by Elrington, who brought many of the trees and shrubs from England. Elrington worked his land using convict labour, and his old home retained its small prison, complete with

leg irons Legcuffs are physical restraints used on the ankles of a person to allow walking only with a restricted stride and to prevent running and effective physical resistance. Frequently used alternative terms are leg cuffs, (leg/ankle) shackles, foo ...

, until the early 1920s. Farringdon had a "half-time" school from 1867 to 1894.

References

Localities in New South Wales Queanbeyan–Palerang Regional Council Southern Tablelands {{SouthernTablelands-geo-stub