Cumberland County is a
county
A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...
in the
State of
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
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. Most of the
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
metropolitan area
A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...
is located within the County of Cumberland.
The County of Cumberland stretches from
Broken Bay
Broken Bay, a semi-mature tide-dominated ria, drowned valley estuary, is a large inlet of the Tasman Sea located about north of Sydney on the Central Coast (New South Wales), Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia; being one of the bodies ...
to the north, the
Hawkesbury River to the north-west, the
Nepean River to the west, the
Cataract River to the south-west and the northern suburbs of
Wollongong
Wollongong ( ; Dharawal: ''Woolyungah'') is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near water' or 'sound ...
to the south. It includes the area of the
Cumberland Plain.
Note that Cumberland County should not be confused with the former
Cumberland County Council, a
county council which existed from 1945 to 1964, and which despite the shared name was a legally distinct entity, with a distinct (albeit largely overlapping) territory, the Cumberland county district.
History
The name ''Cumberland'' was conferred by Governor
Arthur Phillip
Arthur Phillip (11 October 1738 – 31 August 1814) was a British Royal Navy officer who served as the first Governor of New South Wales, governor of the Colony of New South Wales.
Phillip was educated at Royal Hospital School, Gree ...
in honour of
Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland and Strathearn at a gathering to celebrate the birthday of his brother,
George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...
, on 4 June 1788. The county has been marked on maps since the start of the colony, as shown along the key on a 1789 map describing
Port Jackson
Port Jackson, commonly known as Sydney Harbour, is a natural harbour on the east coast of Australia, around which Sydney was built. It consists of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta ...
as being within the county of Cumberland. In the nineteenth century, parts of the county were in the
South
South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...
and
North
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography.
Etymology
T ...
Riding electoral districts from 1856 to 1859, which were replaced by
Central Cumberland. There was also the
Cumberland Boroughs electoral district.
Sub-divisions
Hundreds
There were thirteen
hundreds in Cumberland County, which were published in a
government gazette
A government gazette (also known as an official gazette, official journal, official newspaper, official monitor or official bulletin) is a periodical publication that has been authorised to publish public or legal notices. It is usually establish ...
on 27 May 1835, but repealed on 21 January 1888. Unlike
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
, the hundreds were never
adopted anywhere else in
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 ...
. The hundreds:
*
Bringelly
*
Campbelltown
*
Dundas
*
Evan
*
Hardinge
*
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
*
Packenham
*
Parramatta
Parramatta (; ) is a suburb (Australia), suburb and major commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney. Parramatta is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, on the banks of the Parramatta River. It is co ...
*
Richmond
*
Southend
*
Hundred of Sydney
*
Windsor
*
Woronora (shown as
Heathcote on some
maps)
Parishes
In 1835, Cumberland County was subdivided into 57 parishes. Previously, the subdivisions of the area since the beginning of the colony were called districts. Many of the parishes founded in 1835 kept the name of the district. Others were named after Anglican churches in the same area. This included three of the four small parishes in the Sydney city area: The
Parish of St Philip, which is named after
St Philip's Church; the
Parish of St James, which is named after
St James Church, and is still the name of the region today; and finally the
Parish of St Andrew which is named after
St Andrew's Cathedral. However, the
Parish of St Lawrence gave its name to
the church, rather than the other way around.
The Naming of the Parish, Christ Church of St.Laurence
/ref> Further out of the city, the parishes of St John, St Luke, St Peter and St Matthew, in the Parramatta
Parramatta (; ) is a suburb (Australia), suburb and major commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney. Parramatta is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, on the banks of the Parramatta River. It is co ...
, Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
, Campbelltown and Windsor areas respectively, have Anglican churches which bear the same saints names
St John's
in Parramatta (opened 1803)
St.Luke's
in Liverpool (building began 1818);
St.Peter's
in Campbelltown (opened 1823, the third oldest Anglican church in Australia); an
in Windsor (consecrated in 1822)
A full list of parishes found within this county; the LGAs which the parish is mostly in (most parish boundaries do not match LGA boundaries exactly), and mapping coordinates to the approximate centre of each location is as follows:
Districts
The first subdivisions of the county were called districts, shown in early maps from the period, such as 21 districts on a
1810 map
and 37 districts on a
1824 map
(not including Philip which was across the Nepean River and not part of the county). The districts in use in 1824:
References
{{Counties of New South Wales
Counties of New South Wales
States and territories established in 1788
Geography of Sydney
1788 establishments in Australia