Wilberforce is a small town 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 ...

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 ...

, in the

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...

of the

City of Hawkesbury The City of Hawkesbury is a Local government in Australia, local government area that is located on the far northwest fringe of the Sydney, Greater Sydney area in New South Wales, Australia. The local government area is located in the Hawkesbury ...

. It is just beyond the outer suburbs of north-west

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 ...

and lies on the western bank of the

Hawkesbury River The Hawkesbury River, or Hawkesbury-Nepean River (Dharug language, Dharug: Dyarubbin) is a river located northwest of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The Hawkesbury River and its associated main tributary, the Nepean River, almost encircle ...

History

Wilberforce is one of the original settlements established as a township by

Lachlan Macquarie Major-general (United Kingdom), Major General Lachlan Macquarie, Companion of the Order of the Bath, CB (; ; 31 January 1762 – 1 July 1824) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator from Scotland. Macquarie served as the fifth Gove ...

, colonial governor of New South Wales 1810–21. It is known locally as " Macquarie Town", a title given to townships established by Governor Macquarie on 6 December 1810 in and around the Sydney metropolitan area. It was named after

William Wilberforce William Wilberforce (24 August 1759 – 29 July 1833) was a British politician, philanthropist, and a leader of the movement to abolish the Atlantic slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780 ...

(1759–1833), who was a British politician, philanthropist, and a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade.

Heritage listings

Wilberforce has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * Clergy Road: Wilberforce Cemetery * 47 George Road: Wilberforce Park * 43–43a Macquarie Road: St John's Anglican Church and Macquarie Schoolhouse * Rose Street: Australiana Pioneer Village * Rose Street: Rose Cottage * Stannix Park Road: Stannix Park House

Key sites and points of interest

Macquarie Schoolhouse (1819) and St John's Church (1859)

The historic St John's Anglican Church was designed by Edmund Thomas Blacket and built by J. Atkinson of Windsor. Construction was started in 1856 and the building was not completed until 1859 at a cost of £1500. The grounds of the church and contains the Old School House building (''Built 1819''), which was used as a school, a church, and a residence of the school master until the church was completed. The school house was replaced in 1880 by a Public School. The original church building is still used for the church's 8 am service with the modern education centre used for later services.

Howorth Grave (1804, relocated 1960)

Relocated to a position in front of the schoolhouse, the grave marks the death of a child bitten by a snake on a nearby property. Grave moved on 5 December 1960 by the Hawkesbury Historical Society. Wilberforce Park (1810) This is the original town square proclaimed by Macquarie, and still retains its original relationship with the schoolhouse, cemetery and townships. In the park itself is the War Memorial, erected by local residents in 1918. In 1966, it was relocated within the park, and new plaques were added at this time.

Australiana Pioneer Village

Opened around 1970, the village contains a number of buildings from the surrounding area which were physically transported to the site. Among them is 'Rose Cottage'; the oldest timber slab cottage in Australia standing on its original site.

Wilberforce Cemetery (1815 onwards)

This cemetery sits on Old Sackville Road, near the intersection with Singleton Road (Putty Road). There are a number of graves of the area's pioneers; notably the somewhat unusual Table Slab Grave.Wilberforce, Wilberforce Cemetery
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Notable residents

Wilberforce is the birthplace of

bushranger Bushrangers were armed robbers and outlaws who resided in The bush#Australia, the Australian bush between the 1780s and the early 20th century. The original use of the term dates back to the early years of the British colonisation of Australia ...

Captain Thunderbolt Frederick Wordsworth Ward (c. 1835 – 25 May 1870), better known by the Style (manner of address)#Self-styled, self-styled pseudonym of Captain Thunderbolt, was an Australian bushranger renowned for escaping from Cockatoo Island, New South Wal ...

References

Bibliography

* ''Discover the Hawkesbury.'' "Wilberforce". https://www.discoverthehawkesbury.com.au/hawkesbury-towns/wilberforce * ''Hawkesbury People & Places.'' "Wilberforce Cemetery". https://www.hawkesbury.org/name/wilberforce-cemetery.html * McHardy, Cathy & Nicholas McHardy. ''Sacred to the Memory - A Study of Wilberforce Cemetery.'' 2003. {{Hawkesbury suburbs Suburbs of Sydney City of Hawkesbury 1810 establishments in Australia Hawkesbury River