The first land grant in Lugarno was to Thomas Greenwood Lawrence, on the 19th October, 1831. It was a grant of 120 acres, located on the western side of Forest Road, and it extended from near Allwood Crescent to near where Valentia Avenue is today.
Thomas Lawrence was born in 1788, and in 1807 he came to Sydney as a free settler on the ship Sydney Cove. His wife to be, Mary Ann Lee, who was a year younger than Thomas, came on the same ship, and on March 2, 1808 they were married at St. Phillips Church, Sydney.
In the Australian newspaper, on Thursday, October 13, 1825 the following advertisement appeared:
" All kinds of Coopers' work are performed at the shortest notice, and at the most reasonable terms, by Thomas Lawrence, No.6, Hunter Street, Sydney."
On the 9th December, 1825 Governor Brisbane promised two land grants to Thomas Lawrence: 120 acres in Holsworthy, and 120 acres at Lugarno, later described as Portion No. 1 in St. George Parish in the Government Notice dated 29th September, 1831. The conditions of the grant were that £1 Quit rent per annum be paid from the 1st January, 1835, that the land could not be alienated before 1st January, 1833, and before this date 22 acres should be cleared and cultivated, or improvements to the value of £20 be made.
Although the grant was not made until 1831, Lawrence had occupied and cultivated his property at Lugarno much earlier, possibly even before it was formally promised to him. This was not unusual in a young Colony with a shortage of surveyors, however a deed of grant was needed before the property could be sold.
Lawrence was able to obtain the services of convicts to help him develop the property as this letter shows:
Sydney, 17th November, 1825
Sir,
I beg leave most respectfully to enclose you a Return of Prisoners that have Mustered to my Service and request the usual certificate in order that I may take the benefit of the Government and General Order of the 8th November, 1824.
I have the honour to be
Sir
Your most obedient humble servant
Thos. G. Lawrence
No. 2 Phillip Street
Records show that another convict was assigned to Thomas Lawrence in 1831.
Convicts were assigned to persons holding more than 100 acres of land, who were then reponsible for feeding and clothing the convict. One can only speculate as to how much supervision they recieved from their master in Phillip Street.
In 1828, according to the Census taken that year, Thomas was still a cooper (making barrels and casks),and his wife was working for James Cross, a butcher, at Cumberland Street, Sydney. Both described themselves as Protestants. Thomas had 200 acres of land, of which 42 acres were cleared, and 12 acres were cultivated, but he did not have any horses, cattle or sheep.
It is not clear which land this refers to, as Thomas Lawrence was granted 120 acres at Lugarno, 120 acres on the George's River next to Alford's grant in Holsworthy, and 80 acres at Sutherland - all in 1831. In the Australian newspaper a notice advertising proposed grants of land and calling for corrections or objections to the proposals, appeared on Thursday October 7, 1831, including the grants to Thomas Lawrence of 120 acres in St. George and 120 acres in Holsworthy, and on Thursday, October 21, 1831 for his 80 acres in Sutherland. The Sutherland 80 acres was re-advertised on 10 November 1831 in the name of John Connell, and the deed executed in favour of John Connell on the 18th June, 1835. Connell advised that he wished this land to be known as Cinterbitt. The officials presumed Centerbit was the correct spelling - the land being in the centre of his two other holdings.[Reel 2653 2/243]
In the Australian of April 13th, 1832, the Colonial Secretary advised that the deeds of grant for Thomas Lawrence's land had been "Transmitted to the Registrar of the Supreme Court, for enrollment, and [were] to be had on payment of fees to the Collector of Internal Revenue with arrears of quit-rent."
Thomas Lawrence had a son, Thomas Greenwood Lawrence, Junior, who was born in 1808. He married Mary Adcock at St. Phillips Church, Sydney on July 7th, 1829. He was described as a shipwright at this time. Later he gave evidence in a court case involving the theft of a watch belonging to his employer, Captain David. He is described as a ships carpenter of George's River. It seems that he was making use of the timber on his fathers land for shipbuilding and repair.
On the 31st January, 1840 he and his mother wrote to the Colonial Secretary from No.48 Clarence Street, Sydney (opposite J. Blaxland Esq., M.C.), concerning the 80 acre grant in Sutherland, which was at what is known as Kurnell today. They claimed that Thomas senior had 'made away' with this land to John Connell without receiving the permission of either of them. They claimed that as the land had been granted for the benefit of heirs, that this was unlawful. The government disagreed, and decided not to interfere, so John Connell retained this land.[A.O.Reel 1151] Thomas Lawrence died the following year in 1841.