20 Jul 1842 - Sydney incorporated as a city

#OnThisDay 20 July 1842, Sydney was incorporated as a city. Sydney Town was established in 1788 at Sydney Cove and was named after the British Home Secretary, Thomas Townshead, Lord Sydney. On 20 July an Act (6 Vic No. 3) was passed to 'declare the town of Sydney to be a city and to incorporate the inhabitants thereof'. Alderman John Hoskings was the Mayor of Sydney and the first municipal council meeting was held in the George Street Market Building (now the site of the QVB).

Source: The Sydney Morning Herald. (1942). George Street, Sydney, in 1842

Related

• View digitised entries from the Colonial Secretary's Papers under Sydney
• See our catalogue for information on City of Sydney Improvement Board (Agency 2237)
• Australian Dictionary of Biography entry for John Hosking
• Early Colonial Secretary's Papers for John Hosking
  

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