Explore early Council petitions from City of Sydney archives

Learn how to use the City of Sydney’s online archives and history resources to find 19th century petitions to council. 

City Archivist Janet Villata and Archivist Mathilde de Hauteclocque introduce you to the City Archives and the catalogue and how to search or browse for petitions to council in this online event.

The session will explore 2 petitions from 1844, one about ‘unwholesome trades’ and the other requesting the removal of stone to make the Argyle Cut. You’ll discover what some of the earliest petitions reveal about city life, and the concerns of inhabitants. And you’ll learn how to use the catalogue to find out more about our city.

The City of Sydney’s Archives & History Resources catalogue provides access to over 1 million items from 1842 to the present day. You can find resources such as documents, photographs, maps and plans relating to the Sydney local area.

Bio:

Janet Villata is the City Archivist at the City of Sydney. She leads a team of 5 and a volunteer workforce of over 30. She was part of the project team that developed the new catalogue, introduced in 2020, which has transformed access to the City Archives.

Bio:

Mathilde de Hauteclocque is an archivist at the City of Sydney. She joined the archives in 2021 after completing postgraduate studies in information management. She has a long-held interest in Sydney’s spatial history and wrote a Cultural Studies thesis on the 1833 boundary stones of Sydney.

This is an online event

Please read your booking confirmation carefully to join the event on Zoom. You’ll need to install Zoom free on your computer or device to participate.

This event will be Auslan interpreted. To access the Auslan interpreting, you will need to use Zoom on a computer.