Tasmanian Registration Districts 1838--1945 - Origin and Development Chart
Transcribed by Douglas Burbury, 25 March 2001
This is a list of the names of the various registration districts for births, deaths and marriages which have been in existence in Van Diemen's Land/Tasmania during the period 1838 to 1945. It describes how the districts were divided up and combined to form new districts, and also includes notes on name changes.
This list was originally drawn up as a horizontal chart, presumably by someone at the Archives Office of Tasmania, and original copies of this chart are avaialable from the Archives.
The copy of the chart which I used to compile this particular list was kindly provided by Ray Hayes of Hobart.
| 1838 | Five districts of Launceston, Avoca, Oatlands, Brighton, Hamilton, Waterloo Point, Hobart in existence at this time |
| 1841 | Launceston divided into Launceston and Horton |
| 1843 | Hamilton divided into Bothwell and Hamilton |
| 1843 | Hobart divided into Hobart and Tasman |
| 1843 | Oatlands divided into Campbell Town and Oatlands |
| 1843 | Waterloo Point divided into Spring Bay and Great Swanport |
| 1844 | Launceston divided into Port Sorell and Launceston |
| 1846 | Hobart divided into Hobart, Clarence and Richmond |
| 1846 | Launceston divided into Launceston and Longford |
| 1848 | Avoca changed to Fingal |
| 1848 | Hamilton divided into New Norfolk and Hamilton |
| 1848 | Longford divided into Westbury, Morven and Longford |
| 1848 | Spring Bay and Great Swanport combined into Spring Bay |
| 1856 | Hobart divided into Franklin, (Victoria) Huon, Port Cygnet, Gordon, Kingston, Hobart and Ralphs Bay |
| 1856 | Spring Bay divided into Sorell, Spring Bay and Glamorgan |
| 1858 | Horton divided into Emu Bay and Horton |
| 1858 | Launceston divided into Launceston and George Town |
| 1858 | Westbury divided into Westbury and Deloraine |
| 1859 | Franklin divided into Port Esperence and Franklin |
| 1866 | Brighton divided into Brighton and Green Ponds |
| 1867 | George Town divided into Ringarooma and George Town |
| 1875 | Port Sorell divided into Ulverstone and Port Sorell |
| 1879 | Fingal divided into Fingal and Portland |
| 1881 | Launceston divided into Launceston and Beaconsfield |
| 1881 | Port Sorell divided into Port Sorell and Sheffield |
| 1888 | Emu Bay divided into Emu Bay and Waratah |
| 1888 | Franklin divided into Geeveston and Franklin |
| 1888 | George Town divided into George Town and Lefroy |
| 1888 | Hamilton divided into Hamilton and Strahan |
| 1888 | Morven changed to Evandale |
| 1888 | Port Sorell divided into Port Sorell and Mersey |
| 1888 | Westbury divided into Westbury and Frankford |
| 1889 | Mersey divided into Mersey and Port Frederick |
| 1889 | Port Esperence divied into Port Esperence and Southport |
| 1890 | Horton divided into Stanley and Montagu |
| 1894 | Launceston divided into Launceston and Lilydale |
| 1894 | Strahan divided into Strahan and Zeehan |
| 1896 | Campbell Town divided into Campbell Town and Ross |
| 1897 | Emu Bay divided into Emu Bay and Wynyard |
| 1897 | Strahan divided into Strahan and Lyell |
| 1906 | Montagu divided into Montagu and King Island |
| 1911 | George Town and Lefroy combined into George Town |
| 1911 | Kingston divided into Kingston and Bruni, and Gordon combined with remainder of Kingston to form Kingston |
| 1911 | Port Esperence changed to Dover |
| 1911 | Port Frederick changed to Devonport |
| 1911 | Port Sorell and Mersey combined into Latrobe |
| 1911 | Ralphs Bay and Clarence combined to form Clarence |
| 1911 | Ringarooma divided into Scottsdale, Ringarooma and Flinders |
| 1911 | Sheffield changed to Kentish |
| 1911 | Stanley divided into Stanley and Smithton |
| 1911 | Ulverstone divided into Ulverstone and Penguin |
| 1911 | Westbury and Frankford combined into Westbury |
| 1913 | Deloraine divided into Deloraine and Mole Creek |
| 1913 | Lyell divided into Queenstown and Gormanston |
| 1913 | Wynyard changed to Table Cape |
| 1913-33 | Zeehan divided into Zeehan and Rosebery |
| 1933 | Queenstown and Gormanston combined into Queenstown |
| 1934 | Deloraine and Mole Creek combined into Deloraine |
| 1937 | Emu Bay changed to Burnie |
© Douglas Burbury 2001. All rights reserved
Updated 11-Jan-2004
