The University of Sydney celebrates its 175th Anniversary in October this year. Many of its Foundation records are held in the University Archives and can be accessed on Archives Search or in person in our Search Room.
Official and private records in our collection document the establishment, development of, and early life at the University.
The University as seen from Parramatta Road in 1870
View of Main Building from Across Parramatta Road With Horse-Carts on the Road (1870s), [REF-00055025]. University of Sydney Archives, accessed 24/09/2025, https://archives-search.sydney.edu.au/nodes/view/78934.
An Act to Incorporate and Endow the University of Sydney was passed by the Legislative Council of the Colony of New South Wales in 1850 and assented to on 1 October 1850. It established the University as a legal entity and provided for funding. As per Preamble in the Act the University was to be open to all classes and denominations.
In December of the same year His Excellency the Governor-General, Sir Charles Augustus FitzRoy, appointed by proclamation 16 Fellows to the Senate, the governing body of the University. The first meeting of Senate was held on 3 February 1851. The three Foundation Professors had arrived during 1852. The Rev Dr John Woolley, Principal and Professor of Classics, together with Morris Birkbeck Pell, Professor of Mathematics, had arrived in July, and Dr John Smith, Professor of Chemistry and Experimental Philosophy arrived in September. On 4 October 1852 the first matriculation examination took place and 24 matriculates enrolled during the inauguration ceremony on 11 October 1852.
Inauguration Ceremony, 11 October 1852, College Building, College Street, Sydney
Inauguration of the University of Sydney Print (1852), [REF-00088972]. University of Sydney Archives, accessed 24/09/2025, https://archives-search.sydney.edu.au/nodes/view/141781.
The Senate is the governing body of the University and is in control of all major decisions concerning the conduct of the University. The University of Sydney Senate is responsible for staff appointments and welfare, student welfare and discipline, financial matters and the physical and academic development of the University. It also awards all degrees and diplomas and is responsible to the Parliament of NSW.
Senate Minutes serve as a record of the decision-making process and provide legal evidence for final decisions and actions taken, and as such are key records for the University.
First Page of Minutes of First Senate Meeting, 3 February 1851
Senate Minutes 1851 to 18551(03/02/1851 to 10/12/1855), [REF-00002745]. University of Sydney Archives, accessed 24/09/2025, https://archives-search.sydney.edu.au/nodes/view/77783.
A widely used source is the University Calendar. It is published annually and was first published in 1853 covering the years 1852 to 1853. It seems the Calendar was collated as a record of the activities throughout the year as it did include names of new undergraduates, prize and scholarship winners for the year, as well as examination results from that year. The contents included in the Calendars has changed considerably over time, with earlier copies providing much more information.
Over time information in the Calendar has included:
- Structure, role and administration of the University and its officers
- Statutes and regulations
- Information on faculties, schools, and other bodies as well as degrees, diplomas and certificates available, and course outlines for lecture subjects
- Annual reports of Senate which summarised university activities, and included matters like accounts, benefactors, lists of graduates for the year, noted appointments, staff members leaving and obituaries
- A list of all graduates of the University, including their degrees, and year of graduation
- Information on scholarships, prizes and exhibitions as well as a list with names of recipients as well as years when awarded
- A list of all members of the university, staff, undergraduates and graduates
- Examination papers
- Examination results for those students who passed their exams
- Information on clubs and societies and their office bearers
- Information on Colleges, names of undergraduates staying in College and of graduates including degrees
Other early administrative sources in the Archives:
Letters Received, 1851 to 1855 [Registrar] (Series 8) (28/10/1851 to 1855), [SRS-00000088]. Contents include applications for academic and general positions, student matters, development of Grose Farm, tenders for building work, and the establishment of colleges.
Letters Sent, 1851 to 1881 [Registrar] (Series 71) (1851 to 29/11/1881), [SRS-00000071]. The volume consists of letters sent primarily by the Registrar on behalf of the University. The letters have been transcribed by hand into the volume.
Buildings Committee Minutes September 1854 to October 1861(04/09/1854 to 30/10/1861) [REF-00002768]. Minutes of the Committee established to oversee the construction of the Main Building and Great Hall by the University Architect Edmund Blacket 1854 to 1862. The Letters Sent and Letters Received series contain additional correspondence about the buildings including tenders and contracts.
Minutes [Board of Studies] (Series 27) (08/05/1853 to 29/05/1862), [SRS-00000027]. The Board was responsible for the consideration of all questions relating to the studies of the University.
Matriculants, Graduate and Postgraduate Degrees Register (31/12/1851 to 22/12/1914), [REF-00083674]. University of Sydney Archives. The use of Latin preserved a link to tradition and added importance to the activity and record.
Official Register of the First Matriculants Who Enrolled at the Inauguration Ceremony
Matriculants, Graduate and Postgraduate Degrees Register (31/12/1851 to 22/12/1914), [REF-00083674]. University of Sydney Archives, accessed 24/09/2025, https://archives-search.sydney.edu.au/nodes/view/135370.
Additional records dating back to the 1850s are:
Cash Books [Accountants Office] (Series 286) (1851 to 1910), [SRS-00000286].
Ledgers [Accountants Office] (Series 287) (1851 to 1923), [SRS-00000287]
Benefactions Book [Accountants Office] (Series 291) (1853 to 1930), [SRS-00000291]
Day Book [Accountants Office] (Series 285) (1851 to 1852), [SRS-00000285]
Architectural Plans of University Buildings [Buildings and Grounds] (Series 618) (1850 to 1995), [SRS-00000618]
Images From Personal Records of the Foundation Professors
Foundation Professors John Smith, Morris Pell and John Woolley in Front of the Main Building
Professors John Smith, Morris Pell and John Woolley in Front of Main Building (Circa 1859), [REF-00011855]. University of Sydney Archives, accessed 24/09/2025, https://archives-search.sydney.edu.au/nodes/view/26303
Professor Morris Birkbeck Pell and His Wife Jane Juliana Pell
Professor Morris Birkbeck Pell and Jane Juliana Pell (No Date), [REF-00091193]. University of Sydney Archives, accessed 24/09/2025, https://archives-search.sydney.edu.au/nodes/view/144181
Professor Woolley’s Apartment Interior with Possibly One of Woolley’s Daughters
Professor Woolley’s Apartment Interior with Possibly One of Woolley’s Daughters (Circa 1859), [REF-00083749]. University of Sydney Archives, accessed 24/09/2025, https://archives-search.sydney.edu.au/nodes/view/135489.
Professor John Smith in a Laboratory
Professor John Smith in a Laboratory (Circa 1856 to 1859), [REF-00083758]. University of Sydney Archives, accessed 24/09/2025, https://archives-search.sydney.edu.au/nodes/view/135498.
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