Chauncy Spring

Statement of Significance

Chauncy Spring has high historic significance for the Shire of Mundaring for it's associaitions with Chauncy and the old route for settlers travelling between perth/Guildford and York.

Physical Description

Chauncy Spring is overgrown with vegetation and lies off to the south of the gravel road of Fagan Street in Chidlow. It's location, at about the transition between rural farmland and the State Forrest is not clearly identified.

History

In February 1847, while undertaking a survey of the road from York to Guildford, Chauncy Spring was named and located by Phillip Chauncy. It's aboriginal name 'Jardemin' appears in his field book, but the plan of his survey names it as 'Chauncy Spring', and describes it as " a fine spring of good water, always running and shaded with black wattle". At the time of Chauncy's survey, there was a 9 foot reservoir downstream from the spring and evidence of prior habitation. Currently, 25-30m from the spring, there is a timber lined 30cm trench which the horses used so the water was not muddied.
Sometime after 1854, one of a number of convict work station was built neart the Spring. Like the Bilgoman Well station, it consisted of "vee" huts and accommodated an overseer's house and men working on the maintenance of York Road. In his annual report c.1856, Lieutentant DuCane mentioned that the spring was cleared out and the approaches repaired. By 1873, the site was used by ex-convicts Henry Howe and Henry Coles for their pit sawing operations. In October 875, a ten acre reserve to protect the Spring was gazetted, and surveyed by AJ Lewis in 1878. The reserve was cancelled in November 1975, and is now part of the State Forrest and WAWA Land.
Another ex-convict associaited with the Chauncy Spring was Lot Leather, who established an orchard on two blocks he'd bought in 1878. Leather went on to operate a hotel on the site of the present day Sawyers Vally Hotel and rose to the position of Forest Dept. Inspector of Hewn Sleepers.

Integrity/Authenticity

Integrity: Low

Uses

Historic Themes

Creation Date

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