Colonial Currency Notes Police Fund, Sydney

Notes:

The money paid into the Police Fund was, at that time, the main source of revenue for the running of the non-penal facilities of the colony. The money was derived from duties on various goods including rum (spirits and wine), coal, cedar, sandalwood, oil, etc, and from licenses, quit rent , fines and fees. The Fund helped pay expenses for the gaol, police establishments, wharves, quays, bridges and roadbuilding and repair within Sydney Town.

Hand written bills drawn on the Police Fund were used regularly in payment for public expenditure.

Despite government regulations forbidding it, these notes are known to have passed into circulation. An example at right shows a Bill of Hand dated October 16th, 1813, instructing the Police Fund to pay James Bowler, Sydney, £3-5-0 for repair of pumping equipment at Government House and Barrack Square.

Two Police Fund currency note printings were made by George Howe at the Sydney Gazette from late 1814. The first was for values of £2 and £1, one of each per sheet. Their issue is unconfirmed. The second, in late 1816 through into 1817, was for values of £1, 10/-, 5/- and 2/6. Again, two different value notes were printed per page - the two lower denominations together, and the two higher ones together. The notes were assembled in stitched books containing about 100 pages. When needed, a note was cut from the book through the ornamentation on the left side, producing a circulating note approximately 140mm x 80mm in size. To reduce the incidence of forgery, the reverse side of the later notes bear a Latin extract from Cicero.

See the separate article on Paper Money in Early New South Wales.

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