Launceston Street Names

East-West

William Street

William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837). King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded his elder brother George IV, becoming the last king and penultimate monarch of Britain's House of Hanover.

Cimitiere Street

Gilbert Cimitiere (d.1842), soldier and commandant. He joined the army as a French migrant and saw service in Flanders in the ranks of the 14th Regiment in 1793. Cimitiere was commandant at Port Dalrymple, based in Launceston, from April 1818 to December 1822.

Cameron Street

Charles Cameron (1779-1827), soldier, born on 26 July 1779 at Driminasalie, Kilmallie, Inverness-shire, Scotland. After sustaining injuries in the the Peninsular war between 1808 and 1814, Cameron was promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel and sent to Van Diemen's Land to relieve Cimitiere as commandant in December 1822. He was relieved as commandant on 6 April 1825 and returned to Sydney with his troops later that mouth.

Paterson Street

William Paterson (1755-1810), soldier, explorer and lieutenant-governor, was born on 17 August 1755 in Scotland. In May 1804 instructions were received from London that a new settlement should be founded at Port Dalrymple in Van Diemen's Land and that Paterson should be put in charge of it. Paterson served as Lieutenant-Governor of northern Van Diemen's Land from 1804 to 1808.

Brisbane Street

Major General Sir Thomas Makdougall Brisbane, (23 July 1773 – 27 January 1860), was a British Army officer, administrator, and astronomer. Upon the recommendation of the Duke of Wellington, with whom he had served, he was appointed governor of New South Wales from 1821 to 1825, replacing Gov Lachlan Macquaries.

York Street

Duke of York, Prince Frederick Augustus, the second son of King George III. He served as Commander-in-Chief of the British Army for many years, and was the original "Grand old Duke of York" in the popular rhyme. He too died without heirs.

Boland Street

An extension of Esplanade. No information at present.

Weymouth Street

No information at present.

Vincent Street

No information at present.

Elizabeth Street

No information at present.

Frederick Street

No information at present.

Canning Street

Possibly Charles John Canning, 1st Earl Canning, (14 December 1812 – 17 June 1862), also known as The Viscount Canning and Clemency Canning was an English statesman and Governor-General of India during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and the first Viceroy of India after the transfer of power from the East India Company to the Crown of Queen Victoria in 1858 after the rebellion was crushed.

Balfour Street

Lt-Col William Balfour of the 40th Regiment who was appointed Commandant of Port Dalrymple on 6 April 1825. His wife Charlotte died at Government House on 22 August. She was buried at St John’s Church which was being constructed at the time.

North-South

Bourke Street

General Sir Richard Bourke, KCB, was an Irish-born British Army officer who served as Governor of New South Wales from 1831 to 1837.

Margaret Street

No information at present.

Bathurst Street

Henry Bathurst, third Earl Bathurst (1762-1834), politician, was born on 22 May 1762, the son of the second Earl Bathurst (1714-1794), who was lord chancellor from 1771 to 1778. n Lord Liverpool's ministry he was secretary of state for the colonies from 1812 to 1827. In 1828-30 he was lord president of the council in Wellington's ministry. He died on 27 July 1834.

Wellington Street

Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as Prime Minister. He ended the Napoleonic Wars when he defeated Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. He was twice British prime minister as a member of the Tory party from 1828 to 1830 and for a little less than a month in 1834.

Charles Street

Possibly Lt-Col Charles Cameron, commasndant of Port Dalrymple settlement, who was tasked with moving the headquarters back to Launceston in 1822.

Dechaineux Way

Emile Frank Verlaine Dechaineux, DSC (3 October 1902 – 21 October 1944) was an Australian mariner who reached the rank of Captain in the Royal Australian Navy during World War II. He was killed by a Japanese aircraft in what is believed to have been the first ever kamikaze attack, in the lead-up to the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Dechaineux was born in Launceston, Tasmania, to a Belgian-born father, Florent Dechaineux, and an Australian mother.

St John Street

St Johns Church, is an Anglican church in Launceston, which is on this street. It is the oldest church in the city having started construction in 1824.

Shields Street

A short street between William Street and Explanade. No information at present. Possibly named after George Shields (1828-1901), blacksmith, shipwright and engineer. His son was Tasman Shields (1872-1950), politician and lawyer, was born at Launceston, 20 November 1872.

George Street

George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later. From 1811 until his accession, he served as regent during his father's final mental illness.

Tamar Street

Tamar River. When Bass and Flinders were circumnavigating the colony of Van Diemans Land to prove that it was an island in 1798 they entered Low Heads and in the subsequent report submitted by Flinders to Governor Hunter recommended the river be named Port Dalrymple. This name was used until 1804 when Lieutenant-Governor Paterson formally assigned the name River Tamar in honour of the Governor, Phillip King/ The third Governor of New South Wales from September 1800 until 1806, King was born in Launceston, Cornwall on 23 April 1758. When the island was divide into counties, Cornwall was selected for the area surrounding Launceston.

Willis Street

No information at present.

Lawrence Street

No information at present.

Charlotte Street

Running parallel to Lawrence Street, this street no longer exists. Its name recalls the wife of commandant Lt-Col William Balfour who died at Government House on 22 August, 1825. She was buried at St John’s Church which was being constructed at the time.

Welham Street

No information at present.

Ivy Street

No information at present.

High Street

No information at present.