VPRS 1307 Register of Licensees, All Districts, Residence and Cultivation Licences, Land Act 1860.

Regulations made under the Land Act 1860 allowed the issuing of licences for residence and cultivation of lands. The two main types of these were for the occupation of goldfields lands and for country lands (as defined by Section 14) not otherwise occupied.Land known to be auriferous (gold-bearing) was not to be alienated (Section 9) other than under the Act or any other enactment. However, Regulations under the Act provided that residence and cultivation licences could be granted on the goldfields at a rental of ten pounds per annum for 2 acres. Further land, up to 20 acres could be rented for five shillings per acre per annum. These licences would only be issued if it was proved that there was no obstruction to the working of mining claims and miners were empowered to enter the land after the payment of compensation to the licence holder for any improvements. At any time land could be alienated by auction or otherwise and the land could be surveyed through by the Government where it was deemed necessary for public convenience.Country lands could be licensed for residence and cultivation as long as they were seven and a half miles from existing gold workings and had not been proclaimed for selection or were not already open for selection. Licences were to be issued for areas between 40 and 160 acres for one year, renewable annually, for up to seven years at the rate of 2/6 per acre per annum. The land could be sold with an allowance made for improvements made to it by the licensee. This could not occur without the consent of the licensee or an application of the licensee for seven years although the land could be surveyed through by the Government if it was deemed essential for the public convenience.Application had to be made for these licences with applications made simultaneously for the same allotment of land to be decided by lot. Applications were registered as received and if accepted, details of the licence were registered.The Register of Licensees provided a record of the payment of rent for the land occupied under license. A double page was used for those being registered each month. Details given are the sequential number for the month allocated to each licensee, the licence number, by whom the licence was issued, the county and parish where the land was located, the details of section, allotment and sub-division and area, the name of the licensee and details of the amount due for each year and the quarterly payments. The remarks column was used to record details of later selection of the land under the Land Act 1862, purchase of the land and details of any transfer, revocation or cancellation of the licence.Unit 2 of VPRS 1307/P also contains a looseleaf list of applicants to whom residence and cultivation licences had been granted in the Counties of Normanby, Dundas and Villiers.