VPRS 12025 Equity Case Files : Applications under Companies Statute, Property Statute and Statute of Trustees

This series contains files relating to Supreme Court applications made under a variety of Acts with a large proportion of them being arranged in numerical order. These Acts include the Insolvency Statute, Companies Statute, Property Statute and the Statute of Trustees. Applications relate to a wide variety of matters, many to do with the protection of the property of minors and with the administration of trusts.From 1841 to 1852 all Victorian Supreme Court cases were handled by the New South Wales Supreme Court, Port Phillip District under the Imperial Act 5 Vict No 9. It provided that the resident judge of the Port Phillip District should have exclusive jurisdiction to deal with civil and criminal cases. The Supreme Court had the same jurisdiction as that of the Lord High Chancellor in equity. With the creation of the Supreme Court of Victoria (Act 15 Vict No 10) in 1852 the Master in Equity became a recognised officer in the Court in Victoria. In 1883, by the Supreme Court (Judicature) Act, the English legislation providing for the concurrent jurisdiction of law and equity came to apply in Victoria where previously the court was notionally divided into a court of law and a court of equity. The 1883 Act was later repealed, and was re-enacted with considerable procedural amendments by the Supreme Court Act 1890.The Master in Equity was responsible for the administration of the Supreme Court in Equity as well as holding various other positions. In 1883 under the Judicature Act the position of Prothonotary of the Supreme Court (VA 433) was established to relieve the Master in Equity of the administration of matters not related to Equity. The Prothonotary later assumed responsibility for the Equity functions of the Master in Equity.The records held in this series were previously registered as Units 15 27 of VPRS 259 Equity Case Files, Supreme Court of Victoria.