VPRS 15671 Cemetery Trust Records

BackgroundThe Melbourne Old Cemetery was in existence as a burial ground apparently from 1837. In June, 1854, the old Cemetery was closed as a burial place. However, the rights of certain parties who possessed land prior to 1850 were reserved. The cemetery was not then placed under trustees, but under a committee, the members of which were chosen from the different denominations.In 1864 it was re opened and placed under trustees. The final burial took place in 1917. It was closed permanently in 1922.In 1917, the Melbourne General Markets Land Act (No 2913) allowed the Melbourne City Council to reclaim cemetery land for the use of the market. The Council had the responsibility of overseeing the operations of the cemetery through the appointing of trustees. The Melbourne City Council was a co-trustee of the cemetery with the Board of Land and Works VA 669.This series consisting of miscellaneous estray records of the Melbourne Old Cemetery documenting the management of the Trust.The series includes:- Correspondence, mostly inward (received by the Chairman Mr R.H. Budd), for the period 1864 to 1909.- Letter from the Law Department containing the opinion of the then Attorney General as to persons entitled to bury.- Names of the original Trustees of the Cemetery, 1843.- Part of Government Gazette, 29 December, 1865, containing the Trust Rules and Regulations.The records held in the Registry of the Anglican Diocese of Melbourne were donated to the Necropolis Trust C/o Melbourne General Cemetery. On the realisation that the records were public records, they were transferred to the Public Record Office Victoria in 2005.For other records transferred with this series, refer to VPRS 15670 Minute and Letter Book