VPRS 15670 Minute and Letter Book

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. (Refer to the Cemeteries Statute 1864, (27 Vic. No. 201), appointment of trustees gazetted on 26 April 1864).Each trustee represented one of the religious bodies to whom Crown grants were made. The trustees included the Bishop of Melbourne who was merely the owner of the parcel of land held in Trust and for the interment of deceased persons of the Church of England Community. The Chairman of the Trust was responsible for the discharge of statutory duties.The gradual encroachment of what is now known as the Queen Victoria Market saw portions of the Old Cemetery (the Old Melbourne Burial Ground) land being taken over by the market. In 1877 the sections allocated to Aboriginals and Quakers and the unused parts of the Jewish section were taken over by the Corporation of Melbourne City for the purpose of the General Market. The parcel of land granted to the Bishop of Melbourne and his successors in trust for the United Church of England and Ireland in Victoria remained untouched.The final burial took place in 1917. The cemetery 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 consists of three estray minute and letter books of Trustees of the Melbourne Old Cemetery. Each book was used as a minute book and outward letter book. The minutes and letters were handwritten.Outward Letters:include transcriptions of outward letters to the President of Board of Land and Works, Commissioner of Public Works, Chief Secretary, Attorney General, Superintendent of Police, Care- taker of the Cemetery, and Town Clerk, Melbourne City Council.Subjects covered included, funding for fencing of the cemetery, statement of account of receipt and disbursement, and general management of the cemetery.Copies of transcriptions of outward letters for the period 1877 to 1910 are located in VPRS 9581 Outward Letter Books - Old Melbourne Cemetery.Minutes:record names of trustees who attended the meeting, matters discussed and decisions made, and Chairman's signature confirming the minutes.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 15671 Cemetery Trust Records