VPRS 15142 Supreme Court Index to Divorce Cause Books, Warrnambool

The series provides an index to (VPRS 15143) Divorce Cause Books and (VPRS 15144) Divorce Case Files.Until 1861 divorce was a matter for the ecclesiastical courts. This was also the situation in England until 1857/58. The Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Act 1861 conferred upon the Supreme of Victoria the Jurisdiction in matters matrimonial and authority in certain cases to decree the dissolution of the marriage. This continued to be the case until the passing of the Commonwealth Family Law Act 1975.This series ceased in 1976 as a result of the Commonwealth Family Law Act 1975. The final entries made in this book record cases heard in 1976 which were brought under the Family Law Act 1975 rather than the Matrimonial Causes Act. The Supreme Court of Victoria heard these cases due to the period of adjustment between the introduction of the Family Law Act 1975 and the establishment of the Family Court of Australia.Details include: name of the petitioner for the divorce, respondent and any co-respondents to the petition and the case number assigned by the court.