VPRS 1264 Return of Residence And Cultivation Licences

This series contains returns sent to the main office of the Department of Crown Lands and Survey (VA 538) in Melbourne relating to applications for residence and cultivation licences. Returns have summaries of licences applied for and/or issued and may also contain maps showing the areas where licences were taken out or applied for. Areas covered are in the vicinity of Ballarat, Ararat and Steiglitz and in the County of Dalhousie.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 license 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. Licenses 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 licenses 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 license were registered.

本数据集收录了寄往墨尔本王室土地与测量署（Department of Crown Lands and Survey，档案编号VA 538）总办事处的回执，相关内容为定居与耕种许可证的申请事宜。回执中包含已申请及/或已核发的许可证汇总信息，部分回执还可能附带地图，标注许可证获批或申请的土地区域。本次数据集覆盖的区域包括巴拉腊特（Ballarat）、阿拉拉特（Ararat）和施蒂格利茨（Steiglitz）周边，以及达尔豪西县（County of Dalhousie）境内。
根据《1860年土地法》（Land Act 1860）制定的条例允许核发土地定居与耕种许可证，此类许可证主要分为两类：一类用于金矿用地的占用，另一类用于第14条所定义的、未被占用的乡村土地。已知的含金（auriferous，gold-bearing）土地不得转让（第9条），除非依据该法或其他成文法。不过该法项下的条例规定，可在金矿区域核发定居与耕种许可证：2英亩土地的年租金为10英镑，额外最多20英亩的土地可按每英亩每年5先令的价格租赁。此类许可证仅在证明其不会妨碍采矿权运作的情况下方可核发，且矿工在向许可证持有人支付土地改良补偿后，有权进入该土地。土地可随时通过拍卖或其他方式进行转让，若出于公共便利需要，政府可对土地进行贯通测量。
乡村土地可申请定居与耕种许可证的条件为：距离现有金矿作业区7.5英里以上，且未被宣布开放土地认领，或尚未对外开放认领。许可证核发的土地面积介于40至160英亩之间，有效期为1年，可逐年续期，最长可续至7年，年费标准为每英亩每年2先令6便士。土地可连同许可证持有人所做的土地改良折价一并出售，但除非许可证持有人同意，或许可证持有人提出申请，否则该交易在核发满7年前不得进行。不过若出于公共便利的必要需求，政府仍可对该土地进行贯通测量。
申请此类许可证时，申请人需就同一宗土地地块同时提交申请，通过抽签决定归属。申请会按接收顺序进行登记，若申请获批，则会登记许可证的相关细节。