VPRS 19357 Mining Registrar's Register of Claims, Upon Various Lead and Quartz Reefs, Beechworth Mining Division (1859 - 1861); Register of Water Races, Spring Creek Mining Division (1862)

This series consists of registers of claims upon various lead and quartz reefs and water rights created by different Divisions within the Beechworth Mining District. Background: Mining Districts Between 1855 and 1975 the administration of mining in Victoria was partly carried out at a district level. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries district mining officials had extensive administrative and judicial responsibilities. Over time the role of district officials diminished as the function gradually became more centralised. The boundaries of each Mining District were proclaimed by the Governor-in-Council. Each District was divided into several divisions which at times were further subdivided. It is important to note that the names and boundaries of the Districts, Divisions and Subdivisions changed over time as the scale of mining activity in various locations changed. Victorian Government Gazettes provide information about the boundaries of mining areas. The first six Districts were established in 1858. They were: Ararat, Ballarat, Beechworth, Castlemaine, Maryborough and Sandhurst. In 1866 a seventh district - Gippsland - was proclaimed. These seven districts existed through to 1975, however, there were changes to their names (namely Sandhurst to Bendigo in 1898 and Ararat to Ararat and Stawell in 1899). Administration of mining activity took place at both the District and Divisional level. The names of the Districts and Divisions do not necessarily indicate the location of the offices of the mining officials. Mining Registrars The Gold Fields Laws Amendment Act 1860 (24 Gippsland) empowered the Governor-in-Council to appoint Mining Registrars in the Mining Districts to carry out duties prescribed in the mining by-laws for their district. Mining Registrars were primarily concerned with claims or privileges held under miners rights. Responsibilities included the registration and transfer of various types of claims specified in the mining by-laws. Mining Registrars were also responsible for preparing reports and statistics showing the progress of mining within their district. Mining Registrars Register of Claims Under the mining by-laws the holder of a miners right was entitled to take up various claims. Each type of claim specified the nature of the mining activity which could be undertaken. The types of claims included: - prospecting claims (along a reef), - alluvial claims (for shallow sinking) - tunnelling claims - sluicing and puddling claims - water right or water race claims - sites for machinery - sites for a dam - sites for residence (to 1936). Registers of Claims may be specific to a particular type of claim (eg. Register of Water Races, Register of Residence Areas) or may include a mixture of claims. In circumstances where claims were taken up by partnerships the Register of Claims will usually include a record of the agreed percentage of shares of each of the partners. A Register of Claims will often include: - number and date of claim - name of holder or owner - number of Miners Right and date of Miners Right - particulars of the claim - locality, and - details of transfers or amalgamations of claims.

本系列档案涵盖比奇沃思矿区（Beechworth Mining District）内各分区所设立的各类铅矿、石英矿脉租赁权及水权登记册。
矿区背景：1855年至1975年间，维多利亚州的矿业管理部分由区级单位负责执行。19世纪至20世纪初，区级矿业官员拥有广泛的行政与司法职权。随着矿业管理职能逐步向中央集中，区级官员的权责逐渐削弱。
各矿区的边界由总督会同行政会议（Governor-in-Council）公布划定。每个矿区下设若干分区，部分分区还会进一步拆分为子分区。需特别说明的是，随着各地矿业活动规模的变化，矿区、分区及子分区的名称与边界也会随时间调整。维多利亚州政府公报（Victorian Government Gazettes）中记载了矿区边界的相关信息。
1858年设立了首批六个矿区，分别为阿拉拉特（Ararat）、巴拉瑞特（Ballarat）、比奇沃思（Beechworth）、卡斯尔梅恩（Castlemaine）、马里伯勒（Maryborough）以及桑德赫斯特（Sandhurst）。1866年，第七个矿区——吉普斯兰（Gippsland）——正式公布设立。这七个矿区存续至1975年，但其名称曾有调整：1898年桑德赫斯特更名为本迪戈（Bendigo），1899年阿拉拉特拆分为阿拉拉特与斯图尔（Stawell）两个矿区。
矿业管理工作同时在矿区与分区两级开展。矿区与分区的名称未必对应矿业官员办公场所的实际位置。
矿业注册官：1860年《金矿场法律修订法案》（The Gold Fields Laws Amendment Act 1860 (24 Gippsland)）授权总督会同行政会议在各矿区任命矿业注册官，负责执行本矿区矿业附例中规定的各项职责。矿业注册官主要负责处理依据矿工权（Miners Right）获得的各类租赁权与特许权益，职责包括登记并转让矿业附例中规定的各类租赁权，同时负责编制反映本矿区矿业发展进展的报告与统计数据。
矿业注册官租赁权登记册：根据矿业附例，持有矿工权的主体可申领各类租赁权，每类租赁权均明确规定了可开展的矿业活动类型。租赁权类型包括：
- 沿矿脉勘探租赁权
- 冲积层开采租赁权（用于浅层挖掘）
- 隧道开采租赁权
- 水力洗选与淘洗租赁权
- 水权或水道租赁权
- 机械设备场地租赁权
- 水坝场地租赁权
- 住宅用地租赁权（有效期至1936年）
租赁权登记册可针对特定类型的租赁权（例如水道租赁权登记册、住宅用地登记册），也可涵盖多种类型的租赁权。若租赁权由多方合伙申领，登记册通常会记载各合伙人约定的持股比例。
租赁权登记册通常包含以下信息：
- 租赁权编号与登记日期
- 持有人或所有权人姓名
- 矿工权编号与矿工权登记日期
- 租赁权详情
- 所在区位
- 租赁权转让或合并的相关细节。