VPRS 13262 Register of Lessees, Country Lands, Land Act 1860 and Section 37 Land Act 1862

Full description

The Land Act 1860 divided lands available for selection into Country Lands and Special Lands. Country Lands were those defined as being outside a specified distance from Melbourne and Geelong and other towns as listed in the 1st Schedule to the Act and at least two miles from any proposed railway or road, the River Murray and the coast. Country lands were to be surveyed by the Board of Land and Works and offered for selection in allotments of between 80 and 640 acres with no selector able to obtain more than 640 acres. These allotments were divided into two equal subdivisions at the price of one pound per acre. Selectors could purchase both subdivisions (A and B) or could purchase one subdivision and lease the other one leading to eventual purchase of it.

Once land had been proclaimed as being available for selection, selectors had between one and three months to apply for allotments. These applications were to be accompanied by the purchase price of one pound per acre. If on the day appointed for determining the successful applicant there was more than one application for the same Allotment, a limited auction was to be conducted to determine which one was to be successful.

Section 37 of the Land Act 1862 provided for those who were already the lessees of the second subdivision of an allotment under the Land Act 1860. These persons could surrender their existing leases within 12 months of the passing of the Act and receive a new lease for eight years under the same terms and conditions as the previous lease and with the same right of pre-emption.

Registers of Lessees provided a record of the payment of rent for the subdivision occupied under lease. A double page was used for those being registered each month. Details given are the sequential number for the month allocated to each lessee, the date and term of the lease, the county and parish where the land was located, the details of section, allotment and sub-division and area, the name of the lessee and the place of residence and details of the amount due for each year and the payments made. The remarks column was used to record details of later purchase of the land or and details of any transfer, revocation or cancellation of the lease.

This series records details, in two separate sections for transactions under the Land Act 1860 and Section 37 Land Act 1862.

VPRS 13262/P1 was previously registered as Unit 8 of VPRS 1295/P Leases Book.