VPRS 5944 Licensing Court Applications

Full description

Up to 1886 applications for liquor and non-liquor licences were heard and records reated and maintained in local courts of petty sessions at which annual, quarterly and general sittings of justices of the peace, licensing benches or licensing magistrates occurred.

Under the Licensing Act 1885 (40 Vic.,No.857) Victoria was divided into Licensing Districts and Licensing Courts were constituted for each Licensing District to hear and determine liquor licence applications. Licence Registers extant for the period 1886 to 1890 often document the transition of responsibility from the courts of petty sessions to the licensing courts

This series contains assorted license court applications and related records for the Licensing Court. Records created prior to 1890 will likely include both liquor and non-liquor licence applications and records after 1890 should relate solely to non-liquor licences.

Some common non-liquor licences included:
- Auctioneers
- Carriers
- Hawkers
- Stage Coach operators
- Slaughterers
- Real Estate Agents
- Collectors.

This series was transferred to PROV from the University of Melbourne Archives which had originally received them as part of the E.J. Semmens Collection.