Historical information

This 1856 petition was one of many sent to the Government from Sandhurst residents reflecting the era when issues around mining laws, civil rights of miners, the intrastructure needs of a fast developing settlement, and land availability and tenure, were all high on the agenda. The community was forced to petition government through lack of a properly structured means of representation at that time.

Physical description

Original petition from Sandhurst Crown Lands occupants to Major General Macarthur, Acting Governor of the colony of Victoria, seeking consideration for the improvements they had made on the lands they occupied under business licenses. Pages of document have been conserved, stored in individual pockets. Eighteen pages of parchment and paper containing signatures, addresses and occupation of 1,387 storekeepers, publicans, miners, professionals and persons in various types of employment.
In 1959, Cr. Alec Craig donated this item to the Bendigo Historical Society.