Difference between revisions of "Bendigo Goldfields Petition"

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[[Frederick Abbott]]
 
[[Frederick Abbott]]
 
[[J.H. Abbott]] & co., Storekeepers
 
[[J.H. Abbott]] & co., Storekeepers
J. Sim & son
+
[[J. Sim]] & son
 
[[W. Abbott]]
 
[[W. Abbott]]
William Abel
+
[[William Abel]]
Thomas Abenieyer
+
[[Thomas Abenieyer]]
Wm. Abey
+
[[William Abey]]
Debly ablem
+
[[Debly Ablem]]
 
William ad---
 
William ad---
Charles Adamer
+
[[Charles Adamer]]
Edward Adams
+
[[Edward Adams]]
James Adams
+
[[James Adams]]
 +
[[John Adams]]
 
John Adams
 
John Adams
 
John Adams
 
John Adams
John Adams
+
[[Christopher Adamthwait]]
Christopher Adamthwait
+
[[Thomas Addison]]
Thomas Addison
+
[[William Aden]], digger
William Aden digger
+
[[James Adley]]
James Adley
+
[[Alexsnder Ahern]] or alrin, digger
Alexr. Ahern or alrin digger
+
[[Jo. Ahern]] or ashern
Jo. Ahern or ashern
+
[[Henry Aiken]]
Henry Aiken
+
[[Edward Aikman]]
Edwd Aikman
+
[[John Ainnan]]
John Ainnan
+
[[William Ainsley ]]
William Ainsley
 
 
Henry aiok or cook
 
Henry aiok or cook
Danl. Airde digger
+
[[Daniel Airde]], digger
James Aitken
+
[[James Aitken]]
John Aitken
+
[[John Aitken]]
 
J--- aitkin
 
J--- aitkin
Joseph Aitkinson
+
[[Joseph Aitkinson]]
William Albury
+
[[William Albury]]
Charles Alcock
+
[[Charles Alcock]]
Wm. L. Alcy
+
[[Willisam L. Alcy]]
 
David Aldbury
 
David Aldbury
 
Henry N. Aldey
 
Henry N. Aldey

Revision as of 21:33, 12 February 2019

Diggers Flag of 1853, 2013, From Bendigo Monument in Rosalind Park.

Background

Once thought to be lost, the Bendigo Goldfields Petition was discovered by chance lying in a pile of papers on a rubbish tip. Some 13 metres in length and bound in green silk, it’s a milestone document in the state’s history.[1]

The petition was signed by over 5000 diggers on the Victorian goldfields in mid-1853. At the time, the signatures represented about one in 12 diggers.[2]

In June 1853 an anti-gold licence association was formed at Bendigo to give voice to the diggers' many grievances about their conditions. The diggers were angry about the mining licence fees imposed by the government and the system by which they were collected.[3]

The petition was signed by miners across the state’s major goldfields and was brought to Melbourne and presented to Lieutenant-Governor Charles La Trobe on 01 August 1853. Most of its demands, including the reduction in the licence fee, were rejected. Eventually the diggers' dissatisfaction erupted, culminating in the Eureka Stockade uprising at Ballarat on 3 December 1854.[4]

Dr John Chapman, a Melbourne collector, purchased the petition from its discoverer and presented it to the State Library of Victoria in 1988. Its discovery is particularly valuable for historians and genealogists investigating the history of social and political events during the gold rushes in Victoria.[5]


See also

Anti-Gold Licence Association

Bendigo

Red Ribbon Rebellion

Further Reading

References

External links

http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/our-collections/treasures-curios/bendigo-goldfields-petition