Guide to the Collections of the Chester City Record Office (as filmed by the AJCP)
M848
National Library of Australia View Catalogue Record
Created: 2018
Collection Summary
- Creator
- Chester City Record Office
- Title
- Collections of the Chester City Record Office (as filmed by the AJCP)
- Date Range
- 1833 - 1938
- Collection Number
- M848
- Extent
- 51 items
- Language of Materials
- English
- Repository
- Australian Joint Copying Project
- Sponsor
- The Australian Joint Copying Project (AJCP) online portal was created with the assistance of the Australian Public Service Modernisation Fund, 2017-2020. The National Library of Australia gratefully acknowledges the contribution of the other foundation AJCP partners, the State Library of New South Wales and The National Archives of the UK, and all other organisations which supported the work of the AJCP, the world's most extensive collaborative copying project, operating from 1948 to 1997.
Introduction
Scope and Contents
Letters 1849-84 from John Brown to his family in Chester describing the gold diggings around Ballarat and Gippsland in Victoria, in the Snowy River district, and in various parts of New Zealand. Also a solicitor's letter and newspaper cutting 1907 relating to John Brown's estate.
Copy of extract of will 1905 of Edward Davies of Melbourne bequeathing five pounds per annum to the Blue Coat School, Chester, for an annual prize; and in every fourth year for an essay on Imperial Federation. Copies of prize-winning essays, letters and accounts 1905-38.
Letters, financial statements and reports 1900-05 of the South Australia Development Syndicate Ltd and the Murninnie Mine, Spencer Gulf, in the papers of Joliffe, Wickham and Wood, solicitors.
Deeds 1833-46 relating to Port Pool Meadow, one party being Philip Oakden of Launceston, Van Diemen's Land.
Conditions Governing Access
Available for Access.
Conditions Governing Use
Many of the records digitised as part of the AJCP are still in copyright. Readers wishing to publish or reproduce documents should seek permission, in the first instance, from the owner of the original material.
Preferred Citation
Acknowledgement of use of this material should refer to the location of the original material and to the Australian Joint Copying Project.
Items from this collection should include references to the location of the original material and to the AJCP nla.obj number, which serves as the online identifier for the digital copy.
Example: M Series: Journal of Capt. James Cook, 18 February 1770, British Library Add. MS 27885 (AJCP ref: http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-1234)
Archival History
Material selectively filmed at the Chester City Record Office, England, as part of the Australian Joint Copying Project, 1971 (AJCP Reels:M848). Original microfilm digitised as part of the AJCP Online Delivery Project, 2017-2020.
Existence and Location of Originals
Cheshire Archives and Local Studies. Formerly Chester City Record Office,Chester, Cheshire, EnglandFor more information see: Cheshire City Archives (http://archives.cheshire.gov.uk/what-we-hold/chester-city-council.aspx)
The Australian Joint Copying Project microfilmed selected records at both the Chester City Record Office (reel M848) and the Cheshire Record Office (reels M845-47). In 2000 the two record offices amalgamated to form the Cheshire Archives and Local Studies. Its current address (2017) is Duke Street, Chester CH1 1RL.
Existence and Location of Copies
The original AJCP microfilm of the records filmed from this collection is available at the National Library of Australia [https://nla.gov.au/nla.cat-vn333736] as well as other institutions holding AJCP microfilm.
Finding-aid Notes
This finding aid is a revised online version of the original finding aid prepared by the Australian Joint Copying Project (AJCP), published by the National Library of Australia in 2018. The original AJCP finding aids were unpublished typescripts or photocopies available from libraries that held copies of the original microfilm.
Dates used in this finding aid refer to the date range of the records selected for filming rather than to the date range of the Series or Files.
Subjects
Ballarat, Victoria; Blue Coal School, Chester, England; Brown, John; Chester, England; Davies, Edward; Gippsland, Victoria; Imperial federation; Joliffe, Wickham and Wood, solicitors; Launceston, Tasmania; Melbourne, Victoria; Mines and mining; Murninnie mine, South Australia; Gold and Goldfields: New Zealand; New Zealand; Oakden, Philip; Snowy River region, New South Wales, Victoria; Solicitors; South Australian Development Syndicate; Spencer Gulf, South Australia; Tasmania; Gold and Goldfields: Victoria; Wills; South Australia: Mining
Bibliography
Originally cited in Australian Joint Copying Project Handbook. Part 8: Miscellaneous (M) Series. Third Edition, published 1998. Entry 97, p34.
Item Descriptions
Fonds ZCR 31. Papers of the Brown Family of Upton, Chester, 10 July 1849 - 20 January 1907
42 itemsFilmed selectively.
John Brown (Ballarat) to his family: No success in gold digging; growth of Ballarat, 24 November 1855 (File 22)
John Brown (Chinaman's Flat) to his family: Move to Chinaman's Flat, which was said to be doing well, but arrived too late, 11 March 1857 (File 24)
Brown (Ballarat) to his family, 14 August 1859 (File 26)
Heard that his brother was in Melbourne but did not believe it. (Written on printed sheet headed 'Newsletter of Australasia')
Brown (Ballarat) to his family: Failure of his claim; has heard of a new goldfield in Snowy River district, 16 May 1860 (File 27)
Brown (Ballarat) to his family: His failure so far; new goldfield in Snowy River district, 25 October 1860 (File 28)
Brown to his family: Claims have failed; decision to give up digging and go to New Zealand or return to England, 23 July 1862 (File 29)
John Brown (Scarsdale) to his family: No success; is working a claim for wages until he decides what to do, 24 September 1862 (File 30)
John Brown (Scarsdale) to his family: Still working for wages; may come home without the money he had hoped to make, 24 November 1862 (File 31)
John Brown (Hogburn, NZ) to his family: Prospecting during the winter; plans for future digging, 12 December 1863 (File 32)
John Brown (Manuherikia) to his parents: Starting a new claim outside gold rush area, 13 May 1864 (File 34)
John Brown (Dunedin) to his family, 18 May 1865 (File 36)
Working on erecting a home; tired of goldrushes. (Enclosed with a letter dated 23 May from his parents to their son James.)
John Brown (Dunedin) to his family: Intends to move to the west coast as summer is approaching, 18 August 1865 (File 37)
John Brown (Brighton) to his family: New claim has not been successful; apparent lack of work at home makes him reluctant to return, 10 November 1867 (File 40)
John Brown (St Kilda, NZ) to his family: Hopes for better gold finds in next six months, 2 July 1868 (File 42)
John Brown (Charleston) to his family: A bad fall has made him unable to work; goldfields are quiet, 7 June 1869 (File 43)
John Brown (Charleston) to his family: Not fully recovered from the fall; a very bad year, 27 November 1869 (File 44)
John Brown (Charleston) to his family, 1 November 1869 (File 45)
Plans to work a large claim over three years; news of a goldrush in Queensland but doubts he could tolerate the heat.
John Brown (Charleston) to his family: Quite settled in New Zealand although not making much money, 12 June 1871 (File 46)
John Brown (Forster) to his family: Prospecting in the bush for three or four months but has found no gold, 5 September 1873 (File 49)
John Brown (Stockyard Creek, near Forster) to his family, 20 March 1874 (File 50)
Not enough money to go to Queensland goldfields; wonders if he will ever be able to afford to return home.
John Brown (Stockyard Creek) to his brother James Brown: Death of their mother; starting a new shaft, 8 July 1874 (File 51)
John Brown (Stockyard Creek) to his brother and sister-in-law: Hopes to leave Stockyard Creek shortly, but uncertain where to go, 14 April 1875 (File 52)
John Brown (Melbourne) to his brother and sister-in-law: Intends to go to Queensland diggings, 16 May 1875 (File 53)
John Brown (Sydney) to his brother and sister-in-law, 29 January 1876 (File 54)
Has returned from Queensland diggings; many men, especially Chinese, had died from fever; intends to stay in Sydney; no new big rushes.
John Brown (Sydney) to his brother, 2 October 1884 (File 55)
Has worked near Sydney getting a steam boat off the reef; news of Chester people whom he has met in Sydney.
Newspaper cutting from World News, 20 January 1907 (File 56)
With notice from The Argus (Melbourne) on death of John Brown, farmer of Yarroweyah, died 12 Oct 1906; next-of-kin to claim with William Miller, c/- AC Tuthill, solicitor of Cobram. Also a letter from AC Tuthill to James Brown (Birkenhead), 29 May 1907: John Brown's will did not refer to James Brown.
Fonds ZCR 36. Records of Chester Blue Coat Hospital, 1905 - 1908
1 itemChester Blue Coat School, 1905 - 1908 (File 1)
1 itemFilmed selectively.
Papers, 1905 - 1908 (Item 44)
Concerning a bequest of Edward Davies of Melbourne, formerly of Chester, of £5 annually to the Chester Blue Coat School to be devoted to a prize for the best scholar in reading, writing and arithmetic and every fourth year for an essay on Imperial federation or similar subject. The papers include copies of essays and letters.
Fonds ZDJWW. Records of Joliffe, Wickham and Wood, solicitors of Chester, 1638 - 1945
7 itemsFilmed selectively.
Memorandum and articles of association of South Australian Development Syndicate Ltd: And three form letters, 3 April 1900 (File 685)
William Precheville Report on the Murninnie Mine, Spencers Gulf, South Australia: And other papers, 14 January 1901 (File 686)
Balance sheet and revenue accounts of South Australian Development Syndicate Ltd, 1903-04-30, 1903-08-31 (File 687)
Balance sheet and revenue account, 29 June 1901 (File 688)
With associated letters and papers including a list of shareholders of the South Australian Development Syndicate Ltd.
Fonds G/CH 14-16. Deeds relating to Port Pool Meadow, 1833 - 1846
Deeds relating to Port Pool Meadow, a piece of land on the west side of the canal leading from Chester to Ellesmere. Philip Oakden, merchant, formerly of Liverpool and then living in Launceston, Van Diemen's Land, was a party to the deed of 11 April 1846.