Databases and Indexes

• Mt Moriac: Court of Petty Sessions Cause List Book / Petty Sessions Register (1867-1875) [part]
• Public Record Office Victoria, North Melbourne
• VPRS 335 Unit 2 & 5

• NAME: Either Prosecutor / Complainant / Applicant OR Defendant - COMMENT field will explain which
• DATE: of court sitting
• OTHER NAMES: Either Prosecutor / Complainant / Applicant OR Defendant - COMMENT field will explain which
• COMMENT: Reason for court appearance, and explanation of NAME and OTHER NAMES field for EACH entry
• REFERENCE: VPRS number and UNIT number (entries are in chronological order)

VPRS 335 contains 5 Units:

• Unit 1: Cause List Book 1862-1867 - indexed
• Unit 2: Cause List Book 1867-1875
• Unit 3: Cause List Book 1876-1886
• Unit 4: Cause List Book 1887-1888
• Unit 5: Petty Sessions Register 1888-1894 - indexed

• 1,499 entries
• The majority of these have been duplicated as each entry contains two sets of names - Prosecutor and Defendant.

• How before the court?: Arrest, summons etc
• Fees: associated with court appearance
• Charge, cause or proceeding: more detail than provided in the COMMENT field
• Decision, memo of conviction or order
• Remarks

If you would like to assist with indexing the registers for the Mount Moriac Court of Petty Sessions, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it who is co-ordinating this project.

Mount Moriac benefited from the decision to make it the headquarters of the first Road Board and then the Shire.  The building of the Shire Office and Hall added stability to the village's existence.  So too did the establishment of the police station and the court of petty sessions.  [ ... ] The court came as the result of residents' petitions, the first session being held in the Road Board Office on September 4, 1862.  It met on alternate Thursdays at 2 p.m. in the Road Board Office.  The first case reported in the press concerned Mary WOULFE's claim on Thomas HAUGHEY for maintenance of an illegitimate female child.  HAUGHEY denied paternity and laid the blame on Patrick DARCY; the case was postponed for DARCY to be brought before the court.  In April 1863 the Court could do no business as only one magistrate, Dr MINTER, had attended; this caused considerable inconvenience to the hoteliers of the district who had attended to pay their securities.  The Shire Council continued to allow the court the use of the hall - for £10 per annum, until the depression of the 1890s saw the Government reduce its expenses by closing the court down.  [ ... ]

In the [financial] crisis government departments were forced to cut costs.  Council was told in 1893 that Mount Moriac court would be closed unless the rent for the use of the Shire Hall was halved.  It agreed and the court was saved for a time.  In 1895 the court was again under threat and Council offered the use of the hall rent free.  Despite this offer, the help of members of parliament and appeals to the Solicitor General, the court was closed.  Geelong was now the nearest court.

The Shire Hall was located on the west side of Hendy Main Road, north of the Princes Highway.