1856 ELECTORAL ROLL – BENDIGO DIVISION
This official list of electors was published in May 1856 by the “Courier of the Mines and Bendigo Daily Mail”, a newspaper that only lasted a short period and copies are very rare.
It covers the electoral divisions of
Sandhurst
Long Gully
Lockwood
Spring Gully
There are five pages of copy, each with three columns, and each section is in alphabetical order.
Sometimes a name was objected to and the claimant had to supply further proof of eligibility.
As a result of the miners’ actions at Eureka the system of government in Victoria was organised into two houses of parliament and anyone holding a miner’s right, salaried men, as well as small property owners, could register to vote in the Legislative Assembly. This effectively cancelled out the monopoly of the large land-holders and squatters in the Legislative Council who had been making laws to suit their own interests.
This is a large PDF file
