RECORDS FROM THE OTAGO GOLDFIELDS INCLUDED IN THE GOLDMINER'S DATABASE

The Otago Goldfields records presently covered by the Goldminer's Database are those of the Lawrence Warden's Court (initially called Tuapeka Magistrates Office) from the years 1861 to 1866. All the records listed below are now included in The Goldminer's Database. There are no records from West Coast or Marlborough Gold Fields in the database at present.

Important note: The Goldminer's database is an index only and cannot be used as a substitute for viewing the original records.

There were two main Warden's Offices under the jurisdiction of the Lawrence Warden's Court, Central Otago:
  1. The districts administered from the Tuapeka/Gabriel's Gully Warden's Office included the goldfields of Gabriel's Gully, Blue Spur, Wetherstons (Weatherstones), Munro's Gully (Munroe's Gully), Tuapeka River and Tuapeka Flat, Beaumont and the Molyneux River and the Lawrence Township.


  2. The districts administered from the Waitahuna Warden's Office:
    Waitahuna, Waipori, Woolshed and the Lammerlaw River.

TUAPEKA GOLD FIELD, OTAGO (includes Gabriel's Gully) Tuapeka Magistrate's office 1861:

This covers the first 6291 Miner's Rights issued at Gabriel's Gully in 1861.

Present location of the original records:
Alexander Turnball Library, Wellington, New Zealand
  1. Miner's Rights Registration Book and Business Licenses, Tuapeka, Otago:

    2. ATL Ref: qms-2045 Manuscript: 0713 (19 August - 1 November 1861).
    There is a typescript index at ATL but it is incomplete and was not used for the Goldminer's database.

The first Miner's Right certificate (No 1) issued at Tuapeka (Gabriel's Gully) to John BORTON on 19th of August 1861. This cost £1 Sterling and lasted for one year, after which it would have to be renewed if the holder wished to continue mining.
Click to enlarge the image

LAWRENCE WARDEN'S COURT, OTAGO:

Present location of the original records:
Archives New Zealand, Dunedin, New Zealand.
  1. Warden's Court Applications Books:

    2. These were field books where detailed descriptions of the various applications for mining privileges, including original claim transfer and mining agreement deeds written and signed by the miners.

    AAJC D98 Acc.G.7 1074 Tuapeka and Waitahuna Districts Oct 1862 - Apr 1864
    ABBO Acc D98 1027 Tuapeka District Nov 1862 - Sep 1863
    ABBO Acc D98 1028 Tuapeka District Feb 1863 - Feb 1864


  2. Mining Privilege Applications Butt Books:

    3. Once the Mining Privilege was granted, a summary of the application was entered in the Mining Privilege Application Butt Book and the associated certificate was filled in, torn out of the butt book and given to the miner(s) concerned (illustrated below). In Otago, a Mining Privilege Certificate cost 1 shilling and sixpence in 1862, going up to 2 shillings and sixpence by 1863.

    Tuapeka District Warden's Office:
    AAJC D98 Acc 843 60A Tuapeka; Nov 1862 - Apr 1863 (1 - 108)
    ABBO Acc D98 844 Tuapeka; Feb 1863 - Apr 1863 (52 - 101)
    ABBO Acc D98 845 Tuapeka; Apr 1863 - May 1863 (109 - 158)
    ABBO Acc D98 846 Tuapeka; May 1863 - Jun 1863 (159 - 208)
    ABBO Acc D98 847 Tuapeka; Jun 1863 - Jul 1863 (1051 - 1100)
    ABBO Acc D98 848 Tuapeka; Jul 1863 - Aug 1863 (1101 -1150)
    ABBO Acc D98 849 Tuapeka; Aug 1863 - Sep 1863 (1151 - 1200)
    ABBO Acc D98 850 Tuapeka; Nov 1863 - Dec 1863 (2151 - 2200)
    ABBO Acc D98 851 Tuapeka; Dec 1863 - Feb 1864 (2101 - 2150)
    ABBO Acc D98 852 Tuapeka; Feb 1864 - Mar 1864 (1401 - 1450)
    ABBO Acc D98 853 Tuapeka; Mar 1864 (1451 - 1499)
    ABBO Acc D98 854 Tuapeka; Mar 1864 - Apr 1864 (1501 - 1550)
    ABBO Acc D98 855 Tuapeka; Apr 1864 - Jun 1864 (2901 - 3000)
    ABBO Acc D98 856 Tuapeka; Jun 1864 - Jul 1864 (4101 - 4150)
    ABBO Acc D98 857 Tuapeka; Jul 1864 - Aug 1864 (4152 - 4200)
    ABBO Acc D98 820 Tuapeka; Aug 1864 (4801 - 4850)
    ABBO Acc D98 821 Tuapeka; Aug 1864 - Sep 1864 (4851 - 4900)
    ABBO Acc D98 822 Tuapeka; Sep 1864 - Oct 1864 (4901 - 4950)
    ABBO Acc D98 823 Tuapeka; Oct 1864 - Nov 1864 (4951 - 4999)
    ABBO Acc D98 824 Tuapeka; Dec 1864 - Jan 1865 (7651 - 7700)
    ABBO Acc D98 825 Tuapeka; Jan 1865 - Feb 1865 (7701 - 7750)
    ABBO Acc D98 826 Tuapeka; Feb 1865 - Mar 1865 (7751 - 7800)
    ABBO Acc D98 829 Tuapeka; May 1865 - Jun 1865 (9851 - 9900)
    ABBO Acc D98 830 Tuapeka; Jun 1865 - Jul 1865 (9901 - 9950)
    ABBO Acc D98 831 Tuapeka; Jul 1865 - Aug 1865 (9951 - 10000)
    ABBO Acc D98 832 Tuapeka; Aug 1865 - Sep 1865 (10001 - 10049)
    ABBO Acc D98 833 Tuapeka; Sep 1865 - Nov 1865 (10051 - 10100)
    ABBO Acc D98 834 Tuapeka; Nov 1865 - Dec 1865 (10101 - 10150)
    ABBO Acc D98 835 Tuapeka; Jan 1866 - Feb 1866 (1151 - 1200)
    ABBO Acc D98 836 Tuapeka; Feb 1866 - Mar 1866 (1201 - 1250)
    ABBO Acc D98 837 Tuapeka; Mar 1866 - Jun 1866 (1252 - 1300)
    ABBO Acc D98 838 Tuapeka; Jun 1866 - Jul 1866 (1301 - 1350)
    ABBO Acc D98 839 Tuapeka; Jul 1866 - Aug 1866 (1351 - 1400)
    ABBO Acc D98 840 Tuapeka; Sep 1866 - Oct 1866 (1401 - 1450)


    Waitahuna District Warden's Office:
    ABBO Acc D98 732 Waitahuna; Aug 1862 - Jun 1863 (1 - 50)
    ABBO Acc D98 733 Waitahuna; Aug 1862 - Jan 1863 (1 - 50 )
    ABBO Acc D98 731 Waitahuna; Feb 1863 - Apr 1863 (51 -100)
    ABBO Acc D98 759 Waitahuna; Sep 1863 - Oct 1863 (2051 - 2099)
    ABBO Acc D98 758 Waitahuna; Oct 1863 - Nov 1863 (1801 - 1850)
    ABBO Acc D98 757 Waitahuna; Nov 1863 - Jan 1864 (1852 -1900)
    ABBO Acc D98 756 Waitahuna; Jan 1864 - Feb 1864 (1201 - 1250)
    ABBO Acc D98 755 Waitahuna; Feb 1864 - Mar 1864 (1251 - 1300)
    ABBO Acc D98 754 Waitahuna; Mar 1864 - Apr 1864 (1301 - 1350)
    ABBO Acc D98 753 Waitahuna; Apr 1864 - Jun 1864 (1351 - 1400)
    ABBO Acc D98 752 Waitahuna; Jun 1864 - Jul 2864 (3901 - 3950)
    ABBO Acc D98 751 Waitahuna; Jul 1864 - Aug 1864 (3951 - 4000)
    ABBO Acc D98 750 Waitahuna; Aug 1864 - Oct 1864 (4001 - 4050)
    ABBO Acc D98 749 Waitahuna; Oct 1864 - Nov 1864 (4051 - 4100)
    ABBO Acc D98 748 Waitahuna; Nov 1864 - Dec 1864 (7401 - 7450)
    ABBO Acc D98 747 Waitahuna; Dec 1864 - Jan 1856 (7455 - 7500)
    ABBO Acc D98 746 Waitahuna; Jan 1865 - Mar 1865 (7501 - 7550)
    ABBO Acc D98 745 Waitahuna; Mar 1865 - Apr 1865 (7551 - 7600)
    ABBO Acc D98 743 Waitahuna; Jun 1865 - Aug 1865 (7951 - 8000)
    ABBO Acc D98 742 Waitahuna; Sep 1865 - Dec 1865 (8001 - 8050)
    ABBO Acc D98 741 Waitahuna; Dec 1865 - Jan 1866 (8051 - 8100)
    ABBO Acc D98 740 Waitahuna; Jan 1866 - Feb 1866 (8101 - 8150)
    ABBO Acc D98 739 Waitahuna; Feb 1866 - May 1866 (8151 - 8200)
    ABBO Acc D98 738 Waitahuna; Apr 1866 - Jul 1866 (2251 - 2300)


    A Certificate of Registration No 2065 for a water race at Woolshed issued to John BONE, Jonas JOHNSON, Frederick HOLMES, Robert KIRKWOOD, William OLIVER and William BENNETTO on 12 September 1863.
    This certificate has been torn out of the Mining Privilege Butt Book (see perforations on the left hand side). It would then have been handed to the group of miners, in this case working together on a water race to provide the copacious amounts of water needed to wash out the gold from the alluvial soil it was buried in.
    Click to enlarge the image
    The types of Mining Privilege being applied for are listed in the Key to the Types of Records used in the Database:
    An illustration of results obtained from The Goldminer's Database for one of the above miners, Robert Kirkwood. Note the column labelled TYPE. This refers to the type of Mining Privilege, in this case: MR (Miner's Right) and WR (Water Race). There are many types of records included in The Goldminer's Database. A Key to the different types of records is given on the home page, just below the search box, and again on the results page, just below the results table. If you get one that does not appear on the Key, email me.
    Click to enlarge the image
    Because the information was in many cases entered both in the Warden's Court Application's Book and in the Butt Books, and both have been transcribed, records of a particular transaction are often duplicated in The GoldMiner's Database. This has proved useful because handwriting was often unreadable, so the duplicate is used to help interpret the handwriting and ensure no miner's name is missed, if possible. The applicant's Miner's Right number and date was written in the Warden's Court Application books (but not in the Butt Books). Since the original Otago Miner's Rights record books (after 1861) have been lost, the Miner's Rights numbers after 1861 which are included in the Goldminer's Databases come from these Warden's Court Application books. The reference number of the source is always included with the record, no matter where it was taken from.

    There were surprisingly similar numbers of mining applications filed at the Waitahuna and Tuapeka/Gabriel's Gully Warden's Offices. It is not known if any of these butt books are missing but the sequence between 1862 - 1866 does appear to be mostly complete for both offices, as can be seen in the above lists.

    However some names will be missing from the database because of poor handwriting and spelling. Often, the same miner could return to the office on the same day with a new application, and the Warden would spell his name differently each time. It is very necessary, when using the database to be very flexible with spelling. Make use of the wildcard facility. By entering only four or five letters of either the first or last syllable of a complicated surname at a time, you might be able to locate a name that is mispelt in the database. For instance, a name from the database is POLKINGHORNE which is spelt in a variety of ways by the Warden. By entering POLK and using the wildcard, you will get all spellings. But if you enter POLKINGHORNE, even with the wildcard, you will not get the entries spelt POLKINGHORN (and there were many examples of both spellings). Unless users persist in this way, they will not get all the entries for a particular name that they may be looking for. Keep trying. Spelling was a bigger problem in Otago than in Thames.

    For short surnames with only three letters, (eg KEY or FOX) the wildcard method is not permitted.

    More information is available if you consult the original records. If an entry says 'Signed, Richard POLKINGHORNE' for instance, this means that the miner's signature appears on the original record and it will be well worthwhile to view the original. Also, as can be seen in the above illustration of a Certificate of Registration, the miners seldom worked alone. The only way to find out who a miner's mates were is to find the original entry. (The groups of miners working together are sometimes but not very often identified on The Goldminer's Database.)

    Goldmining Companies are included in The Goldminer's database. However they can only be searched by entering one word of the name eg THE MAIDEN CITY GOLDMINING COM{PANY can only be searched by putting MAIDEN in the search box and using the wildcard facility. The Goldminer's Database is an ongoing project, with records continually being added. So check back from time to time.

    Note: the author's contact details are at the bottom of each page of Goldrush Online. I am always pleased to hear from users, especially if they have positively identified a miner on the database. Eventually miner identity information will be added to the individual records, b and you may wish to participate in this long-term project.

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Contact: Kae Lewis