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Series VPRS
942
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Census of Victoria Reports and Population Tables
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| Date Range: |
Series |
1862 - ? 1901 |
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Series in Custody |
1862 - 1893 |
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Contents |
1861 - 1891 |
| Public Access: |
Open |
| Location: |
North Melbourne |
| Format of Records: |
Physical |
  | Agency which created this SeriesAgency which created this Series |
Date Range
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Agency Title
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Agency Number
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| 1862 - 1873 |
Registrar-General's Department |
VA 2889 |
| 1873 - 1874 |
Office of the Registrar-General and the Office of Titles, (known as Land Victoria from 2001 to ct.) |
VA 862 |
| 1874 - 1901 |
Office of the Government Statist and Actuary |
VA 989 |
| Agency currently responsible for this SeriesAgency currently responsible for this Series |
| Description of this SeriesDescription of this Series |
- How to use the Records
This series consists of published reports and statistics compiled from the household returns from censes held in Victoria between 1861 and 1901.
From 1861 and until Federation, when major responsibility for census and statistics passed to the Commonwealth, a census of the population of Victoria was conducted every ten years. Prior to 1861 the Office of the Registrar-General and Office of Titles had taken responsibility for the collection and issue of Victorian statistics, however the 1861 Act was the first legislation to formalise a system of census-taking and to specify the information to be collected.
No single Act governed the taking of censes in Victoria prior to federation. Instead, every ten years, usually in the year prior to the census year, an Act of Parliament was passed to establish the date of the approaching census, the procedures for its conduct and the data that was to be collected. (Refer to Acts no.24 Vict No.120 (1861), 34 Vict No.369 (1870), 44 Vict No.667 (1880), 54 Vict No.1171 (1890) and 64 Vict No.1669 (1900).
The volumes in this series contain the reports of the Registrar-General (1861 and 1871) or Government Statist (from 1881) on the results of the census, and population tables summarising the information collected.
The series has been deemed to commence in 1862 since this is the year in which the Report of the 1861 census was presented to Parliament and ordered to be published.
Each household was required to provide the following information about "the Head of the Family, the names of his Wife, Children and other Relatives; then Visitors, Ledgers, Servants, etc.":
name
relation to head of family
condition (ie marital status)
sex
age last birthday
rank, profession or occupation
state of health
place of birth
religion
education
description of dwelling (stone, brick, wood, etc.)
The statistical tables provide a summary of this information for the whole of the Colony, and for the subdivisions of each municipality.
The descriptive reports of the Registrar-General (1861 and 1871) and the Government Statist (1881 and 1891) include comparisons with other Australian colonies and with previous census years, and also highlights what he considered to be some of the key outcomes of the census. In addition the reports include a review of the procedures followed in taking the census.
Note: Although the Victorian Government Statist was responsible for conducting the 1901 census, taken shortly after federation, the report and population tables, presumably published after the 1901 census, are missing from the P1 consignment.
Further background to the development of census taking in Victoria can be found in the Registrar-General's Report at the commencement of the 1861 census summary (unit 1 of the P1 consignment).
- Function / Content
- Recordkeeping System
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