Goldrush Online Otago Records

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

The Goldminer's Database found on this website is an index to original records of people mining for gold in New Zealand during the period 1861 to 1872. The following is a list of all the records for the Otago Goldfield (1861 - 1866) that are included in the Database.

TUAPEKA GOLDFIELD, OTAGO (includes Gabriel's Gully)
Tuapeka Magistrate's office 1861

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

Title: Miner's Rights Registration Book and Business Licenses, Tuapeka, Otago.
Date: 19 August - 1 November 1861.
Alexander Turnball Library Reference: qms-2045 Manuscript: 0713.

Present location of the original record book: Alexander Turnball Library, Wellington, New Zealand

(There is an additional typescript index at ATL but it is incomplete, with numerous errors, and was not used for the Goldminer's Database.)

GOLDMINING RECORDS TO BE FOUND AT ARCHIVES NZ AT DUNEDIN

The following records are all located at ARCHIVES NZ, DUNEDIN, NZ.

Archives NZ at Dunedin have changed all the accession numbers for the Otago Mining Records. Thus many of the records in the Goldminers' Database do not have an up-to-date Source (Accession) number. Many of the Mining Records already transcribed are no longer even in the same order or associated with the same records that they were previously. In these cases, the title and date of the record will assist the Archivists to locate the records in their collection.

In addition, there are ongoing problems with the Collections Search online at the Archives NZ website. At present, it is not possible to make a search using the Agency Code, Series number and record number which makes looking up a reference found on the Goldminer's Database almost impossible. In addition, they have simultaneously changed all the Archives NZ reference numbers to a 'unique identifier' (the R number). The reference numbers used on the Database include the Agency code, followed by the series code and the volume number which will not change. Archives NZ staff will be able to give you the corresponding R number for each reference number found on the database so that you can order it and view the original record at Archives NZ.

THE LAWRENCE WARDEN'S COURT, OTAGO:

Warden's Court Applications Books:

Mining Privilege Applications Butt Books:

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.

Lawrence Warden's Court Applications Butt Books:

Waitahuna District Warden's Office Applications Butt Books:

Business Licences

Mining Leases

Residence Areas

THE DUNSTAN WARDEN'S COURT, OTAGO

Warden's Court Applications Books:

THE ARROWTOWN WARDEN'S COURT, OTAGO

AEPG D568 22784 Box 74 Arrowtown Registration Book 1863 - 1865

GOLD RECEIPT BOOK FROM THE LAKES DISTRICT MUSEUM, ARROWTOWN

The Arrowtown Gold Reciept Book is located at the THE LAKES DISTRICT MUSEUM ARROWTOWN.

THE MAIN WARDEN'S COURT OFFICES OF OTAGO COVERED BY THE DATABASE

The districts administered from the LAWRENCE 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.

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

The districts administered from the DUNSTAN Warden's Court at Clyde included Manuherekia Gorge, Molyneux (Clutha) River, Kawarau Gorge, Cromwell, Alexandra, Nevis, Mt Benger and Potters.

The districts administered from the ARROWTOWN Warden's Court included the Arrow River, upper Kawarau River, and Cardrona,

A MINER'S RIGHT CERTIFICATE

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.
Click to enlarge the photo.

A CERTIFICATE OF REGISTRATION

Source: Archives New Zealand, Dunedin.
Click to enlarge the image

Above: A Certificate of Registration No 2065 for a water race at Woolshed, issued by the Gold Warden at Waitahuna 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 copious amounts of water needed to wash out the gold from the alluvial soil it was buried in. It is very rare for these original Mining Certificates to have survived the rigours of the goldfelds and the 150 intervening years but this one never left the Warden's office, probably because it was a mailed-in request.

HINTS ON USING THE GOLDMINER'S DATABASE

THE TYPE OF EACH MINING RECORD REFERENCED

The types of Mining Privilege being applied for are listed in the Key to the Types of Records used in the Database:

RESULTS TABLE FROM THE GOLDMINER'S DATABASE

Click to enlarge the image

Above is an illustration of results obtained from The Goldminer's Database in a search for Robert Kirkwood, one of the miners applying for the Certificate of Registration. Note the first column labelled TYPE.
This refers to the type of Mining Privilege applied for, in this case: MR (Miner's Right) and WR (Water Race).
Because the Gold Wardens were issuing all kinds of Licences, Mining Privileges and Registrations, there are many types of records included in The Goldminer's Database.

A Key to the different types of records can be found on your database results page, just below the results table. There is also a full explanation on all the RECORD TYPES in the database.

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.

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 COMPANY 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.

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

TUAPEKA GOLDFIELD, OTAGO (includes Gabriel's Gully) Tuapeka Magistrate's office 1861

GOLDMINING RECORDS TO BE FOUND AT ARCHIVES NZ AT DUNEDIN

THE LAWRENCE WARDEN'S COURT, OTAGO:

Warden's Court Applications Books:

Mining Privilege Applications Butt Books:

Lawrence Warden's Court Applications Butt Books:

Waitahuna District Warden's Office Applications Butt Books:

Business Licences

Mining Leases

Residence Areas