Hi Peter and Members, Firstly A Merry Christmas to one and all. Now as to your Miners Cottage I totally agree with the way Peter has explained it, it's also like the little Victorian Terrace houses that line some of the streets around Sydney or Melbourne they get their name from the ara they were built in. not that they might have been built in Victoria. And yes Peter is also right in the fact that in the early days one could claim land under what was known as Miners Rights you had to say on it and build on it and where we as house own of today pay rates and all the other bills that go with it back then all you had to do was to re-new your Miners Rights Certificates each year, We did this for many years with a holiday house we had in Wedderburn Victoria up until the Government of the day decided to offer the land for sale, which finished up getting very cheap. And just to add to that in and around the country side in Victoria you will find another type of a house that is known as a mud-brick house they were also in many cases a miners cottage built very cheap out of mud, small stones and hay. Now known as a "Muddy" Regards, Ray. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Peter Thomas" <pmthomas@bigpond.com> To: <AUS-VIC-GOLDFIELDS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, December 25, 2005 6:35 AM Subject: RE: Miners Cottage > > I think your understanding of a "miner's cottage" might differ from > mine. As I understand it, "miner's cottage" is an architectural style - > very simple, very dated, usually very small. One wasn't allocated a > cottage: one obtained the land, and built the cottage. In the mining > era, a lot of people obtained land by squatting on it. > > I've heard the expression used differently in outback Queensland: there > is means "a dwelling on a miner's lease", which is not quite freehold. > I don't know what other significance attaches to it there, but I've > never heard of an equivalent in Victoria. > > > Peter THOMAS > Darwin, AUSTRALIA > <pmthomas@bigpond.com> > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Donna [mailto:donnae.w@bigpond.com] > Sent: Friday, 23 December 2005 11:38 AM > To: AUS-VIC-GOLDFIELDS-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: Miners Cottage > > > My gg grandmother Maria LAMB was photographed outside her miners cottage > in the 1880's in Maldon not long after her husband Thomas' death. > Could anyone advise what criteria was involved to gain a cottage from > like others who lived in tents. It could be simply they had saved > money to do so, but I would be most appreciative of anyone's comments. > > Many thanks > Donna W > Perth > > ______________________________ > > > ==== AUS-VIC-GOLDFIELDS Mailing List ==== > Threaded archives at > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/aus-vic-goldfields > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.1.371 / Virus Database: 267.14.7/214 - Release Date: 23/12/2005 > >

My parents had a house in Ballarat which was originally built on a miners rights land. It was a 99 year lease but I don't think they had to pay a yearly rate, Will have to find that one out, but I know the 99 years came up and they had to buy the land. it was only a couple of hundred dollars or possibly the cost of the transfer and stamp duty maybe. the cottages often consisted of maybe 2 or 4 rooms. Although mum and Dads were very large rooms compared to most, then there were other rooms built on over the years. My in-laws had what I would say was a real original that had the 4 rooms and a small hallway the kitchen and bathroom were built on later as was the outhouse which although attached to the house was still outside. the house was built with homemade fired bricks which began to crumble. The house was torn down in around the 1990s which I thought was a bit sad as in old pictures of Ballarat the house was there. I thought of trying to claim the bricks but was told they crumbled and were no good for anything. It is amazing that large families lived in these tiny cottages that were probably not much bigger than some of the tents we go camping in now. Carmel ----- Original Message ----- From: "Raymond W. Henderson" <batie@ozemail.com.au> To: <AUS-VIC-GOLDFIELDS-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, December 25, 2005 10:17 AM Subject: Re: Miners Cottage > Hi Peter and Members, > > Firstly A Merry Christmas to one and all. > > Now as to your Miners Cottage I totally agree with the way Peter has > explained it, it's also like the little Victorian Terrace houses that line > some of the streets around Sydney or Melbourne they get their name from > the ara they were built in. not that they might have been built in > Victoria. > > And yes Peter is also right in the fact that in the early days one could > claim land under what was known as Miners Rights you had to say on it and > build on it and where we as house own of today pay rates and all the other > bills that go with it back then all you had to do was to re-new your > Miners Rights Certificates each year, We did this for many years with a > holiday house we had in Wedderburn Victoria up until the Government of the > day decided to offer the land for sale, which finished up getting very > cheap. > And just to add to that in and around the country side in Victoria you > will find another type of a house that is known as a mud-brick house they > were also in many cases a miners cottage built very cheap out of mud, > small stones and hay. > Now known as a "Muddy" > Regards, > Ray. > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Peter Thomas" <pmthomas@bigpond.com> > To: <AUS-VIC-GOLDFIELDS-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Sunday, December 25, 2005 6:35 AM > Subject: RE: Miners Cottage > > >> >> I think your understanding of a "miner's cottage" might differ from >> mine. As I understand it, "miner's cottage" is an architectural style - >> very simple, very dated, usually very small. One wasn't allocated a >> cottage: one obtained the land, and built the cottage. In the mining >> era, a lot of people obtained land by squatting on it. >> >> I've heard the expression used differently in outback Queensland: there >> is means "a dwelling on a miner's lease", which is not quite freehold. >> I don't know what other significance attaches to it there, but I've >> never heard of an equivalent in Victoria. >> >> >> Peter THOMAS >> Darwin, AUSTRALIA >> <pmthomas@bigpond.com> >> >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Donna [mailto:donnae.w@bigpond.com] >> Sent: Friday, 23 December 2005 11:38 AM >> To: AUS-VIC-GOLDFIELDS-L@rootsweb.com >> Subject: Miners Cottage >> >> >> My gg grandmother Maria LAMB was photographed outside her miners cottage >> in the 1880's in Maldon not long after her husband Thomas' death. >> Could anyone advise what criteria was involved to gain a cottage from >> like others who lived in tents. It could be simply they had saved >> money to do so, but I would be most appreciative of anyone's comments. >> >> Many thanks >> Donna W >> Perth >> >> ______________________________ >> >> >> ==== AUS-VIC-GOLDFIELDS Mailing List ==== >> Threaded archives at >> http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/aus-vic-goldfields >> >> >> -- >> No virus found in this incoming message. >> Checked by AVG Free Edition. >> Version: 7.1.371 / Virus Database: 267.14.7/214 - Release Date: >> 23/12/2005 >> >> > > > ==== AUS-VIC-GOLDFIELDS Mailing List ==== > Practice good internet genealogy - always be polite plus say 'thank you' > >

I don't know if all miners lived under the same conditions I guess it depending on where it was and what they were mining. My stepfather Charles Jordan was born at Tingha in 1903. His father Edwin Jordan was married in 1895 in Cunnamulla Qld. and later went to live in Tingha NSW and worked as a tin miner. There he built a bark hut and on the birth of each of his children his mining mates built another room on to his bark hut. My stepfather can remember this hut. The family moved to Inglewood after the tin cut out when he was only 6 years old. A book written about Tingha and shows drawings of these bark huts. Regards Irene Schaffer Email: schafferi@optusnet.com.au Website: http://members.optusnet.com.au/~schafferi (including Norfolk Island and Van Diemens Land list) Subject: Re: Miners Cottage > My parents had a house in Ballarat which was originally built on a miners > rights land. It was a 99 year lease but I don't think they had to pay a > yearly rate, Will have to find that one out, but I know the 99 years came up > and they had to buy the land. it was only a couple of hundred dollars or > possibly the cost of the transfer and stamp duty maybe. > the cottages often consisted of maybe 2 or 4 rooms. Although mum and Dads > were very large rooms compared to most, then there were other rooms built on > over the years. My in-laws had what I would say was a real original that had > the 4 rooms and a small hallway the kitchen and bathroom were built on later > as was the outhouse which although attached to the house was still outside. > the house was built with homemade fired bricks which began to crumble. The > house was torn down in around the 1990s which I thought was a bit sad as in > old pictures of Ballarat the house was there. I thought of trying to claim > the bricks but was told they crumbled and were no good for anything. > It is amazing that large families lived in these tiny cottages that were > probably not much bigger than some of the tents we go camping in now. > Carmel > > Now as to your Miners Cottage I totally agree with the way Peter has > > explained it, it's also like the little Victorian Terrace houses that line > > some of the streets around Sydney or Melbourne they get their name from > > the ara they were built in. not that they might have been built in > > Victoria. > > > > And yes Peter is also right in the fact that in the early days one could > > claim land under what was known as Miners Rights you had to say on it and > > build on it and where we as house own of today pay rates and all the other > > bills that go with it back then all you had to do was to re-new your > > Miners Rights Certificates each year, We did this for many years with a > > holiday house we had in Wedderburn Victoria up until the Government of the > > day decided to offer the land for sale, which finished up getting very > > cheap. > > And just to add to that in and around the country side in Victoria you > > will find another type of a house that is known as a mud-brick house they > > were also in many cases a miners cottage built very cheap out of mud, > > small stones and hay. > > Now known as a "Muddy" > > Regards, > > Ray. > >> I think your understanding of a "miner's cottage" might differ from > >> mine. As I understand it, "miner's cottage" is an architectural style - > >> very simple, very dated, usually very small. One wasn't allocated a > >> cottage: one obtained the land, and built the cottage. In the mining > >> era, a lot of people obtained land by squatting on it. > >> > >> I've heard the expression used differently in outback Queensland: there > >> is means "a dwelling on a miner's lease", which is not quite freehold. > >> I don't know what other significance attaches to it there, but I've > >> never heard of an equivalent in Victoria. > >> > >> > >> Peter THOMAS > >> Darwin, AUSTRALIA > >> <pmthomas@bigpond.com> > >> > >> > >> > >> -----Original Message----- > >> From: Donna [mailto:donnae.w@bigpond.com] > >> Sent: Friday, 23 December 2005 11:38 AM > >> To: AUS-VIC-GOLDFIELDS-L@rootsweb.com > >> Subject: Miners Cottage > >> > >> > >> My gg grandmother Maria LAMB was photographed outside her miners cottage > >> in the 1880's in Maldon not long after her husband Thomas' death. > >> Could anyone advise what criteria was involved to gain a cottage from > >> like others who lived in tents. It could be simply they had saved > >> money to do so, but I would be most appreciative of anyone's comments. > >> > >> Many thanks > >> Donna W > >> Perth