Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
Applications for Crown grants
General material designation
- textual record
Parallel title
Other title information
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
- Source of title proper: Title based on the contents of the series.
Level of description
Series
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
-
1893-1907 (Creation)
- Creator
- British Columbia. Dept. of Lands and Works
Physical description area
Physical description
10 cm of textual records
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
The Dept. of Lands and Works was established in 1871 under the Constitution Act (SBC 1871, c. 147). Prior to that, the origins of the department were in the offices of the Surveyor General for the Colony of Vancouver Island (1859-1866) and the Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works and Surveyor General for the Colony of British Columbia (1859-1871).
The mandate of the department was to grant permission for the pre-emption of unoccupied, unsurveyed, and unreserved Crown lands, issue Crown grants and grant leases of Crown lands, oversee all survey and map functions, and construct and repair roads, bridges and buildings for public services. It was also responsible for promoting immigration. The Dept. of Lands and Works was headed by the Chief Commissioner of Lands and Works and Surveyor General.
By 1899, the department was organized into two branches: Lands Branch and Works Branch. In 1908 the Dept. of Lands and Works was disestablished with an amendment to the Constitution Act (SBC 1908, c. 12). Its functions were assigned to two new departments: the Dept. of Lands (SBC 1908, c. 31) and the Dept. of Public Works (SBC 1908, c. 41).
Custodial history
The records in this series were transferred in about 1975 to the BC Archives from a temporary government records warehouse on Herald Street, Victoria. They were accessioned with GR-1069 in 1982.
Scope and content
Series consists of three registers of applications for Crown grants documenting the final transfer of ownership of land from the Crown to the applicant. This is a central register for the entire Province of British Columbia, and is arranged alphabetically by last name of the applicant. The register also includes a description of the district and lot, the date, and the name of the person who submitted the application to the central office (often a government agent on behalf of the applicant). The series also includes two volumes of mineral claims.
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Arrangement
Language of material
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
See lower level descriptions for conservation restrictions.
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Finding aids
Associated materials
Related series include: GR-3096 Crown land grant indexes (1869-1930), GR-3097 Crown land grants (1869-1930), GR-3139 Crown land grants (1851-1874), GR-3140 Crown land auctioneers' agreements (1899-1914)
Accruals
General note
Archives code(s): Call numbers and dates of records in this fonds are:
GR-1069.II.109 [textual records] 1893
GR-1069.II.107 [textual records] 1894-1896
GR-1069.II.117 [textual records] 1898-1900
GR-1069.II.101 [textual records] 1901-1903
GR-1069.II.73 [textual records] 1904-1907