WCC, Town Clerk's Department, outwards correspondence letter books

Descriptive Data

Archives Identifier00296Date Range1863-1912DescriptionThe series consists of copies of outwards correspondence from the three agencies that administered Wellington City from 1863. The practice of separate volumes of outwards letters, either manuscript entries or letterpress/carbon copies dates from the period before the invention and general use of carbon paper and typewriters, and before the practice of grouping inwards and outwards letters onto one file.

This series is incomplete, with at least six volumes missing: June 1865? - December 1867?, and Wellington City Council Town Clerk's Department volumes 5 (1878-80), 7 (1881-83), 62, 63 and 64 (1911-1912).

The first letter book is the only surviving record of the Wellington Town Board Commissioners correspondence system. It consists of manuscript copies of the outwards letters of the Town Board, from 25 September 1863. Because only one volume has survived the final date of the series is estimated, based on the change from Town Board to Board of Works. The extant volume ends 14 June 1865 with only 52 pages used, possibly because another letter book was started using the then-new letterpress copying method. Letters are addressed to Provincial government officials, to Town Board officers such as the Engineer and Surveyor, and to members of the public. They are headed 'Town Board Office' and signed by the Chairman of the Commissioners, Edward Pearse, or by the Clerk to the Board, William Bannister. This volume records the earliest requests to the Wellington Province Superintendent regarding the financial status of the Town Board and, in this case, also copied is the inwards reply from the Acting Provincial Secretary. Other significant topics include the assessment of the city for rating purposes, the use of prison labour, the appointment of the City Surveyor, and matters such as rates, rents, roads, streets, drainage, buildings, the Town Belt, and the licensing of trades such as slaughterhouses, etc. There is an alphabetical index at the front of the volume, which contains minimal entries only.

The Wellington Board of Works volumes consists of manuscript letter press copies of the outwards letters up until the establishment of the Wellington City Council in September 1870. It is the only surviving record of the Wellington Board of Works correspondence system. The first volume is missing (possibly the same physical volume as the Town Board's second letter book). The Board of Works letters probably start about 7 September 1866, when this agency took over from the Town Board. The volume held begins on 7 December 1867 and ends on 2 September 1870. Letters are signed by J Rigg, Clerk, Board of Works Office or J Dransfield the Chairman of the Commissioners, and replies are addressed to central government officials especially the Colonial Secretary, to provincial officials, to other local bodies, to Board officers and employees, such as the Engineer, and to ratepayers and members of the public. The letters refer frequently to decisions made at Board meetings and cover issues about funding and elections, sale or purchase of lands, rates, rents, leases and hire of buildings, properties and reserves, such as the Town Belt and Basin Reserve, road construction and repairs, opening of new streets, and infringements by businesses or property owners regarding sewerage, drainage, and other 'nuisances'. Very occasionally copies of inwards letters are also included. Page 1 of volume 1 is missing and in volume 2 the flyleaf page has mould and is stuck to the end paper. The index has name entries only - personal and business - but no subjects or street names.

There are 60 volumes of Town Clerk's outwards correspondence letters extant and volume numbering indicates there were originally 65. The City Council outwards letters begin on 29 September 1870 are the only segment of the Town Clerk's correspondence system surviving for the period 1870 to 1878. They record the work of the Town Clerk within Council and in relation to the Town Clerk's role as the interface between Council and the public. For the period up to the late 1880's these were the only set of outwards letter from the Town Clerk.

From 1887 onward a number of specialist letter books exist, possibly reflecting separate locations of specialist staff - such as the City Solicitor who it appears worked until 1904 from his law offices in Featherston Street, or the Drainage Engineer probably located at the Corporation's yard at Clyde Quay.

The first letter, 29 September 1870, to the Colonial Secretary from J Rigg Clerk is headed City Council Chambers and announces the election of J Dransfield as Mayor at the first meeting of the Council held under the 'Corporations Act 1867' (a duty set out under Section 54 of the Municipal Corporation Act 1876). Some letters and memos are directed to internal officials - to the Mayor, Councillors and Council staff - but in the main they are written to external clients - to the central and provincial government officials, other local bodies, and to ratepayers and the public. They cover the whole range of the Town Clerk's activities and operations, but less and less relating to City Engineer and other officials as other letter books took over these functions.

Index: Primarily names of writers - personal or business or official; no subjects or street names. Entries are in manuscript letter press and typed carbon copies. Regular annotations include ticks (red or blue pencil), probably indicating sent/ or indexed, and page numbers (blue pencil) of prior and following related letters. There are also a range of other unidentified symbols. Volume 26 is only partially used and ends with the inscription' This letter book not to be used.'. Inscribed on flyleaf of first volume: '15 May 1872'. It is not known whether volumes between 1912 and 1920's are missing or were never created.

After about 1900 the practice began of placing copies of outwards letters on the inwards correspondence files, and after 1904-06 approximately, the Town Clerk, the City Engineer, City Solicitor, City Treasurer and Valuer and many other officials were located together in the new Town Hall building. Miscellaneous Town Clerk's letter books created between 1921 to 1926 have been placed together and described as a separate series - see Series 00312. All letter books cease after April 1926 when the new subject system of filing (series 00001) was introduced.Quantity (Linear Metres)9.5MediumBound VolumeSystem of ArrangementChronological by date of outwards letterCollection TypeWellington City Council

Wellington City Council Outwards Correspondence Letter Book No. 65

Wellington City Council Outwards Correspondence Letter Book No. 61

Wellington City Council Outwards Correspondence Letter Book No. 60

Wellington City Council Outwards Correspondence Letter Book No. 59

Wellington City Council Outwards Correspondence Letter Book No. 58

Wellington City Council Outwards Correspondence Letter Book No. 57

Wellington City Council Outwards Correspondence Letter Book No. 56

Wellington City Council Outwards Correspondence Letter Book No. 55

Wellington City Council Outwards Correspondence Letter Book No. 54

Wellington City Council Outwards Correspondence Letter Book No. 53

Wellington City Council Outwards Correspondence Letter Book No. 52

Wellington City Council Outwards Correspondence Letter Book No. 51

Wellington City Council Outwards Correspondence Letter Book No. 50

Wellington City Council Outwards Correspondence Letter Book No. 49

Wellington City Council Outwards Correspondence Letter Book No. 48

Wellington City Council Outwards Correspondence Letter Book No. 47

Wellington City Council Outwards Correspondence Letter Book No. 46

Wellington City Council Outwards Correspondence Letter Book No. 45

Wellington City Council Outwards Correspondence Letter Book No. 44

Wellington City Council Outwards Correspondence Letter Book No. 43

Wellington City Council Outwards Correspondence Letter Book No. 42

Wellington City Council Outwards Correspondence Letter Book No. 41

Wellington City Council Outwards Correspondence Letter Book No. 40

Access Information

Restriction StatusOpen

Related Agencies

Controlling or Creating AgencyWellington Town BoardRelationship Date Range1863-1866

Related Agencies

Controlling or Creating AgencyWellington Board of WorksRelationship Date Range1866-1870

Related Agencies

Controlling or Creating AgencyTown Clerk's DepartmentRelationship Date Range1870-1991

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WCC, Town Clerk's Department, outwards correspondence letter books