The Eureka Stockade Swearing Allegiance to the Southern Cross, by Charles Doudiet. By Jude m

Contents: The Lead Up 3-5 The Main People 6-8 The Rebellion 9-10 The Aftermath 11-12 Resources 13 Glossary 14

The Lead Up: Keeping Order In 1851 there were new laws that were made for miners. Miners had to buy a monthly licence. There was only one claim per digger. Claims could only be 8 feet square (about 240cm on each side). The Gold Commissioner had to make sure everyone on the goldfield kept these rules. Interesting Fact: To buy a license it cost 1 Pound for one month, 2 Pounds for three months, or 8 Pounds for a year.

The Lead Up: Trouble Brewing A miner who did not buy a mining licence was fined 5 Pounds ($800 today) or put in jail for 6 months. You can see why the miners did not like this or the police. In October, 1854, a miner was murdered at the Eureka Hotel in Ballarat. The miners blamed the hotel owner, Bentley, but the police defended him. A week later the miners set the hotel on fire, to prove how angry they were. Burning of Bentley's Hotel by Charles Doudiet.

The Lead Up: Public Protest In November, 1854, 10,000 miners formed the Ballarat Reform League (BRL) for major democratic reforms. Three leaders from the BRL met with Governor Hotham in Melbourne to argue. The Governor agreed to look into changing the licence system to make it not as harsh on the miners. He said no to releasing those arrested for burning down the Eureka Hotel. In Ballarat the Gold Commissioner Robert Rede called for more troops to treat the miners worse. At a large meeting at Bakery Hill, miners burnt their licences in a bonfire. The BRL leaders went from Ballarat to Melbourne.

The Main People: John Humffray John Humffray was born in Wales in 1824. In Britain he was a Chartist working for political reforms to help the workers. In 1853 he came to Australia and went to Ballarat. He was one of the leaders of the Ballarat Reform League but believed in peace and was not part of the rebellion. He went to Melbourne and protested to the Governor about miner’s rights. Interesting Fact: John Humffray became a member of parliament and was the Minister for Mines.

The Main People: Peter Lalor Peter Lalor was born in 1827 in Ireland. He worked as a civil engineer. In 1852 he came to Australia and went to Ballarat. He was one of the leaders of the Ballarat Reform League. He believed in fighting for the miners’ rights. He led the Eureka rebellion despite a lack of military experience.  Lalor's left arm was seriously wounded and needed to be cut off. Peter Lalor as Speaker of the House. Interesting Fact: Peter Lalor was the only outlaw to become a member of parliament in Victoria.

The Main People: Sir Charles Hotham Charles Hotham was born in 1806 in England. He worked in the Navy before coming to Australia in 1854. He was Lieutenant-Governor of Victoria and later became the first Governor of Victoria. He met the leaders from the Ballarat Reform League and agreed to some of their proposals. He held a Royal Commission into mining licences and replaced them with a fee based on how much gold they found. Interesting Fact: Mount Hotham in the Victorian Alps is named after him.

The Rebellion: The Stockade In December, thousands of miners in Ballarat swore an oath to fight under their new Eureka flag. The flag was based on the Southern Cross with a blue background and white stars. They built a makeshift stockade to defend themselves from the police troops. There were fewer than 200 in the stockade at one time. Interesting Fact: The protesting miners pledged to protect one another with this oath: “We swear by the Southern Cross to stand truly by each other and fight to defend our rights and liberties.”

The Rebellion: Ending the Siege On Sunday, December 3, 1854, 153 soldiers, 30 cavalry and more than 100 police advanced on the stockade. There is no agreement on which side fired first, but the battle was bloody and very one-sided. Six troops and 24 rebels were killed, and 130 miners were taken prisoner. The Eureka Stockade by J. B. Henderson

The Aftermath: Trials Governor Hotham declared martial law – giving the troops more power. Lalor, who had escaped to Geelong, became a wanted man. A 200 Pound ($32,000 today) reward was placed on his head, but he remained hiding until he was granted amnesty. The government charged 13 rebels with sedition and treason but when they were put on trial, the jury let them all go. The Gold Commissioner Rede was removed from his position. Wanted poster: 200 pounds for each outlaw. Interesting Fact: Over 10,000 people turned up to hear the jury’s verdict.

The Aftermath: Reforms Hotham's Royal Commission report was very critical of the administration on the goldfields and supported the miners. The report made several recommendations including, to restrict Chinese immigration. It recommended replacing the gold licences with an annual miner's right and an export fee based on the value of the gold. The gold commissioner was sacked and police numbers were cut drastically. Victoria’s Legislative Council was expanded to allow members from the goldfields and both Peter Lalor and John Humffray were elected. Within a year, all but one of the demands of the BRL had been granted.

Resources: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Hotham, 5/9/2015 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chartism, 5/9/2015 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eureka_Rebellion, 5/9/2015 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governor_of_Victoria, 6/9/2015 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Basson_Humffray, 5/9/2015 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Lalor, 5/9/2015 Gold Rushes: The New Prosperity, Bradfield, 2014 On the Goldfields, Guile and Macintosh, 2011

Glossary: Gold Commissioner – Someone who makes sure everyone does the right thing on the gold fields. Democratic Reforms – Giving people more say in how the government runs. Chartist – Workers in Britain protesting for more rights. Lieutenant-Governor – The Representative of the Queen in Victoria before it became a separate colony from New South Wales. Martial Law – Making the soldiers be policemen too. Export – When you move something to a different place.

The End!