Online Catalogue – Ordering Inquest Records

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This PROVguide outlines how to order inquest records for viewing in Public Record Office Victoria's reading room at the Victorian Archives Centre. Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) holds records of inquests and other kinds of coronial investigations held in Victoria from 1840 - 1985. For information about accessing Coroner's records created after 1985, please contact the Coroners Court of Victoria Information and Records Manager on 1300 309 519 or alternatively you can access the Court's website at www.coronerscourt.vic.gov.au. Information regarding access to documents can be found under "Court Processes- Access to Documents".

This PROVguide gives detailed information about accessing VPRS 24 Inquest Deposition Files. PROV also holds VPRS 10010 Body Cards, which are records of coronial investigations, many of which have not resulted in an inquest.

Viewing records at PROV

Once ordered on PROV's online catalogue at www.access.prov.vic.gov.au, records are delivered to the VAC reading room Monday to Friday. Records are held for up to 10 working days before being returned to the repository. Please see PROVguide 21 Ordering Records for information about our delivery times.

Separate areas in the VAC reading room are available for researchers who wish to view the records in privacy – just ask our reference staff. Coroner's records can contain photographs you may not wish to view. Reference staff can cover photographs on request.

Accessing inquest records 1840-1985

Step 1: Consult the database Inquest Index, Victoria 1840-1985. This database can be found on computers in PROV's reading rooms, the State Library of Victoria, and some genealogical centres and public libraries around Australia.

Step 2: Note the following information:

· Full name of the deceased

· Reference number of the inquest

· The year in which the inquest was held

Step 3: Log in to PROV’s online catalogue at www.access.prov.vic.gov.au. See PROVguide 19 Registering and Maintaining a Public User Account for information on registering a public user account if you do not already have one.

Step 4: Select Inquests from the Ordering menu. The Ordering Inquests page will be displayed. Enter the year and inquest number from the index, as in the example below. Up to 4 inquest records can be searched for at a time. Click on the Search button.

Step 5: Your search results will be displayed, as in the example below.

Step 6: To order a record for viewing a the Victorian Archives Centre place a tick in the check box next to the entry for each of the records you wish to order, as shown above. Click on the Order selected entries button to place the order. If the records are on open access and not on order to another researcher the selected records will be ordered. Entries confirming each of the records ordered will appear in your My Orders: Current page.

Hint: For the period 1840 to 1880 there are two sequences of files, one for males and the other for females, as in the 1853/109 example above.

Hint: Inquest records that formed part of the documentation in a criminal trial will not be found in this series before 1951. See the series pages on PROV's online catalogue for VPRS 24 Inquest Deposition Files and VPRS 30 Criminal Trial Briefs for information about locating these records in VPRS 30.

Accessing records of other kinds of coronial investigations

PROV holds the series VPRS 10010 Body Cards 1959 - 1985, which contain the documentation created in the course of a coronial investigation, many of which did not result in an inquest. Between 1959 and May 1985 these files document investigations conducted by the Melbourne Coroner.

Melbourne metropolitan area 1959 - 1985

Step 1: Consult hard copy indexes available from the collection desk at the Victorian Archives Centre reading room to obtain the file reference number.

Step 2: Search for a file on PROV's online catalogue using a Search in a Series. Enter the series number 10010 into the first (VPRS) field, and the file reference number you obtained from the index into the second field. See the example in the previous Search in a Series section for details.

Hint: You may need to try different formats for the reference number such as 1971/130, 1971/0130 or 19710130.

Accessing inquest records and body cards - 1986 onwards

Please contact the Coroners Court of Victoria Information and Records Manager on 1300 309 519 or alternatively you can access the Court's website at www.coronerscourt.vic.gov.au. Information regarding access to documents can be found under "Court Processes- Access to Documents".

For your request to be considered, you must complete an application form, Form 45- Application for Access to Coronial Documents. This form can be found on the Court's website. The completed form can either be posted to the Court or emailed to coronerscourt.records@coronerscourt.vic.gov.au

How do I get a copy of a record?

PROV does not offer a research or copying service in response to phone or written requests. We can assist you to place your copy order when you visit the reading room at the Victorian Archives Centre to view the records you have ordered online. See PROVguide 2 Copying Services for information about PROV's copying services.

Digital cameras

Researchers can make photographic copies of records they have ordered using the PROV digital camera located in the reading room at the Victorian Archives Centre by bringing in their own USB flash drive or by purchasing one from PROV. Alternatively, researchers can use their own digital camera provided that certain conditions of use are observed when using either method. These conditions include restrictions on photographing records that are not under crown copyright. See PROVguide 24 Use of Digital Cameras in PROV Reading Rooms for details.

Search agents

If you are not able to visit the Victorian Archives Centre to view records and place your copy order, you may wish to hire a search agent to undertake this on your behalf. See PROVguide 15 Search Agents for contact details.

Further information

See PROVguide 71 Inquest Records for more information about Coroner's records held by PROV. See PROVguide 20 Searching for Records Online, and PROVguide 21 Ordering Records for more information about ordering records on PROV's online catalogue.