Ben Hall (bushranger)
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Ben Hall (9 May 1837 – 5 May 1865) was an Australian
bushranger Bushrangers were armed robbers and outlaws who resided in The bush#Australia, the Australian bush between the 1780s and the early 20th century. The original use of the term dates back to the early years of the British colonisation of Australia ...
and leading member of the Gardiner–Hall gang. He and his associates carried out many raids across
New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
, from Bathurst to
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, south to
Gundagai Gundagai is a town in New South Wales, Australia. Although a small town, Gundagai is a popular topic for writers and has become a representative icon of a typical Australian country town. Located along the Murrumbidgee River and Muniong, Honeys ...
and east to
Goulburn Goulburn ( ) is a regional city in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, approximately south-west of Sydney and north-east of Canberra. It was proclaimed as Australia's first inland city through letters patent by Queen Victor ...
. Unlike many bushrangers of the era, Hall was not directly responsible for any deaths, although several of his associates were. He was shot dead by police in May 1865 at Goobang Creek. The police claimed that they were acting under the protection of the ''Felons Apprehension Act 1865,'' which allowed any bushranger who had been specifically named under the terms of the Act to be shot, and killed by any person at any time without warning. At the time of Hall's death, the Act had not yet come into force, resulting in controversy over the legality of his killing."Family seeks justice for Bold Ben's demise"
, – Meacham, Steve, ''
The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria (Australia), Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Austral ...
'', 31 March 2007
Hall is a prominent figure in
Australian folklore Australian folklore refers to the folklore and urban legends that have evolved in Australia from Aboriginal Australian myths to colonial and Contemporary literature, contemporary folklore including Australians, people, places and events, that ha ...
, inspiring many
bush ballad The bush ballad, bush song, or bush poem is a style of poetry and folk music that depicts the life, character and scenery of the Australian bush. The typical bush ballad employs a straightforward rhyme structure to narrate a story, often one of ...
s, books and screen works, including the 1975 television series '' Ben Hall'' and the 2016 feature film ''
The Legend of Ben Hall ''The Legend of Ben Hall'' is a 2016 Australian bushranger film. Written and directed by Matthew Holmes, it is based on the exploits of bushranger Ben Hall and his gang. The film stars Jack Martin in the title role, Jamie Coffa as John Gilb ...
''.


Early life

Ben Hall was born on 9 May 1837, at Maitland, New South Wales, Australia (though an 1865 newspaper report, possibly incorrectly, named the Clift family-owned Breeza Station near
Breeza Breeza is a locality in New South Wales, Australia. It is about south of Gunnedah, in the Liverpool Plains The Liverpool Plains are an extensive agricultural area covering about of the north-western slopes of New South Wales in Australia ...
as his birthplace). Both of Ben's parents were convicted for minor stealing offences and transported to New South Wales, and first met each other as convicts. Benjamin received his ticket of leave in August 1832, but it wasn't until 1834 that Eliza was granted her freedom. They were married the same year and moved to the
Hunter Region The Hunter Region, also commonly known as the Hunter Valley, Newcastle Region, or simply Hunter, spans the region in northern New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney. It contains the Hunter River (New Sout ...
. The couple had numerous children; Ben Junior was the fourth child and third son. Benjamin Senior found work as overseer on the Doona run near Murrurundi, as an employee of Samuel Clift, while Eliza was employed as a domestic worker at Clift's home in Wallis Plains,
East Maitland East Maitland is a suburb in Maitland, New South Wales, Australia. The traditional owners and custodians of the Maitland area are the Wonnarua people. Commercial areas Green Hills is a major commercial district called which includes the larg ...
. Following a severe drought in 1838–39, Clift had to move all his stock back to the Hunter, so Benjamin lost his position at Doona. However, during his time working in that area, he had discovered an isolated valley north of Murrurundi with permanent water and good grazing. Here Benjamin built a rough hut, and began collecting any wild cattle and horses he could find in the hills. Then in mid-1842, he bought a small block of land in the newly created village of Murrurundi, where he established a butcher shop and also sold fresh vegetables. About the end of 1850, Benjamin Sr. moved down to the
Lachlan River The Lachlan River (Wiradjuri: ''Kalari'', ''Galiyarr'') is an intermittent river that is part of the Murrumbidgee catchment within the Murray–Darling basin, located in the Southern Tablelands, Central West, and Riverina regions of New Sou ...
area, taking with him the children Ben Jr., William, Mary and his stepson Thomas Wade. It appears that Ben Jr. never returned to Murrurundi, although his father did in 1851. Young Ben spent his early years working with horses and cattle, developing his expertise in stockwork and bushcraft, skills which would later serve him well. In 1856, at the age of 19, Ben married Bridget Walsh (1841–1923) at Bathurst. Kitty, one of Bridget's sisters, was married to a Wheogo stockman named John Brown, but in 1862 she became the mistress of
Frank Gardiner Frank Gardiner (1830 – c. 1882) was an Australian bushranger who became notorious for his lead role in the largest gold heist in Australian history, at Eugowra, New South Wales in June 1862. Gardiner and Gardiner-Hall gang, his gang, which in ...
and eloped to
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; another Walsh sister Ellen married John Maguire. On 7 August 1859, Ben and Biddy (as she was called) had a son, who they named Henry. In 1859–60, Hall and John Maguire jointly leased the "Sandy Creek" run of 10,000 acres (40 km²) about 50 km south of
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.


Bushranger

During the summer of 1861–62, his wife Biddy left with their young son Henry to live with a young police officer named James Taylor. They moved to Humbug Creek, near Lake Cowal, well away from Hall. Hall soon began a disastrous association with the notorious bushranger Frank Christie, alias Gardiner. In April 1862, Ben was arrested by Inspector Sir Frederick Pottinger for participating in the armed robbery of Bill Bacon's drays near Forbes. Hall was identified as having been in the company of Gardiner during the robbery, and two other men, names unknown. The charge was dismissed when one of the Crown witnesses changed his testimony. Shortly afterwards, on 15 June 1862, Gardiner led a gang of eight men, including Hall, in robbing the gold escort coach near Eugowra, New South Wales (at what is now known as Escort Rock), of banknotes and 2700 ounces of gold worth more than 14,000 pounds. Hall and several others were arrested in July, but once again the police were unable to gain enough evidence to formally charge him. He was released about the end of August. However, he and his partner at Sandy Creek faced mounting legal costs and were forced to transfer the lease of the property to John Wilson, a Forbes publican. Estranged from his wife and young son, and with the property gone, Hall for several months drifted around the Weddin-Wheogo area, associating with numerous undesirable characters including
John O'Meally John O'Meally (June 1840 – 19 November 1863), known informally as 'Jack' O'Meally, was an Australia bushranger. He was recruited to join the Gardiner–Hall gang to carry out the Escort Rock, gold escort robbery near Eugowra in June 1862, ...
,
Johnny Gilbert John Lewis Gilbert III (born July 13, 1928) is an American show business personality who has worked mainly on television game shows. Originally a nightclub singer and entertainer, he has hosted and announced a number of game shows from variou ...
, and Patsy Daley. After several confrontations with the police, culminating in Pottinger's decision to burn down Hall's hut at Sandy Creek, Hall gradually drifted into a life of crime. In one instance, Hall and his gang bailed up Robinson's Hotel in Canowindra, New South Wales. All travellers and the townspeople were required to remain at the hotel, but they were not mistreated and were provided with food and entertainment. The local policeman was subjected to some humiliation by being locked in his own cell. When the hostages were set free, the gang insisted on paying the hotelier and giving the townspeople "expenses". Their aim was to emphasise that the gang could act with impunity and to belittle the police. In this they were spectacularly successful. Shortly afterwards, the gang raided the town of Bathurst followed a few days later by another takeover of Canowindra, this time for three days. Their cavalier activities were soon brought to a sudden halt however, when Micky Burke was killed at Dunns Plains,
John Vane Sir John Robert Vane (29 March 1927 – 19 November 2004) was a British pharmacologist who was instrumental in the understanding of how aspirin produces pain-relief and anti-inflammatory effects and his work led to new treatments for heart ...
surrendered to the police and O'Meally was shot dead in an attack on Goimbla station, near Eugowra. The gang of five had been reduced to just two – Hall and Gilbert. During 1864 Hall continued his life on the roads with various companions, including Gilbert, Dunleavy and the Old Man, James Gordon. Finally the gang consisted of Hall, Gilbert and John Dunn. In November 1864, during the robbery of a mail coach at Black Springs Creek near Jugiong, John Gilbert shot and killed Sgt. Parry. Then in January 1865, Constable Nelson was shot and killed by John Dunn when the gang raided a hotel in Collector (now the Bushranger Hotel). Finally, in early 1865, the authorities finally undertook legislation to bring an end to the careers of the three. The Felons Apprehension Act was pushed through the Parliament of New South Wales for the specific purpose of declaring Hall and his comrades outlaws, meaning that they would be "outside the law" and could be killed by anyone at any time without warning. From 1863 to 1865, over 100 robberies are attributed to Hall and his various associates, making them some of the most prolific bushrangers in the period of bushranging in the colony. These included the holding up of several villages, dozens of mail coach robberies and the regular theft of prized racehorses. In May 1865, Hall and the others realised that to survive they would have to leave New South Wales. They first retreated to an isolated area on the Goobang Creek, northwest of Forbes, intending to gather fresh horses and provisions for a long journey northwards. Their whereabouts were reported to the police by 'Goobang Mick' Coneley, a man who had earlier promised to give the gang assistance and protection. In late April, Hall temporarily separated from his companions, intending to meet them again a few days later at the Goobang Creek. But this time there were police waiting, hidden in the bush. At dawn on 5 May, Hall was ambushed by eight well-armed policemen who shot him at least thirty times as he attempted to run away. He fell and, as he held himself up by a sapling, cried, "I am wounded; shoot me dead." He died seconds later.


Legacy


Memorials

Hall's body was taken back to Forbes where an inquest was held by the police magistrate. He was buried in the Forbes cemetery on Sunday 7 May 1865. A headstone was erected in the 1920s. On 5 May 1957, the Forbes Historical Society dedicated a plaque at Goobang Creek, where Hall had been shot. There is a cave in an isolated section of the Weddin Range, near Grenfell, that is known as Ben Hall's Cave. A memorial called Ben Hall's Wall is located in Breeza, south of Gunnedah, New South Wales. Ben Halls Gap is a small section of State Forest named after the bushranger's father, and is located south of Nundle, New South Wales. There is a plaque on the roadside, close to Escort Rock, where Frank Gardiner's gang (including Hall), robbed the gold escort on 15 June 1862. The plaque was erected to mark the centenary of the robbery. There is a historical marker, on the old mountain road between Araluen and Majors Creek, where Hall and his gang made a surprise attack, while attempting to rob the Araluen gold escort on 13 March 1865, during which Constable John Kelly was seriously wounded. The driver, John Blatchford, was slightly wounded, but was able to run downhill toward Araluen, to summon assistance. The gold was fearlessly defended by Constable Daniel Byrne. The other two police—Stayplton and Mac Ellicott—dismounted and outflanked the bushrangers, who then escaped empty-handed. The
wagonette A wagonette or waggonette, meaning ''little wagon'', is a four-wheeled open carriage drawn by one or two horses. It has a front seat for the driver, and passengers enter from the rear and sit face to face on longitudinal bench seats. Originating a ...
that was carrying the gold is preserved in the Braidwood Museum.


Heritage listings

A number of sites associated with Ben Hall are now heritage-listed, including: * Escort Rock at Eugowra, where Frank Gardiner's gang (including Ben Hall) robbed a gold escort on 15 June 1862 * Cliefden in Mandurama, which Ben Hall and his gang raided on 26 September 1863 * Wandi in Marulan where Ben Hall attacked Member of Parliament William Macleay on 19 December 1864 * Bushranger Hotel in Collector where John Dunn killed Constable Nelson on 26 January 1865 * Ben Hall's Death Site at Billabong Creek,
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where he died on 5 May 1865 * Grave of Ben Hall in Forbes Cemetery where he was buried on 7 May 1865


In popular culture


Poetry

The well-known 'Death of Ben Hall' ballad was written by Scottish-Australian bush poet Will H. Ogilvie (1869–1963), as well as penning ''Ben Hall's stirrup irons''.


Music

A number of folk songs recount Hall's life and exploits. The most notable is " Streets of Forbes" (
Roud The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of around 250,000 references to nearly 25,000 songs collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world. It is compiled by Steve Roud. Roud's Index is a combination of the Broadsid ...
# 20764), which has been recorded by numerous singers and groups. Others include "The Ballad of Ben Hall's Gang", "The Death of Ben Hall", "The Ghost of Ben Hall" and "Land of Fortune".


Film and television

* '' A Tale of the Australian Bush'', also known as ''Ben Hall, the Notorious Bushranger'' (1911), silent film * '' Ben Hall and His Gang'' (1911), silent film * '' Bushranger's Ransom, or A Ride for Life'' (1911), silent film * '' Ben Hall'' (1975), television series (starring
Jon Finch John Nicholas Finch (2 March 1942 – 28 December 2012) was an English stage and film actor who became well known for his Shakespearean roles. Most notably, he starred in films for directors Roman Polanski (''Macbeth'', 1971) and Alfred Hitchc ...
as Ben Hall) * ''
The Legend of Ben Hall ''The Legend of Ben Hall'' is a 2016 Australian bushranger film. Written and directed by Matthew Holmes, it is based on the exploits of bushranger Ben Hall and his gang. The film stars Jack Martin in the title role, Jamie Coffa as John Gilb ...
'' (2016), feature film (starring Jack Martin as Ben Hall)


Plays

*'' Hands Up'' (1893) *'' The King of the Road'' (1900) *''
Ransom Ransom refers to the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release. It also refers to the sum of money paid by the other party to secure a captive's freedom. When ransom means "payment", the word ...
'' (1907)


Novels

*'' Ben Hall the Bushranger'' (1947) by Frank Clune


Radio

*'' Outlawry Under the Gums'' (1933) *''A Notorious Bushranger'' (1951) - radio feature *'' The Hot and Copper Sky'' (1962)


Graphic novel

''Bold Ben Hall'' written and illustrated by Australian graphic artist Monty Wedd was originally published as a weekly comic feature in Australian Sunday newspapers over a period of seven and a half years from 1977. In 2018, Comicoz published Wedd’s collected episodes in book format, reproduced from the original artwork. The book also includes a history of the comic strip written by Nat Karmichael.


See also

* Gardiner–Hall gang


References


Books


Non-fiction

* * * * *


Fiction

* *


External links


Selected extracts from historical research by Peter Bradley

Application to exhume Ben Hall's grave


* ttps://www.nma.gov.au/exhibitions/not-just-ned/bushrangers Irish bushrangers exhibition at the National Museum of Australia
Pictures of where Ben Hall was shot, his grave, and statue

Ben Hall, Australian Bushranger by Geoff Barker (State Library of New South Wales)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Ben Ben Hall (bushranger) 1837 births 1865 deaths Colony of New South Wales people Australian stockmen Criminals from New South Wales Deaths by firearm in New South Wales People from Maitland, New South Wales People shot dead by law enforcement officers in Australia Australian outlaws 19th-century Australian businesspeople