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Ben Hall (bushranger)

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Ben Hall
BornTemplate:Birth date
Maitland, New South Wales, Australia
DiedMay 5, 1865(1865-05-05) (aged 27)
Goobang Creek, New South Wales, Australia
OccupationBushranger
Known forMember of the Gardiner–Hall gang; Australian bushranger

Ben Hall (9 May 1837 – 5 May 1865) was a prominent Australian bushranger and a principal figure within the Gardiner–Hall gang. His criminal exploits spanned across New South Wales, covering areas from Bathurst to Forbes, extending southward to Gundagai and eastward to Goulburn. Unlike many of his peers, Hall was not directly implicated in any killings, although some of his associates were involved in violent acts.[1] In May 1865, he was fatally shot by police at Goobang Creek under contentious circumstances connected to the Felons Apprehension Act 1865, which had yet to be enacted, sparking legal debate.[2]

Hall has become an enduring figure in Australian folklore, serving as inspiration for bush ballads, literary works, and visual media adaptations such as the 1975 television series Ben Hall and the 2016 motion picture The Legend of Ben Hall.

Early life

Born on 9 May 1837 in Maitland, New South Wales,[3] Ben Hall was the fourth offspring of convicts Benjamin Sr. and Eliza, who met during their transportation and married in 1834. Benjamin Sr. held positions as an overseer and butcher near Murrurundi before relocating his family around 1850 to the Lachlan River region.[1]

During his formative years, Ben Jr. acquired expertise in stock handling and bush survival techniques. In 1856, he wed Bridget Walsh at Bathurst,[4] whose family maintained ties with notable figures such as Frank Gardiner. The couple had a son named Henry in 1859.[5] Around 1859–60, Hall partnered with John Maguire to lease the 10,000-acre "Sandy Creek" property located south of Forbes.

Bushranger

In the summer spanning 1861–62, Hall’s wife Bridget departed with their son to reside with a police officer, distancing herself from Hall. Subsequently, Hall allied with the infamous bushranger Frank Christie, also known as Gardiner. In April 1862, Inspector Sir Frederick Pottinger apprehended Hall for suspected involvement in an armed robbery targeting Bill Bacon's drays near Forbes; however, he was released after a pivotal witness altered their statement.

On 15 June 1862, Gardiner led a gang including Hall in an audacious robbery of a gold escort coach near Eugowra, New South Wales (currently recognized as Escort Rock), seizing banknotes and approximately 2700 ounces of gold valued at over £14,000. Although arrested in July, insufficient evidence prevented formal charges against Hall, leading to his release by August. The financial burden compelled him to relinquish his Sandy Creek lease to John Wilson, a publican from Forbes.

Estranged from his family and deprived of his property, Hall wandered through the Weddin-Wheogo region, associating with notorious figures such as John O'Meally, Johnny Gilbert, and Patsy Daley. Following several clashes with law enforcement—including Pottinger’s destruction of Hall’s hut by fire—Hall increasingly engaged in criminal endeavors.

Hall’s gang famously took control of Robinson's Hotel in Canowindra, New South Wales, detaining travellers and local residents but refraining from mistreatment; they provided food and entertainment during their occupation. They embarrassed the local constable by confining him to his own cell and compensated both the hotel owner and townsfolk for their "expenses," demonstrating their dominance while undermining police authority. After conducting raids on Bathurst and holding Canowindra for three days, their operations dwindled following the death of Micky Burke at Dunns Plains, John Vane’s surrender, and O'Meally’s fatal shooting near Eugowra. This left only Hall and Gilbert remaining.

In 1864, Hall continued his activities alongside associates including Gilbert, Dunleavy, James Gordon ("the Old Man"), and later John Dunn. During a mail coach robbery near Jugiong in November 1864, John Gilbert killed Sergeant Parry. In January 1865, John Dunn fatally shot Constable Nelson during an assault on a hotel at Collector. In response, the New South Wales Parliament enacted the Felons Apprehension Act, legally designating Hall and his companions as outlaws who could be lawfully killed without prior warning.

Between 1863 and 1865, more than one hundred robberies were attributed to Hall’s gang; these included numerous village hold-ups, mail coach robberies, and repeated thefts of valuable racehorses.

By May 1865, under mounting pressure from authorities, Hall’s gang withdrew to a remote location along Goobang Creek northwest of Forbes to assemble horses and supplies for an escape northward. Their position was betrayed by 'Goobang Mick' Coneley. At dawn on 5 May, eight heavily armed policemen ambushed Hall; he was shot multiple times—at least thirty rounds—as he attempted to flee and died shortly after asking them to "shoot me dead."

Memorials

Following his death, Hall's remains were brought back to Forbes for a police magistrate's inquest and subsequently interred at Forbes cemetery on 7 May 1865. A gravestone was installed during the 1920s.

On 5 May 1957, the Forbes Historical Society unveiled a commemorative plaque at Goobang Creek, the location where Hall was fatally shot. Various sites honor his memory, including Ben Hall's Cave, situated in a remote area of the Weddin Range near Grenfell, and the Ben Hall's Wall memorial found in Breeza, south of Gunnedah. Additionally, Ben Halls Gap—a segment of State Forest south of Nundle, New South Wales—is named in tribute to his father.

A plaque near Escort Rock marks the 100th anniversary of the gold escort robbery carried out by Frank Gardiner's gang, which included Hall, on 15 June 1862.

Another historical marker stands on the former mountain road connecting Araluen and Majors Creek, commemorating Hall’s unsuccessful attempt to rob a gold escort on 13 March 1865. During this incident, Constable John Kelly sustained serious injuries while Constable Daniel Byrne protected the gold shipment. The wagonette that transported the gold is preserved at the Braidwood Museum.

Heritage listings

Several locations associated with Ben Hall have been granted heritage status, including:

Poetry

The celebrated ballad Death of Ben Hall was composed by Scottish-Australian bush poet Will H. Ogilvie (1869–1963), who also authored Ben Hall's stirrup irons.

Music

Numerous folk songs narrate episodes from Hall’s life, most notably "Streets of Forbes" (Roud #20764), which has been recorded by many artists. Other notable titles 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

Plays

Novels

Radio

Graphic novel

The graphic novel Bold Ben Hall, both written and illustrated by Australian artist Monty Wedd, was serialized as a weekly comic strip in Australian Sunday newspapers for over seven years starting in 1977. In 2018, Comicoz published a collected edition that faithfully reproduced the original artwork and included a historical overview of the series by Nat Karmichael.

See also

Non-fiction

  • Bradley, Peter. The Judas covenant: the betrayal and death of Ben Hall. Yellow Box Books, Sydney, 2006.
  • Bradley, Peter. Ben Hall: Stories from the Hard Road. Yellow Box Books, Pymble, 2012.
  • McLellan, A. A. Benjamin Hall and family. A.A. McLellan, Quirindi, N.S.W., 1989.
  • Penzig, Edgar F. Ben Hall: the definitive illustrated history. Tranter Enterprises, Katoomba, N.S.W., 1996.
  • Smith, Jane Margaret. Ben Hall. Big Sky Publishing, Newport, N.S.W., 2014.

Fiction

External links

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named BenHall
  2. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named 2007NewInquest
  3. ↑ McLellan LL, Benjamin Hall and Family, 1982
  4. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named BDM
  5. ↑ The Maitland Mercury & Hunter River General Advertiser, 18 May 1865
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