Kate Kelly
Encyclopedia
Kate Kelly (12 July 1863 - October 1898) was the sister of famous outlaw Ned Kelly
.
, Australia, on 12 July 1863 to parents John and Ellen Kelly (née Quinn), their seventh child. The family moved to Avenel
soon after her birth, where another child, Grace, was born. John Kelly died of dropsy
when Kate was four years old. Ellen Kelly then moved the family to her sister's house at Greta
. One year later, the family moved once again, to a two-room hut on their own land at nearby Eleven Mile Creek. Kate helped her mother bring up the family, which included three more children by Ellen's second husband George King.
Kate attracted the attention of Alexander Fitzpatrick, a young police constable with a history of womanising. On 15 April 1878 Fitzpatrick, whilst drunk, paid a visit to the Kelly household, claiming he had a warrant for the arrest of Dan Kelly for horse stealing. He made some kind of pass at Kate, resulting in her family coming to her assistance. Exactly what this assistance constituted is unknown, and a point of debate amongst historians.
Fitzpatrick returned to Benalla
Police Station claiming that Ellen Kelly had struck him with a fire shovel, Dan Kelly had beaten him, and Ned Kelly had attempted to shoot him. William Williamson and William Skillion, neighbours of the Kellys, were also accused of violence. Ellen Kelly received a long sentence for her alleged crime, based purely on Fitzpatrick's claims. Ned and Dan Kelly fled into the Wombat Ranges to avoid gaol. On the 25 October 1878, at Stringybark Creek, they encountered four police officers who had been sent to arrest them. Three of the officers were killed. Ned, Dan, Joe Byrne
and Steve Hart
now turned to bank robbery.
With their mother in prison and their brothers on the run, Kate Kelly and her sister Margaret looked after the younger children. Kate also acted as a decoy on horseback, leading the police astray when they tried to locate her brothers. She supplied the Kelly Gang with food, ammunition, and information. The folk song "Ye Sons of Australia" includes a passage about Kate's role in the Kelly Gang http://scs.une.edu.au/Bushrangers/songs.htm;
Kate Kelly is mentioned again later in the song, taking a role in the siege at Glenrowan
;
"Wild West Show", and then in Adelaide
under the names Ada Hennessey and Kate Ambrose. She eventually ceased performing due to ill health. She worked briefly as a barmaid at Hill Scott's Hotel in southern Adelaide
, before her waning health forced her to return home. She worked as a domestic servant in Wangaratta
, and a housemaid in Lanceby, followed by a series of domestic service jobs around the area.
On 25 November 1888 she married William Henry Foster, a respected blacksmith, and settled down in the town of Forbes
. The couple had six children, though three died in infancy.
On 6 October 1898 Kate was reported missing. Her drowned body was found eight days later in a lagoon on Condobolin Road near Forbes
. It is believed she drowned in Lake Forbes, a small pond situated in the middle of Forbes, while saving an Aboriginal child that was in trouble during a flood of the lake. She was buried in Forbes Cemetery, aged 36.
in the town on Myrrhee and died in World War I. Gertrude married Arthur Cavanagh, a building contractor. They settled in Wangaratta
and looked after Ellen Kelly in her dotage. Ethel married Albert Hibbert, and also looked after Ellen Kelly.
The revolver was described as a .32 Henckell & Co., carrying the markings of the Royal Constabulary in the form of R*C marked on the right hand side of the frame. It was exhibited at the State Library of NSW prior to a proposed auction to be held on the 5 November 2006, where it was estimated to fetch $400-450,000AU. However, it was unexpectedly withdrawn from sale just prior to the auction. Mr Thompson explained that he wanted to have the gun authenticated by having it scanned under ultraviolet and infra-red light.
It reappeared for sale by Thompson through Melbourne auction house Mossgreen Auctions in November 2007. In the days leading up to the auction, the item received considerable press coverage, with Mossgreen director Paul Sumner describing the revolver's discovery as "a rare and exciting find". "In America, it would be equivalent to finding Jesse James' gun," he said. The revolver was auctioned on Tuesday, 13 November 2007, where it sold to an absentee bidder for $72,870AU.
The following day, controversy began to surround the sale when several antique firearm experts claimed to have informed Mossgreen director Paul Sumner prior to the Tuesday night auction that the revolver was incorrectly described, and dated too late to have been associated with Constable Fitzpatrick or the Kelly Gang during the years 1878-80. One expert explained that Henckell & Co., Solingen, was most likely the name of the German retailer who had sold the firearm, and not the actual manufacturer. The alleged Royal Constabulary markings of R*C had also been misread, it was claimed. The full marking depicted a crown over R*C all stamped in a vertical line. A crown over R was a common Belgian proof mark, R standing for rayé - the French term to indicate the barrel was rifled.
It was further suggested that the revolver was in fact a Belgian imitation of the highly popular British Webley
"Bulldog" revolver, of which numerous imitations were made in Belgium and America in the years following the model's introduction in 1879. They were initially produced in .450, .442 and .380 calibres, however in July 1884 the smallest calibre version appeared listed in the Army and Navy Stores catalogue produced in .32 calibre. The photograph of the gun in the auction catalogue clearly shows the numerals "32" inscribed on the gun's left hand side just in front of the chamber. It was argued that, as a Belgian copy of the Webley, the earliest date of manufacture for the purported Kate Kelly gun would be late 1884 onwards: four years after Ned Kelly's execution, and six years after the Fitzpatrick Incident. This claim did not however refute the possibility that the revolver had belonged to Kate Kelly in later life.
Three days after the auction, on Friday, 16 November 2007, Age journalist Carolyn Webb noted that "since the auction, neither the auctioneer, Paul Sumner, nor the vendor's agent, Tom Thompson, has been able to provide documentary proof of the discovery." Mossgreen reacted by announcing they would launch an inquiry into the provenance of the revolver. Sumner stated that Mossgreen "will do its due diligence to protect the buyer, and we would immediately cancel a sale and refund purchase price if the sworn provenance was proven incorrect".
Thompson suggested that the Age article raising questions about the item's provenance was "aimed at tainting the sale of the item for the sake of making a good yarn". However by Friday, 16 November 2007, it had been established that a source Thompson had cited as "a researcher for Victorian Police" to support his claims of the gun's provenance was an amateur historian from Yass, New South Wales
, who had never been a researcher for the Victorian police.
Ned Kelly
Edward "Ned" Kelly was an Irish Australian bushranger. He is considered by some to be merely a cold-blooded cop killer — others, however, consider him to be a folk hero and symbol of Irish Australian resistance against the Anglo-Australian ruling class.Kelly was born in Victoria to an Irish...
.
Early life
Kate Kelly was born in Beveridge, VictoriaBeveridge, Victoria
Beveridge is a town in Victoria, Australia, located along the Hume Highway, 42 kilometres north of Melbourne in the Shire of Mitchell. A western rural portion of the locality is within the City of Whittlesea in Greater Melbourne...
, Australia, on 12 July 1863 to parents John and Ellen Kelly (née Quinn), their seventh child. The family moved to Avenel
Avenel, Victoria
Avenel is a small town in Victoria, Australia. It is in the Shire of Strathbogie local government area. At the 2006 census, Avenel had a population of 728, up from 552 in the 2001 Census.-History:...
soon after her birth, where another child, Grace, was born. John Kelly died of dropsy
Edema
Edema or oedema ; both words from the Greek , oídēma "swelling"), formerly known as dropsy or hydropsy, is an abnormal accumulation of fluid beneath the skin or in one or more cavities of the body that produces swelling...
when Kate was four years old. Ellen Kelly then moved the family to her sister's house at Greta
Greta, Victoria
Greta is a district in Victoria, Australia, located east of Benalla, in the Rural City of Wangaratta. At the 2006 census, Greta and the surrounding area had a population of 231.-History:...
. One year later, the family moved once again, to a two-room hut on their own land at nearby Eleven Mile Creek. Kate helped her mother bring up the family, which included three more children by Ellen's second husband George King.
The Fitzpatrick incident
The Kellys had already had a long history of trouble with the police when the Fitzpatrick incident occurred.Kate attracted the attention of Alexander Fitzpatrick, a young police constable with a history of womanising. On 15 April 1878 Fitzpatrick, whilst drunk, paid a visit to the Kelly household, claiming he had a warrant for the arrest of Dan Kelly for horse stealing. He made some kind of pass at Kate, resulting in her family coming to her assistance. Exactly what this assistance constituted is unknown, and a point of debate amongst historians.
Fitzpatrick returned to Benalla
Benalla, Victoria
Benalla is a city of just over 9,000 people located just off the Hume Freeway in north-eastern Victoria, Australia, about southwest of Wangaratta. Its Local Government Area is the Rural City of Benalla.- Overview :...
Police Station claiming that Ellen Kelly had struck him with a fire shovel, Dan Kelly had beaten him, and Ned Kelly had attempted to shoot him. William Williamson and William Skillion, neighbours of the Kellys, were also accused of violence. Ellen Kelly received a long sentence for her alleged crime, based purely on Fitzpatrick's claims. Ned and Dan Kelly fled into the Wombat Ranges to avoid gaol. On the 25 October 1878, at Stringybark Creek, they encountered four police officers who had been sent to arrest them. Three of the officers were killed. Ned, Dan, Joe Byrne
Joe Byrne
Joe Byrne was an Australian bushranger born in Victoria to an Irish immigrant. A friend of Ned Kelly, he was a member of the Kelly Gang, who were declared outlaws after the murder of three policemen at Stringybark Creek...
and Steve Hart
Steve Hart
Steve Hart was an Australian bushranger renowned for his membership in the Kelly Gang.-History:Hart was born in Wangaratta to Irish immigrant parents Richard and Bridget Hart...
now turned to bank robbery.
With their mother in prison and their brothers on the run, Kate Kelly and her sister Margaret looked after the younger children. Kate also acted as a decoy on horseback, leading the police astray when they tried to locate her brothers. She supplied the Kelly Gang with food, ammunition, and information. The folk song "Ye Sons of Australia" includes a passage about Kate's role in the Kelly Gang http://scs.une.edu.au/Bushrangers/songs.htm;
-
- The daring Kate Kelly how noble her mien
- As she sat on her horse like an Amazon queen,
- She rode through the forest revolver at hand
- Regardless of danger, who dare bid her stand.
Kate Kelly is mentioned again later in the song, taking a role in the siege at Glenrowan
Glenrowan, Victoria
Glenrowan is a small town located in the Wangaratta Local Government Area of Victoria, Australia. It is 184 kilometres north-east of Melbourne and 14 kilometres from Wangaratta and located near the Warby Ranges and Mount Glenrowan...
;
-
- The daring Kate Kelly came forth from the crowd
- And on her poor brother she called out aloud,
- "Come forth my dear brother, and fight while you can"
- But a ball had just taken the life of poor Dan
Ned Kelly's capture
Following Ned's arrest, Kate would often attempt to visit him in prison, as well as raising money for legal fees. She joined the Society for the Abolition of Capital Punishment, which campaigned for Ned's death sentence to be changed. Despite Kate pleading on her knees in front of the Governor, His Excellency the Marquis of Normanby, Ned was hanged on 11 November 1880.Life after Ned
Following Ned's hanging, Kate disappeared from Victoria. She was spotted performing as "Ada" in a SydneySydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
"Wild West Show", and then in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
under the names Ada Hennessey and Kate Ambrose. She eventually ceased performing due to ill health. She worked briefly as a barmaid at Hill Scott's Hotel in southern Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, before her waning health forced her to return home. She worked as a domestic servant in Wangaratta
Wangaratta, Victoria
Wangaratta is a cathedral city of almost 17,000 people in the northeast of Victoria, Australia, about from Melbourne along the Hume Highway, with Benalla to the southwest, and Albury-Wodonga to the northeast. It is located at the junction of the Ovens and King rivers which flow from the...
, and a housemaid in Lanceby, followed by a series of domestic service jobs around the area.
On 25 November 1888 she married William Henry Foster, a respected blacksmith, and settled down in the town of Forbes
Forbes, New South Wales
-Notable residents:*Carolyn Simpson - Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales; Member of the first all-female bench to sit in an Australian court*NSW Deputy Premier Carmel Tebbutt was born and raised in Forbes....
. The couple had six children, though three died in infancy.
On 6 October 1898 Kate was reported missing. Her drowned body was found eight days later in a lagoon on Condobolin Road near Forbes
Forbes, New South Wales
-Notable residents:*Carolyn Simpson - Judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales; Member of the first all-female bench to sit in an Australian court*NSW Deputy Premier Carmel Tebbutt was born and raised in Forbes....
. It is believed she drowned in Lake Forbes, a small pond situated in the middle of Forbes, while saving an Aboriginal child that was in trouble during a flood of the lake. She was buried in Forbes Cemetery, aged 36.
Descendants
Following her death, her three surviving children, Frederick Arthur, Gertrude Eileen Ada, and Ethel Maude, were taken to live with Ellen Kelly at Eleven Mile Creek. Frederick Arthur became a beekeeperBeekeeper
A beekeeper is a person who keeps honey bees for the purposes of securing commodities such as honey, beeswax, pollen, royal jelly; pollinating fruits and vegetables; raising queens and bees for sale to other farmers; and/or for purposes satisfying natural scientific curiosity...
in the town on Myrrhee and died in World War I. Gertrude married Arthur Cavanagh, a building contractor. They settled in Wangaratta
Wangaratta, Victoria
Wangaratta is a cathedral city of almost 17,000 people in the northeast of Victoria, Australia, about from Melbourne along the Hume Highway, with Benalla to the southwest, and Albury-Wodonga to the northeast. It is located at the junction of the Ovens and King rivers which flow from the...
and looked after Ellen Kelly in her dotage. Ethel married Albert Hibbert, and also looked after Ellen Kelly.
Kate Kelly in popular culture
- Kate is the main character in Jean BedfordJean BedfordJean Bedford is an English-born Australian writer who is best known for her crime fiction, but who has also written novels and short stories, as well as nonfiction. She is also an editor and journalist, and has taught creative writing in several universities for over 20 years.-Life:Bedford was...
's first novel, Sister Kate (1982). - In the 2003 film Ned KellyNed Kelly (2003 film)Ned Kelly is an Australian drama film directed by Gregor Jordan. The film portrays the life of Ned Kelly — a legendary bushranger in northeast Victoria. Ned Kelly, his brother Dan, and two other men — Steve Hart and Joe Byrne — formed a gang of Irish Australians in response to Irish and...
, Kate is played by Irish actor Kerry CondonKerry CondonKerry Condon is an Irish television and film actress.She was born in Thurles, County Tipperary, Ireland. Her roles include Victoria in Unleashed , and Kate Kelly in the 2003 film Ned Kelly...
. - The WhitlamsThe WhitlamsThe discography of The Whitlams consists of six studio albums, two live albums, one compilation album, and eighteen singles.-Studio albums:-Live albums:-Compilation albums:-Singles:-Videos:-Music videos:-Awards:...
' song "Kate Kelly" is about Kate Kelly http://lyrics.duble.com/lyrics/W/the-whitlams-lyrics/the-whitlams-kate-kelly-lyrics.htm.
Kate Kelly revolver
In October 2006, Sydney-based auctioneer Tom Thompson exhibited a revolver that he claimed had belonged to Kate Kelly. It was further stated that it was the very revolver with which Constable Alexander Fitzpatrick had entered the Kelly house on the night of 15 April 1878, and which was wrestled off him by Kate's brother, Ned. In the ensuing struggle, Fitzpatrick was shot through the wrist. The revolver was purported to have been found preserved in lard and wrapped in leather, concealed in a wall cavity of a house in Forbes, in central NSW, where Kate Kelly had lived between 1888 and 1898.The revolver was described as a .32 Henckell & Co., carrying the markings of the Royal Constabulary in the form of R*C marked on the right hand side of the frame. It was exhibited at the State Library of NSW prior to a proposed auction to be held on the 5 November 2006, where it was estimated to fetch $400-450,000AU. However, it was unexpectedly withdrawn from sale just prior to the auction. Mr Thompson explained that he wanted to have the gun authenticated by having it scanned under ultraviolet and infra-red light.
It reappeared for sale by Thompson through Melbourne auction house Mossgreen Auctions in November 2007. In the days leading up to the auction, the item received considerable press coverage, with Mossgreen director Paul Sumner describing the revolver's discovery as "a rare and exciting find". "In America, it would be equivalent to finding Jesse James' gun," he said. The revolver was auctioned on Tuesday, 13 November 2007, where it sold to an absentee bidder for $72,870AU.
The following day, controversy began to surround the sale when several antique firearm experts claimed to have informed Mossgreen director Paul Sumner prior to the Tuesday night auction that the revolver was incorrectly described, and dated too late to have been associated with Constable Fitzpatrick or the Kelly Gang during the years 1878-80. One expert explained that Henckell & Co., Solingen, was most likely the name of the German retailer who had sold the firearm, and not the actual manufacturer. The alleged Royal Constabulary markings of R*C had also been misread, it was claimed. The full marking depicted a crown over R*C all stamped in a vertical line. A crown over R was a common Belgian proof mark, R standing for rayé - the French term to indicate the barrel was rifled.
It was further suggested that the revolver was in fact a Belgian imitation of the highly popular British Webley
Webley
Webley Inc. is a company providing speech-driven unified communications solutions.Webley is privately held and headquartered in Bannockburn, IL....
"Bulldog" revolver, of which numerous imitations were made in Belgium and America in the years following the model's introduction in 1879. They were initially produced in .450, .442 and .380 calibres, however in July 1884 the smallest calibre version appeared listed in the Army and Navy Stores catalogue produced in .32 calibre. The photograph of the gun in the auction catalogue clearly shows the numerals "32" inscribed on the gun's left hand side just in front of the chamber. It was argued that, as a Belgian copy of the Webley, the earliest date of manufacture for the purported Kate Kelly gun would be late 1884 onwards: four years after Ned Kelly's execution, and six years after the Fitzpatrick Incident. This claim did not however refute the possibility that the revolver had belonged to Kate Kelly in later life.
Three days after the auction, on Friday, 16 November 2007, Age journalist Carolyn Webb noted that "since the auction, neither the auctioneer, Paul Sumner, nor the vendor's agent, Tom Thompson, has been able to provide documentary proof of the discovery." Mossgreen reacted by announcing they would launch an inquiry into the provenance of the revolver. Sumner stated that Mossgreen "will do its due diligence to protect the buyer, and we would immediately cancel a sale and refund purchase price if the sworn provenance was proven incorrect".
Thompson suggested that the Age article raising questions about the item's provenance was "aimed at tainting the sale of the item for the sake of making a good yarn". However by Friday, 16 November 2007, it had been established that a source Thompson had cited as "a researcher for Victorian Police" to support his claims of the gun's provenance was an amateur historian from Yass, New South Wales
Yass, New South Wales
Yass is a town in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia in Yass Valley Shire. The name appears to have been derived from an Aboriginal word, "Yarrh" , said to mean 'running water'....
, who had never been a researcher for the Victorian police.