Are you curious to learn some weird and wonderful facts about Ned Kelly?
If so, excellent! You are in exactly the right place my friend…
It’s time to chat about Ned Kelly facts.
Let’s dive right in…
Facts about Ned Kelly
1 – Ned Kelly was born in 1854 and he was a bushranger and convicted outlaw who killed three policemen.
2 – In 1880, he was hanged for the murders of three police officers.
3 – He was the eldest child of eight kids born to John “Red” Kelly and Ellen Quinn.
4 – The period of time he lived in is known as the “Kelly Gang” era. His crimes included armed robbery, murder, and arson.
5 – Some of the things that made him famous were wearing metal armor, being a skilled horseman, and robbing banks with his gang.
More Facts about Ned Kelly
6 – Ned Kelly’s last words were “such is life.”
7 – Ned Kelly was executed at age 25 at Old Melbourne Gaol.
8 – Ned’s father, John “Red” Kelly, was one of three children fathered by Constable James Fitzpatrick with his convict mistress Mary Ann Callaghan. His mother came from a family of convicts who had settled at Seymour as free settlers.
9 – In 1870, the police found out that Ned had been stealing horses from settlers. This led to an incident where a policeman tried to arrest Ned but ended up being shot by one of his gang members (Ned’s brother) – this event was known as “the Stringybark Creek massacre.”
10 – He and his gang were eventually captured after they killed three policemen in cold blood. The police officer that arrested him, Constable Fitzpatrick, was wounded by Ned’s brother Joe and died from his injuries two days later.
More Facts about Ned Kelly
11 – He committed his first crime at the age of 14, when he stole a horse from a farmer. After being arrested for this crime, he escaped and became an outlaw. His gang robbed banks to get back money that was owed to them by certain people.
12 – Ned Kelly’s headgear is called a “chook” or “skull cap” and it made him more recognizable during robberies.
13 – His gang consisted of his younger brother Dan, Steve Hart and Joe Byrne. The members were Irish Catholic immigrants to Australia who had been persecuted by police and Protestant settlers because of their religion.
The gang robbed banks, stole cattle and horses, murdered three policemen, attempted to shoot dead another two policemen but they survived as well as committed other crimes such as arson. They became folk heroes for many Australians after being pursued by a large contingent of police led by Inspector Redfern.
14 – After being sentenced to death for those murders, Ned Kelly escaped jail with some other prisoners and became an outlaw wanted by police all over Australia
15 – On June 26th 1880, after a shootout at Glenrowan that left him wounded from gunshots to the head and chest, he was captured by members of the Victorian Police Force led by Sergeant Michael Kennedy who had tracked him down after months of pursuit across Victoria and into New South Wales.
More Facts About Ned Kelly
16 – The Kelly Gang’s robberies, murders, and arson attacks terrorized the community of Victoria for over two years.
17 – He was finally captured by police on October 5th 1880 while wearing his famous suit of armour that made him unrecognizable as himself – it took them three days to catch up with him again but eventually they did arrest him at Stringybark Creek near Benalla where they found horse shoes which matched those left behind at various crime scenes.
18 – When the Victorian Police started cracking down on bank robberies, Ned Kelly became a wanted man.
19 – He wore a suit of armor made out of metal plates that he stole from the town armoury. The armor weighed about 60 kilograms and gave him protection from bullets and swords.
20 – The police wanted to arrest the Kellys but they fled into bushland and set up camp, living off the land.
More Facts About Ned Kelly
21 – At one point during their run from the law, they robbed two banks at Euroa and Jerilderie.
22 – Ned Kelly is said to have stolen his first horse at age 12 in 1869. The police were suspicious of him for some time because they believed that he had been stealing sheep from farmers in the area.
23 – Ned Kelly’s father died when Ned was 12 shortly after spending six months in prison for stealing two pigs. This left Ned as the eldest male in the household.
24 – In 1880, Kelly robbed the Euroa bank for £2000 and fled to New South Wales with three accomplices.
25 – Ned’s family were Irish immigrants who had come to Australia for work, but found that they couldn’t afford housing and food.
