Ben Hall
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Ben Hall (9 May 1837 - 5 May 1865) was a noted Australian bushranger of the 19th century.
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[edit] Early life
Ben Hall was born on 9 May 1837, in Maitland (though some reports say Breeza), in the Hunter Valley of New South Wales. His parents were Benjamin Hall (b. Bristol 1802) and Eliza Somers (b. Dublin 1807), both convicted for minor stealing offences and transported to New South Wales. They married in 1834 and had numerous children; Ben junior was the third. After they received tickets of leave they moved to the Hunter Valley and Benjamin senior squatted on a small area of land in an isolated valley. Here Benjamin built a rough hut and began raising cattle and collecting any wild cattle and horses he could find in the hills. In 1842 he bought a small block of land near Murrurundi where he established a butcher shop. The family were hard working but there were numerous brushes with the law regarding the dubious ownership of cattle and horses.
About the end of 1850 Ben senior moved down to the Lachlan River area taking with him some of children Ben junior, William, Mary and stepson Thomas Wade. It appears that Ben junior never returned to Murrurundi although his father did in 1851. Young Ben worked on numerous cattle properties along the Lachlan and gained a reputation as a hard working and reliable stockman.[citation needed]
In 1856, at the age of 19, Hall married Bridget Walsh (1841 - 1923) at Bathurst[1]. One of Bridget's sisters was the mistress of Frank Gardiner; another sister married John Maguire. On 7 August, 1859, Ben and Biddy had a son, also named Benjamin. In 1860, Ben Hall and John Maguire jointly leased the "Sandy Creek" run of 10,000 acres (40 km²) about 50 km south of Forbes. Hall built a house, sheds and stockyards and established a stock of cattle which he sold at the Lambing Flat goldfield; this was where he met Frank Gardiner.
[edit] Bushranger
What happened next in his life remains shrouded in mystery, but circumstances and chance caused Ben Hall to turn from a successful grazier to an infamous bushranger. By early 1862, his marriage was in trouble and Biddy left to live with a man named Taylor.[citation needed] At this time there were many highwaymen operating around the area where Ben Hall lived and he would have known most of them. Robbery became almost a way of life for many young men. In April 1862, Ben was arrested on the orders of Police Inspector Sir Frederick Pottinger for participating in an armed robbery at a race meeting. He was later acquitted of the robbery due to a lack of evidence but when he returned to Sandy Creek, all his cattle and horses were gone.
He was soon involved with Frank Gardiner and on 15 June 1862, a gang of 10 led by Gardiner and including Hall robbed the gold escort coach near Eugowra Rocks of more than 14,000 pounds in gold and banknotes.
From then on Ben Hall seems to have abandoned his cattle property and taken to the roads full-time.
In one instance of his period of bushranging, Hall and his gang bailed up Robinson's Hotel in Canowindra and held all the people of the town captive for three days. The prisoners were allegedly not mistreated, and were provided with entertainment. The local policeman was subjected to some humiliation by being locked in his own cell. When the prisoners were set free the gang insisted on paying the hotelier and giving the townspeople “expenses”. The aim, which was achieved, was to make public the gang’s power and lampoon the police.[citation needed]
After the gang killed a police sergeant during a robbery at Collector, Hall along with Johnny Gilbert and John Dunn were declared outlaws. This put them outside the law and liable to be killed by anyone.
[edit] Death
By May 1865, Hall had decided to escape from New South Wales. However he was allegedly betrayed by a man known as Michael Coneley, who had previously given Hall assistance and protection. At dawn on 5 May 1865 Ben Hall was ambushed and shot by eight police who were armed with double-barrelled shotguns and .56 calibre Colt rifles. Coneley received a substantial reward for the betrayal of his friend and subsequently left the district to become a grazier and publican at Gobondry.[citation needed]
Ben Hall is buried at Forbes. A headstone was erected in the 1920s and his grave is well maintained.[2]
A memorial "Ben Halls Wall" is located in Breeza, south of Gunnedah, NSW. "Ben Halls Gap" is a small section of State Forest named in memory of the Bushranger, which is located near Nundle, NSW.
[edit] Folklore
- A number of folk songs celebrate Hall's life and exploits. The most notable is Streets of Forbes, which has been recorded by numerous singers and groups. Others include The Ballad of Ben Hall's Gang and The Death of Ben Hall.
- A possible reason for Ben Hall's position as a hero rather than a criminal, and his immortalization in history as a rebel against the government of the time cannot be understood easily. He has been seen as a "chivalrous champion of the people".[3]
[edit] External links
- Death certificate - New South Wales Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages
- Ben Hall Bushranger
- Famous Australians
 Crime in Australia |
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| Regional crime: | Timeline | Melbourne | Northern Territory | Western Australia | Sydney | |
| Australian law: | Courts | Criminal law | Law enforcement | |
| Australian people: | Bushrangers | Convicts | Criminals | Murderers | Prisoners | |
| Australian prisons: | ACT | NSW | NT | QLD | SA | TAS | VIC | WA | |
| International: | Crime by country | |
