John William Gilbert (1842 - 1865)

Biography

John Gilbert was an Australian Bushranger

John Gilbert was part of Ben Hall's Gang

John Gilbert was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada in 1842, the youngest son of seven children. His English parents, William James Gilbert and Eleanor Wilson Gilbert, had emigrated to Canada from London in 1830. Eleanor passed away and William remarried a Canadian woman of almost half his age, Eliza Cord. In 1852, following the news of the discovery of gold in Australia, the family decided to migrate. They arrived at Port Phillip Bay on the ship "Revenue".

Young John was only twelve, when he left home and worked as a stableman in Kilmore (Victoria). At eighteen, he found his way to the Kiandra Goldfields, Later, he worked as a stockman at Marengo in New South Wales. He joined up with the young men in the Weddin Mountains District who preferred stealing, gambling and fighting to hard work. At this time he fell under the influence of the bushranger who used the alias Frank Gardiner.

John was first named as an accomplice of Gardiner in 1862 when they and two others held up storekeeper Alfred Horsington, his wife, and two others. They stole £145 in cash, 253 ounces of gold and some other items. Just over a month later, John Gilbert was involved in another robbery. This time with Gardiner, a young squatter named Ben Hall, and another man named John Youngman. From then on John Gilbert was identified as being involved in several hold-ups including a carrier, William Bacon and his two drivers between Lambing Flat (Young) and Lachlan, Mr H Herbert's store at Little Spring Creek, and the store of Henry G. Chard.

Frank Gardiner enlisted the assistance of John Gilbert, Ben Hall, John O'Meally, Dan Charters, Henry Manns, Alexander Fordyce and Johnny Bow, to rob the Forbes gold escort at a place called Eugowra Rocks.

15 November 1864 the gang robbed the Gundagai Mail near Jugiong and Gilbert shot Sergeant Parry

27 December the gang rode into Binda, robbed Morris's store and attended a dance at the Flag Hotel. Morris's store was later burnt in revenge for his attempt to capture the bushrangers.

27 January at Collector when Constable Nelson was mortally wounded by Dunn, Gilbert took the dead policeman's gun-belt.

Between 2 February 1862 and 10 April 1865, Gilbert took part in at least forty-four armed holdups and robberies in New South Wales including the theft of five race-horses and eighteen other mounts. Gilbert and Dunn were proclaimed outlaws in April under the Felons Apprehension Act with £1000 on each of their heads. This meant they could be killed by anyone at anytime.

The police shot Ben Hall dead near Forbes on May 5, 1865. On May 13, 1865 [Gilbert] and Dunn went to hide at John Kelly's (Dunn's grandfather) house. Kelly told the police at Binalong where the two bushrangers were hiding so he could get the reward money. The police went to the house but Gilbert and Dunn climbed out a window and ran down to Billabong Creek to escape into the bush. Constable King was shot in the foot and Dunn was shot in the arm. Gilbert was shot dead when he stopped to shoot back at Constable John Bright. After an inquest to record how he died, he was buried at Binalong in the field where the police kept their horses. The Government reward for the dead bushranger was divided up as follows

John Kelly the informer received £500,

Hales £150

Bright £130

King £120

Hall £100

At the time of his death John Gilbert had become Australia's worst criminal being involved in more than 630 hold-ups.

Death of John Gilbert (from the Sydney morning Herald

On Thursday night a horse was stolen out of a paddock at Murrumburrah, of which no particulars could be ascertained till about eleven o’clock on Friday morning, when a man named Furlonge, who was travelling with sheep, stated that he had been visited by Gilbert and Dunn, who rounded up his horses and took a favourite animal, leaving in its stead the one taken from Murrumburrah. On Friday night the bushrangers camped at Rieley’s hill, two miles from Binalong, some one having seen them there apparently fast asleep. When the police received their information they went to a farmer’s hut, in which a man named Kelly resided, who is the grandfather of Dunn. The police watched all night, but they saw no indication of the bushrangers, and left in the morning, being hopeless of success. Fresh news, however, reached them between eight and nine o’clock on Saturday morning, which induced a fresh start to Kelly’s. When the party arrived there, they watched for about an hour, when Kelly came out of the hut and walked up and down in front of the door; and afterwards his wife came out.

A little which after Kelly’s youngest son, Thomas, made his appearance, and was beckoned by Constable Hales, who inquired whether there was any one besides his parents in the hut, to which the boy replied that no strangers had been in the house during the night. Hales, however, proceeded to the house, and burst open the door, when he was saluted by a volley from the two bushrangers. The fire was returned, and the police withdrew for a short distance, when almost immediately after Gilbert and Dunn were observed running through a paddock adjoining the hut. Constable Bright started in pursuit, and was followed by the three other troopers. Several shots were then exchanged on both sides, when the bushrangers again retreated, and Hales and Bright fired together, and Gilbert fell. The pursuit after Dunn was continued, but although several shots were fired at him none took effect; and he has since been heard of at Bogolong, ten miles from Binalong, having stuck up Mr. Jullian’s station yesterday, and whence he took a horse, saddle, and bridle.

Inquest in to the death of John Gilbert - The Argus, 20th May 1865.

The inquest on Gilbert’s body was held yesterday at Binalong. The evidence of Constables Hales, Bright, and King was taken as to the shooting of Gilbert. The body was identified by Messrs. Hewitt and and Barnes and Constable Bright - the latter knew him for five years, and Hewitt knew him when a storekeeper at Wombat. Barnes, who was stuck up by Hall and Gilbert, and kept two days in camp, had a good knowledge of Gilbert, and was able immediately to identify him. Dr. Campbell, from Yass, made a postmortem examination of the body, and found that a single bullet had entered the left part of the back, gone through the centre of the heart, and passed out through the left side, fracturing one rib. Dr. Campbell stated that death must have been immediate. After Gilbert was shot, constable King received a bullet received a bullet in the ankle from Dunn’s revolver. The revolver rifle taken from Mr. Davis has been recovered, Gilbert had possession of it, and he made several attempts to use it, but the rifle missed fire three times; three chambers were loaded, and one had been discharged. The following is the verdict : - ‘That the said John Gilbert came to his death by a gunshot wound inflicted on Saturday 13th May, 1865, near Binalong, In the said colony, by one of the constables in the police force of New South Wales, in the execution of their duty; and that they were justified in inflicting said wound which caused his death. The jury desire further to express their approval of the conduct of the constables, and in their opinion are deserving of great credit for the gallant manner in which they effected the capture of Gilbert

Sources

• Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVKJ-XBWP : 13 December 2015), John Gilbert, 1865; Burial, Binalong, , New South Wales, Australia, Lone Graves; citing record ID 51965978, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.

• "BillionGraves Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKDG-8Y76 : 25 April 2016), John Gilbert, died 13 May 1865; citing BillionGraves (http://www.billiongraves.com : 2012), Burial at John Gilbert - lone grave, Binalong, New South Wales, Australia.

• John Gilbert Australian Dictionary Biography
• John Gilbert Ned Kelly's World
• John Gilbert Wikipedia
• A Pictorial History of Bushrangers, 1966 Landsdowne Press, Melbourne. Paul Hamlyn revised edition 1970. H. Nunn, Bill Wannan and Tom Prior.