Who was Ned Kelly?

Ned Kelly (c1854-80) has acquired legendary status as the last and most controversial Victorian bushranger. Born at Beveridge Victoria, Kelly was first charged and then acquitted of assault and robbery when he was 14. Over the next ten years, Kelly was in and out of trouble with the police, did two stints in jail and eventually went into hiding in the Wombat Ranges with his brother Dan and friends, Joe Byrne and Steve Hart.

In late October 1878, Kelly and his gang ambushed a police camp at Stringybark Creek killing three police officers in the ensuing gunfight. The gang were officially outlawed as a result of this massacre, which meant that they could be shot on sight by anyone. The gang carried out two major robberies in late 1878 at Euroa and in early 1879 at Jerilderie.

Making the armour

The armour was put together in the year before the Glenrowan raid when the gang were in hiding following their raid on the town of Jerilderie. The prototype for the armour was made for Ned and was tested by firing a stolen police rifle which left a dent on the breastplate.

The siege of Glenrowan

From 26 to 28 June 1880, the Kelly Gang emerged from hiding, shot a police informer and held the townspeople of Glenrowan hostage in Anne Jones' hotel. The Victorian Police converged on the hotel and a gun battle ensued. Joe Byrne was killed in the crossfire and fellow gang members, Dan Kelly and Steve Hart, were found dead as the hotel burned. Ned was eventually wounded and captured after a shootout with the police.

What happened to the armour?

The sets of armour removed from the Kelly Gang were recorded on the spot. These sets were then taken to various locations around the state by the police. The armour was subsequently dispersed even further, with some pieces finding their way into private hands and others into the collections of institutions. A number of pieces were wrongly identified and, until recently, there was confusion and disagreement about the components of particular sets of armour.