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The Brown Hare Creative

Uncover More of the Past

Expand your knowledge of Francis Hare's life and times. These recommended titles provide  further historical context on the social climate of 19th-century Victoria and the complex legacy of the Kelly Gang, serving as a guide for further discovery.

Suggested Books and Primary Sources

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The Jerilderie Letter by Ned Kelly

A foundational primary source capturing the perspective, grievances, attributed to Ned Kelly. 

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Lloyd, N. (2020)  Policing in the Greta District 1850–1903. Presented at Ned and the Law, Greta Hansonville Hall, Greta, Victoria, 22 February.

 Noeleen Lloyd  is the great granddaughter of Thomas Lloyd Junior, often regarded as the 5th member of the Kelly Gang, whose mother was part of the Quinn family. She is also the great grand-niece of Kelly Gang member Steve Hart. Noeleen is a local and family historian and founding member of the Greta Heritage Group.

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Kellyland, Glenrowan, Victoria.

A tourist stop over for visitors to the site of the Kelly Gang siege. Director Jess Sanderson has an impressive collection of original artifacts, supported by a show giving the visitor an opportunity to experience the events surrounding the siege.  

  • For those seeking greater understanding of the Police during the Kelly era. Key eyewitness accounts include Francis Augustus Hare’s 1892 narrative, 'The Last of the Bushrangers,' and John Sadleir’s personal reflections in 'Recollections of a Victorian Police Officer' (1913). Official records provides vital procedural context, specifically the 1881 Royal Commission on the Police Force of Victoria and the subsequent Board of Inquiry into the distribution of rewards. 
  • The Diaries of John Buckley Castieau (2004 ed.) . Melbourne: Australian Scholarly Publishing, are invaluable for understanding colonial administration and Melbourne society during Hare's era. 
  • Modern historiography is represented by Robert Haldane’s 'The People's Force' (1986), which chronicles the evolution of law enforcement, and , local insights from newer scholarship, such as Noeleen Lloyd’s 2020 study on policing in the Greta District, bridge the gap between Victorian-era reports and contemporary analysis. These texts together frame the socio-political tensions of the time, from the internal diaries of prison governors to the public journalism found in 'The Leader,' (1891-1892) a series of articles by Hare - later published as The Last of the Bushrangers.creating a comprehensive bibliography for the dedicated historian.

Deeper Reading

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