Hi List, I have just been asked by someone with a new interest in the Kelly Gang, if it is known exactly where Ned Kelly's armour was made. This is not a matter that I have material on in my rather Kelly-bare shelves, so I am wondering if anyone can help me. He was wanting to know if it was at Glenrowan, or further away. There seems to be some suggestion it was more north-eastish.. Ta in advance Linda

Hi Linda, William Culph and his son Charles were named by Police as Kelly Sympathisers. Several later historians have named the Culph's as the blacksmiths who made the Kelly armour. Charles Culph and his father William and Pat Delaney are thought to have belted out the armour over a green log at their blacksmith shop at Greta. The Culph's are lateral lines on my tree. Another lateral line was that of David Smith - David used to own a property at Milawa, across the road from Brown Brothers Winery and he used to tell this story, " One morning we went out to the paddock to continue the ploughing and when we got to the plough with the horses, the mould boards of the plough were missing". It has long been assumed that these missing mould boards were the ones used to make Ned Kelly's armour. Hope this helps, Catherine

Can anyone tell me if and where Ned Kelly's siblings went to school? I am trying to trace the ancestry of Peter Robert Campbell, who it is rumoured (but not confirmed) went to the same school at the same time. Researching: Chicken (Rutherglen) Serberry (Chiltern) Campbell (Victoria/Cowra) Sharman Jugiong/Cowra Thanks Chris

Linda, the making of the armour involved huge secrecy, it was not just about the armour, but the greater plan of establishing a republic, free from British rule. There were many involved and the sites of the forges are still secret. Whilst there were blacksmiths involved like William Culph, there were many others, (it was a huge job) and due to the risk involved these people were protected. Many false stories were delberately started and allowed to spread. It has been thought that part of the armour was made on Tom Lloyd Snr's property on the far side of the "Bald Hill", being closer to Lurg and having the "Fifteen Mile Creek" running through it. A good water supply being essential to a forge. It was also dense bush. Helmets and other armour parts were made in secrecy at forges all over the Greta & Oxley districts. The mould boards were used as a direct symbol - land was being denied to farmers, therefore an instrument of the land would be used as a weapon. Mould boards were "acquired" throughout the district, some being freely given by sympathisers, others stolen. Noeleen ----- Original Message ----- From: "Linda Barraclough" <kapana@netspace.net.au> To: <AUS-VIC-NE-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, April 28, 2002 8:30 PM Subject: [AVNE] Ned Kelly's Armour > Hi List, > > I have just been asked by someone with a new interest in the Kelly Gang, if > it is known exactly where Ned Kelly's armour was made. This is not a matter > that I have material on in my rather Kelly-bare shelves, so I am wondering > if anyone can help me. He was wanting to know if it was at Glenrowan, or > further away. There seems to be some suggestion it was more north-eastish.. > > Ta in advance > > Linda > >