EXTREMELY SENSITIVE CONTENT – 18+ ONLY
This article discusses the historical execution, burial, exhumation, and ongoing mystery surrounding the skull of Ned Kelly, one of Australia’s most infamous bushrangers and outlaws. It is intended for educational purposes only, to provide factual historical context about colonial-era crime, punishment, the 1880 execution, and the later grave disturbances and forensic investigations. It does not glorify violence, outlawry, or criminal activity.
Opening the Coffin of Ned Kelly – The Infamous Outlaw: The Story of His Execution, Burial, Exhumation, and the Missing Skull
Edward “Ned” Kelly (1854–1880) remains one of the most controversial and legendary figures in Australian history. Born to Irish immigrant parents in Victoria, he became the leader of the Kelly Gang, involved in bank robberies, police killings, and a dramatic last stand at Glenrowan in June 1880. Captured after being shot in his homemade armour, Kelly was tried, convicted of murdering Constable Thomas Lonigan, and hanged at Melbourne Gaol on 11 November 1880 at age 25. His famous last words, reportedly “Such is life,” have become part of Australian folklore. After burial in an unmarked grave, his remains were disturbed multiple times—most significantly in 1929 and 1930—and his skull was stolen. It remained missing for decades until a controversial 2011 identification effort. This article examines the facts surrounding Ned Kelly’s execution, burial, exhumations, and the enduring mystery of his missing skull.
Background: Execution and Initial Burial (1880)
After the Glenrowan shootout on 28 June 1880, Ned Kelly was wounded, captured, and taken to Melbourne Gaol. He was tried in October 1880 for the murder of Constable Lonigan (one of three police officers killed at Stringybark Creek in 1878). Despite a petition signed by over 60,000 people seeking clemency, Governor of Victoria Sir William Thomas refused mercy. On 11 November 1880, Kelly was hanged in the Melbourne Gaol courtyard. The execution was witnessed by officials, journalists, and selected members of the public. His body was cut down after death, placed in a plain coffin, and buried in the gaol cemetery in an unmarked grave (plot position later recorded as “near the central path”).
For the next 48 years, the grave remained undisturbed.
The 1929–1930 Exhumations and the Theft of the Skull
In 1929, the Melbourne Gaol was partially demolished to make way for new buildings. Authorities decided to exhume the remains of executed prisoners (including Kelly) and reinter them at Pentridge Prison cemetery in a mass grave.
- On 16 April 1929, the gaol cemetery was excavated. Kelly’s coffin was identified by its position and remnants of clothing.
- The remains were moved to Pentridge and reburied in a collective pit with other executed prisoners.
- However, during the exhumation or shortly after reburial, Kelly’s skull was stolen by someone with access to the site (likely a worker, guard, or visitor). The skull was never officially recovered at the time.
The theft became public knowledge years later when the skull surfaced in private hands.
The Skull’s Journey and the 2009–2011 Identification Attempt
Between the 1930s and 2000s, the skull passed through several private owners, including a former Pentridge prison officer who claimed to have taken it as a souvenir. It was displayed privately and occasionally shown to journalists and historians.
In 2008, Melbourne teacher Tom Baxter and others campaigned to return the skull to the Kelly family and rebury it properly. In 2009, the skull was handed over to Victoria Police for forensic examination.
Key findings from the 2011 forensic analysis (conducted by the Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine):
- The skull belonged to a male aged approximately 25–30 at death.
- It showed evidence of a healed fracture to the left zygomatic arch (cheekbone), consistent with a gunshot wound Kelly received during his capture at Glenrowan.
- Dental records (Kelly had distinctive missing and damaged teeth) and skull measurements matched historical descriptions and photographs.
- DNA extraction was attempted, but the sample was too degraded for conclusive comparison with living Kelly relatives.
In August 2011, authorities announced the skull was “very likely” Ned Kelly’s based on skeletal pathology and historical context. However, the Kelly family and some historians disputed the certainty, arguing the DNA should have been conclusive.
The 2018 Mass Grave Discovery and Reburial
In March 2018, archaeologists excavating the old Pentridge Prison site uncovered a mass grave containing the remains of at least 38 executed prisoners, including those reburied from Melbourne Gaol in 1929. Among them were bones believed to be Ned Kelly’s (identified by location and skeletal trauma matching his known injuries).
On 1 December 2018, after DNA confirmation from living relatives, the Victorian Government announced the remains were positively identified as Ned Kelly’s. On 20 January 2020, Kelly was reburied in a private ceremony at Greta Cemetery, near his childhood home in northeast Victoria. His skull—still separated—was not included in the reburial; its current location remains uncertain, though some reports suggest it may have been misplaced or destroyed after the 2011 tests.
When Ned Kelly’s coffin was opened during the 1929 exhumation, his skull was stolen and went missing for decades. Forensic analysis in 2011 strongly suggested the skull was his, but it was never reunited with the rest of his remains. The bulk of his skeleton was identified in the 2018 Pentridge mass grave excavation and reburied with family in 2020 at Greta Cemetery. The missing skull remains one of Australian history’s enduring mysteries—a symbol of the outlaw’s controversial legacy, the fascination with his story, and the ethical complexities of handling the remains of notorious figures.
Sources:
- Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine: 2011 skull examination report (summary released publicly).
- Victorian Government announcement: Identification and reburial of Ned Kelly (December 2018 – January 2020).
- Public Record Office Victoria (PROV): Melbourne Gaol execution and burial registers (1880–1929).
- “Ned Kelly: A Life” – Peter FitzSimons (2015) and “Ned Kelly Under the Microscope” – Craig Cormick (2014).
- The Age, The Australian, and ABC News: Contemporary coverage of the 2011 skull analysis and 2018–2020 reburial.
- Greta Cemetery Trust and Kelly family statements on the 2020 reburial.