The last bushrangers

‘Thomas and John Clarke – both so deeply stained in crime’, ran the newspapers’ unambiguous characterisation in June 1867.

Brothers Thomas and John Clarke were raised in an enterprising family that included a solid contingent of horse thieves, cattle rustlers, robbers and killers. The Southern Tablelands of New South Wales was the disreputable pair’s patch, as it was for their immediate and extended family. The clan was as dysfunctional as it was loyal – demonstrated by their willingness to break incarcerated members out of gaol as required. By 1866 the members of the Clarke family gang, led by Thomas, were declared outlaws. After spending some time on individual pursuits, John joined his brother and the pair wreaked havoc over the course of twelve months, with armed robbery their crime of choice. In April 1867, following a gunfight with the constabulary near Braidwood, the Clarkes were captured; they were sentenced to death in May and hanged at Darlinghurst gaol in June. The brothers’ demise saw the end of organised bushranging gangs in New South Wales.