Moondyne Joe
Cornish-Welsh convict and bushranger known for multiple escapes.
Joseph Bolitho Johns (c. February 1826 – 13 August 1900), widely known as Moondyne Joe, was a convict of Cornish and Welsh background who became Western Australia's most famous bushranger. Growing up in poverty, he turned to petty theft and showed a fierce independence, earning a lasting reputation for repeatedly breaking out of prison.
His early years are somewhat unclear. Some accounts place his birth in Cornwall, while an Australian National University source says he was born in Wales around 1826–27 and raised Protestant. He was baptised at the Parish Church in Wendron, later married at the Johnston Memorial Congregational Church in Fremantle, and was buried in the Roman Catholic section of Fremantle Cemetery. Claims he was Roman Catholic lack evidence and would have been highly unusual in Cornwall. He was the second of three children born to blacksmith Thomas Johns (1799–1833) and Mary Bolitho (1804–1860). Joe was tall, with black hair and hazel eyes, and likely had smallpox as a youth, as records later describe him as pockmarked. After his father died in 1833, Joe and his brother worked as copper miners. By 1841 the family lived in Porkellis, Cornwall, but by 1848 Joe had moved to Wales, labouring as an iron ore miner, probably at the Clydach Iron Works.
On 15 November 1848, Joe and an associate using the name William Cross (actually convict John Williams) were arrested near Chepstow for stealing three loaves of bread, a piece of bacon, several cheeses, and other goods from Richard Price's house. Charged with burglary and stealing at the Brecon Assizes, they pleaded not guilty. Tried on 23 March at the Lent Assizes before William Erle, they put up an unexpectedly spirited defence, but Joe was abrasive and "contravened the conventions of court procedure." Both were convicted and sentenced to ten years' penal servitude. They spent seven months on a local government work party before being sent to Millbank Prison. On 1 January 1850, they were moved to Pentonville Prison for six months of solitary confinement. Transferred to Dartmoor Prison on 21 October 1851, Joe was soon moved to the Woolwich prison hulk *Justitia*, likely for disciplinary reasons. After the *Justitia* burned, he was shifted to the *Defence*. About a year later, he boarded the prison ship *Pyrenees* for transportation to the British penal colony of Western Australia to finish his senten
- born
- c. February 1826 (possibly Wales or Cornwall)
- died
- 13 August 1900
- field
- Bushranging, convict
- nationality
- Cornish-Welsh
- known_for
- Multiple prison escapes; Western Australia's best-known bushranger
Quick Facts
- Birth Name
- Joseph Bolitho Johns
- Birth Date
- c. February 1826
- Birth Place
- Cornwall, England, UK
- Death Date
- df=yes · 1900 · 8 · 13 · 1826 · 2
- Death Place
- Fremantle, Western Australia, British Empire
- Resting Place
- Fremantle Cemetery, Fremantle, Western Australia
- Occupation
- Miner, Bushranger
- Criminal Charge
- Theft
- Criminal Penalty
- 10 years' penal servitude
- Spouse
- Louisa Frances Elizabeth Hearn · 1879 · 1893 · end=died
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Joseph Bolitho Johns was born around 1826-27, possibly in Cornwall or Wales, and raised as a Protestant. He was the second of three children of blacksmith Thomas Johns and Mary Bolitho. After his father died in 1833, Johns worked as a copper miner in Cornwall and later as an iron ore miner in Wales. In 1848, he was arrested near Chepstow for stealing bread, bacon, cheeses, and other goods, and sentenced to ten years' penal servitude. He was transported to Western Australia on the Pyrenees, arriving in 1853, and received a ticket of leave and later a conditional pardon.
Johns settled in the Avon Valley, an area known by the Aboriginal name Moondyne, where he trapped escaped stock. In 1861, he was arrested for horse stealing but escaped from the Toodyay lockup. There is no reliable evidence that he killed the horse after the arrest. He was recaptured on 7 March 1869, not in February, and received only a
Reader's Guide
Moondyne Joe is significant as Western Australia's best-known bushranger, embodying the spirit of defiance against authority in the penal colony. His multiple escapes, including from a specially designed escape-proof cell, made him a folk hero among convicts and a symbol of resistance. His story highlights the harsh conditions of convict transportation and the challenges of colonial law enforcement. Despite his criminal record, his audacity and resourcefulness in evading capture for extended periods contributed to his lasting legacy in Australian folklore. His nickname, derived from the Aboriginal name for the area where he settled, ties him to the landscape and history of Western Australia.
Did You Know?
- Johns was known as Moondyne Joe, a name he adopted after escaping from a work party in 1865.
- He escaped from a specially built escape-proof cell lined with jarrah sleepers and over a thousand nails.
- His 1867 escape involved breaking through a limestone prison wall with a sledgehammer while partially hidden by a pile of rocks.
- He was recaptured in February 1869 while trying to steal wine from Houghton Winery.
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