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‘Black Douglas’: a not so dastardly bushranger?

Meg Foster unpicks the shadowy legend of the 19th-century Australian bushranger known as ‘Black Douglas’

Published: April 14, 2023 at 7:24 AM

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A dastardly bandit responsible for incredibly heinous crimes, or a runaway in search of his freedom? Meg Foster unravels the myth of “Black Douglas”, whose life of crime across 19th-century Australia made him a target of lynch mobs and the popular press. Speaking to Emily Briffett, she explains how Douglas was branded a shadowy bogeyman, and delves into his experiences as a hard-drinking prize-fighter and phrenologist.

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Meg Foster is the author of Boundary Crossers: The hidden history of Australia's other bushrangers (NewSouth, 2022)

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Authors

Emily BriffettSenior content producer (podcasts)

Emily Briffett is senior content producer (podcasts) at HistoryExtra

Meg Foster

Meg Foster is a historian of banditry, settler colonial and public history

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