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Top 10 Facts about Gangster Kate Leigh

Kathleen Mary Josephine Leigh, also known by other aliases such as Kathleen Barry and Kathleen Ryan, was a notorious figure in the Australian criminal underworld, active during the early twentieth century. She gained notoriety for her involvement in a variety of illegal activities, including her role as a madam, an illicit dealer of alcohol and cocaine, and for organizing illicit gambling and betting syndicates from her residence in Surry Hills, a suburb of Sydney, Australia.

Leigh was widely recognized as the dominant figure in Surry Hills, earning her the moniker “Queen of Surry Hills”. She was involved in numerous illegal operations, including operating as a fence for stolen goods and engaging in the trade of sly grog, which referred to the sale of alcohol outside of legal channels.

1. She was a leading figure in the notorious Sydney razor gang wars

Kate Leigh.jpg, via Wikimedia Commons

Razor gangs were criminal gangs that dominated the Sydney crime scene in the 1920s, using razors as their preferred weapons after handguns were criminalized. The rise in organized crime began after the prohibition of the sale of cocaine by chemists, street prostitution, off-course race track betting, and the introduction of six o’clock closing for public bars. Kate was a leading figure in the  Sydney Razor gang.

Sydney sex workers were a significant market for the cocaine trade, supplied by corrupt chemists, doctors, dentists, and sailors. The two major razor gangs were associated with prominent madams, Kate Leigh (Queen of Surry Hills) and Tilly Devine; (Queen of Darlinghurst and Woolloomooloo).

Gang violence was curtailed in the 1930s by the Vagrancy Amendment Act NSW 1929, which led to diminished gang violence. The term “razor gang” is used in Australian political discourse to refer to a group, often a committee, tasked with finding ways to cut government spending.

2. Kate was a great enemy of Tilly Devine

Tilly Devine 1925 (crop).jpg, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Matilda Mary Devine, better known as Tilly Devine, was a notorious organized crime boss in Sydney during the interwar years. Her criminal activities ranged from sly grog to prostitution and razor gangs. Devine’s enmity with Kate Leigh, another prominent figure in the criminal underworld, was well-known.

Devine’s wealth was acquired solely through criminal means, and she owned a significant amount of real estate, luxury cars, gold, and diamond jewelry, and traveled in first-class staterooms.

She faced multiple court summons and was convicted 204 times during her long criminal career, serving many sentences in New South Wales gaols. Despite her violent nature and use of firearms, she became a famous folk figure in Sydney during her lifetime.

3. Kate was married thrice

Kate Leigh’s initial matrimony to James Ernest Lee, a Chinese-Australian bookmaker, and minor delinquent in 1902 was ephemeral, as he was imprisoned for assault and robbery three years later. Subsequently, Kate faced charges of perjury and complicity in the assault, for which she was convicted. Even though they parted ways soon after the trial, they remained wedded until their divorce in 1921. Thereafter, Kate anglicized her surname from Lee to Leigh and used it for the rest of her life.

In 1922, Kate tied the knot with Edward Joseph ‘Teddy’ Barry, a sly grog vendor and musician. Nevertheless, their union came to an end after a brief period, prompting Kate to revert to her previous name of Leigh. Barry passed away in 1948 at Kate’s residence. Kate’s third and final marriage was to Ernest Alexander “Shiner” Ryan, a convicted criminal and long-time friend, at St John’s Anglican Church, Fremantle, in 1950. However, their marriage lasted only half a year before they separated, and Ryan passed away in Western Australia in 1954.

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4. Kate earned most of her income as a sly-grog trader from 199 to 1955

Throughout the years, Kate Leigh’s primary source of income varied, including roles as a sly-grog trader, drug dealer, and madam. She rose to become a prominent figure in the New South Wales underworld, earning the title of “Queen of the Underworld.”

From 1919 to 1955, Leigh’s most lucrative enterprise was the highly profitable sly-grog trade. Illegal alcohol came about as a result of the NSW State Parliament’s introduction of the Liquor Act 1916 and the Liquor Licensing Act 1927. The Act mandated the closure of drinking establishments at 6 pm.

At the height of her success, Leigh operated at least twenty bootleg outlets, although the exact number is subject to conflicting reports. Despite her fortune being primarily generated from the illegal sale of alcohol, Leigh was known to abstain from drinking or smoking.

5. Leigh was one of Sydney’s wealthiest women during the 1930s and 1940s

Kate Leigh was one of the wealthiest women in Sydney during the 1930s and 1940s due to her involvement in various illegal activities. She earned a large amount of money through sly grog trading, drug dealing, and prostitution, and became a prominent figure in Sydney’s underworld.

She ran at least twenty bootleg outlets during the peak of her sly-grog trade, which was highly profitable. She also profited from the illicit distribution networks for cocaine after the Dangerous Drugs Amendment Act 1927 in NSW, which criminalized cocaine.

6. Lillian May Armfield was among the policewomen who arrested Kate in 1930

Lillian May Armfield was a pioneering female police detective in Sydney, Australia, known for her intelligence, tactfulness, and capability. Despite experiencing discrimination and not being provided with a uniform or overtime pay, she served for over 30 years and confronted the violent criminal underworld of Sydney, including murder, rape, and human trafficking.

Lillian May Armfield, the pioneering Sydney female police detective, played a pivotal role in the arrest of Kate Leigh, one of the most notorious female underworld ringleaders of the early 20th century. Armfield’s astute investigative skills and tenacious pursuit of criminal activity were integral in exposing the criminal operations of Leigh and her associates.

Despite facing discrimination and obstacles due to her gender in the male-dominated police force, Armfield remained steadfast in her commitment to upholding justice and protecting society from the dangerous criminal elements of her time. Her contribution to the arrest of Kate Leigh exemplifies her bravery and dedication to her profession as a trailblazing female law enforcement officer.

7. Kate multi-used her house at  2 Lansdowne Street, Surry Hills

From 1933 until its demolition in 1950, she dwelled in a terrace house located at 2 Lansdowne Street in Surry Hills, which served as her primary illegal lodging and sly-grog establishment, and was famously dubbed as the Lansdowne Hotel in Sydney, distinct from the legally recognized Lansdowne Hotel situated in City Road, Broadway. Her de facto spouse and protector, Henry George “Jack” Baker, was the victim of a shooting incident outside the aforementioned house, perpetrated by the notorious Sydney criminal, John ‘Chow’ Hayes on 19 February 1938.

Following a raid by undercover police on 4 March 1938, 48 bottles and 4 kegs of beer were confiscated. Three months later, a police witness claimed that the premises at 2 Lansdowne Street, Surry Hills, was “the worst sly-grog shop in Sydney”. As a result of selling liquor without a license at 13 Pearl Street and 2 Lansdowne Street, Surry Hills, Kate Leigh was sentenced to 6 months imprisonment on 7 September 1942.

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8. The Taxation Office was the major factor that pulled Kate into bankruptcy

Undoubtedly, during the 1930s and 1940s, Kate Leigh was one of the wealthiest women in Sydney. However, she faced a fall from grace when the Taxation Office declared her bankrupt in 1954 due to unpaid income tax and fines dating back to 1942. At a Bankruptcy Court hearing in Sydney on 30 September 1954, Leigh’s Statement of Affairs revealed that her assets, consisting of furniture and three properties in Devonshire Street, amounted to a mere £1960, while her liabilities were an overwhelming £7130.

The year 1955 saw the NSW government altering the law to permit legal hotels to serve alcohol until 10 P.M. This change in legislation ultimately led to the downfall of the Sydney sly-grog trade, causing the likes of Leigh to lose their businesses. Kate Leigh famously declared to the Australian media, “The bloom has gone off the grog.”

At the time of her demise, Kate Leigh was 82 years old and lived in destitution in a cramped room above one of her past illegal hotels located at 212 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills. She was reliant on her nephew, William John Beahan, who ran a mixed business on the ground floor of the same premises. Leigh resided at 212 Devonshire Street, Surry Hills, from 1951 until her death in 1964.

9. She succumbed to a severe stroke on 4 February 1964

Remaining in her abode at Surry Hills, Kate Leigh suffered a severe stroke on 31 January 1964 and was urgently admitted to the hospital from her residence located at 212 Devonshire Street. She ultimately passed away on 4 February 1964 at St Vincent’s Hospital in Darlinghurst. Her funeral was held on 7 February at St Peter’s Catholic Church in Devonshire Street, Surry Hills, and was attended by an excess of 700 mourners.

Kate Leigh was interred at Botany Cemetery, now called Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park, in the Roman Catholic Section 29K, Grave 896, under the name Kathleen Ryan. She was survived by her daughter, Eileen May Ranson (née Beahan, 1900–1987). The media recollected Kate Leigh not only for her criminal past but also for her patriotism during World War II and her benevolent philanthropic deeds that supported the unemployed during harsh times.

10. She has been featured in famous television series

The criminal rivalry between Kate Leigh and Tilly Devine, two notorious female gangsters in Sydney, was the central focus of a 13-episode television drama series, Underbelly: Razor, which aired on Australia’s Nine Network from 21 August to 16 November 2011. The show was part of the Underbelly anthology series and was based on a book by Chris Walker, which won the prestigious Ned Kelly Award.

Danielle Cormack portrayed Kate Leigh, while Tilly Devine was portrayed by Chelsie Preston Crayford. The series depicted the bloody underworld conflicts between the two women, offering a glimpse into the Sydney criminal underworld during the interwar period. The show was highly successful and garnered critical acclaim for its gripping narrative, compelling performances, and meticulous attention to historical detail.