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Top 10 Facts about Gangster Tilly Devine

Matilda Mary Devine, born Matilda Mary Twiss on September 8, 1900, was an English-Australian organized crime figure. She was known as “Tilly Devine,” and she was notorious for her involvement in a range of illegal activities such as bootlegging, violent gangs, and prostitution. During the interwar period, she rose to prominence in Sydney and became a notable character in folk culture.

Devine pursued a prostitute career beginning in her adolescence and continued even after her marriage. She and other English women were frequently observed soliciting on The Strand’s wide footpaths at night. Devine’s illegal actions landed her in Bow Street Court and Lock Up from 1915 and 1919, where she was charged with prostitution, theft, and violence.

1.  She relocated to Sydney at the age of 2

In 1900, Tilly Devine—also known as Matilda Mary Twiss—was born in the vibrant city of London. When Tilly was only two years old, her parents, Edward and Alice Twiss, made the decision to relocate their family to Australia. This type of relocation was prevalent at the beginning of the 20th century as many families wanted to establish new lives in Australia, a burgeoning British colony.

Tilly’s family landed in one of Sydney’s worst neighbourhoods after arriving, where there was a high rate of poverty and violence. Tilly grew up in this setting, where she quickly became accustomed to the more sinister aspects of life. Undoubtedly, her early exposure to the harsh reality of the metropolitan environment affected her future because she quickly became involved in criminal activity.

Tilly’s childhood had advantages despite her difficulties. Her surroundings helped her develop a certain level of toughness and resiliency that would be useful in the future. Indeed, Tilly’s formative years in Sydney’s seedier neighbourhoods might be considered a furnace that shaped her into one of the most infamous criminals of her era.

2. Devine got started with a crime when she was a young girl

Early on, Devine showed a propensity for crime, and she quickly rose through the ranks of the murky underworld that ruled Sydney. She was well known for having an aggressive personality and being willing to use physical force to further her goals. She was able to build a formidable position in the criminal underground thanks to her determination and unwavering demeanour.

She became a formidable force. It is obvious that Devine’s early life in Sydney’s rough neighbourhoods gave her the tenacity and tenacity to reach the top of the criminal food chain.

3. Tilly Devine known as the Queen of Woolloomooloo

Tilly Devine, known as the “Queen of Woolloomooloo,” presided over a network of brothels primarily in Darlinghurst and the Cross, with a strong presence on Palmer Street. Tilly’s name had become synonymous with criminality by 1925, with her rap sheet containing a slew of convictions ranging from counts of common prostitution to indecent language, rude behaviour, and physical assault. This police report provides insight into Tilly’s life prior to 1925, which centred around streetwalking, violent encounters with law enforcement, and a hedonistic existence of partying and excessive alcohol intake.

4. Kate Leigh was her all-time enemy

Kathleen Mary Josephine Leigh, nee Beahan, was a significant player in Australia’s criminal underworld in the early 1900s. Her reputation as a madam as well as an illegal distributor of alcohol and cocaine, as well as her management of a gambling syndicate from her home in Sydney’s Surry Hills district, gave her enormous notoriety. Leigh was dubbed the “Queen of Surry Hills,” and her criminal activities included the unlawful trading of stolen goods, for which she served as a cunning grogger and fence.

Leigh rose to prominence during the Sydney razor gang battles, frequently contending with Tilly Devine, a fellow vice-regal figure who dominated the criminal underworld of Woolloomooloo. Despite her cutthroat reputation, Leigh was also known for her generous efforts toward the unemployed during a time of immense repression, as well as her steadfast patriotism throughout the war years.

Read On Top 10 Facts about Gangster Kate Leigh

5. Devine became infamous in Sydney initially as a prostitute

In Sydney, Devine rose to prominence not only as a former prostitute but also as a brothel madam and a criminal entrepreneur. Despite the fact that the NSW Vagrancy Act of 1905 forbade men from conducting brothels, women like Devine were able to avoid this legislation with the help of criminal gangs and police bribery, allowing them to create and develop their illegal enterprises.

According to historian Larry Writer, the Devines operated a diverse range of businesses catering to various consumers. High-profile persons such as politicians, merchants, and foreign dignitaries had access to the most exclusive services, which included access to exclusive “call girls.”

In contrast, “tenement girls,” often young working-class women looking to supplement their modest earnings and drug bills through casual prostitution, were also accessible. Meanwhile, older female prostitutes called “boat girls,” catered to transient sailors and working-class males. Interestingly, Devine did not appear to cater to the gay sex industry because she believed it was immoral.

6. Devine’s wealth was legendary although it was all earned from crime

Devine’s vast fortune stemmed from her illicit actions, which had gained her legendary notoriety. She owned a substantial quantity of real estate in Sydney, a number of expensive cars, plundered gold and diamond jewellery, and frequently travelled in first-class suites on cruise liners. However, a significant chunk of her fortune was used to bribe law enforcement officials and pay fines for her multiple criminal convictions over the course of five decades.

During her extended criminal career, Devine was summoned to court frequently and convicted 204 times. She spent many prison sentences in New South Wales, mostly for prostitution, severe assault, affray, and attempted murder. The police recognized her as a person with an aggressive personality who was not afraid to use firearms to attain her goals.

7. Her first marriage was toxic

Domestic violence and a variety of criminal activities marred Tilly Devine’s first marriage to James Edward Joseph Devine. Jim Devine was a violent man and convicted criminal who was responsible for several high-profile Sydney murders. He was a pimp, a drug dealer, and a gunman. Despite being accused of murder multiple times, Jim was always acquitted, alleging self-defence.

Tilly and Jim’s marriage was troubled, and he attempted to murder her in 1931, shooting three rounds at her during a quarrel at their Maroubra house. Tilly escaped unscathed, but their neighbours called the cops, who arrested Jim. Despite his subsequent acquittal, the incident caused their separation in the early 1940s and their divorce in 1944.

8. Tilly’s second marriage started badly of but it had a happy ending

On May 19, 1945, Devine married Eric John Parsons, a former seaman and WWI veteran. Prior to their marriage, however, Tilly shot Parsons in the leg during a heated quarrel at her Sydney home on 191 Palmer Street, Darlinghurst. Tilly was cleared of the shooting at trial on March 31, 1945, despite being charged by the police.

The pair were blissfully married for 13 years until Parsons died of cancer on November 22, 1958. Devine lived at 335 Malabar Road in Sydney’s south-eastern suburbs for nearly 30 years, during which time he was involved in a series of homicides. In 2009, the dilapidated property was sold, and a new house was built on the site.

9. Detective Frank Farrell was always on Tilly’s neck wherever she violated the law

Francis Michael “Bumper” Farrell, who played as a prop forward for the Newtown Bluebags from 1938 to 1951, was also a part of the Australian national squad, making four Test matches from 1946 to 1948. Aside from his sporting successes, Farrell worked as a police officer in New South Wales.

He was sent to work in Sydney’s difficult inner-city regions and rapidly established a reputation as a capable and imposing detective in the Vice Squad. Devine was charged numerous times by the famed Sydney Detective Frank Farrell, and their enmity lasted 30 years.

10. Tilly died of cancer at age 70

Devine had suffered from chronic bronchitis for two decades before succumbing to cancer on November 24, 1970, at the age of 70, in Sydney’s Concord Repatriation Hospital. Her ashes were cremated two days later at Botany Crematorium, also known as the Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park, in a Catholic service held in her married name, Matilda Mary Parsons.

Her son, Frederick Ralph (Devine) Twiss (1919-1978), and two grandchildren survived her. Despite her infamous reputation, Devine’s death was little reported in the media, and her funeral was poorly attended.