Dictionary of Sydney

The Dictionary of Sydney was archived in 2021.

Leigh, Kate

Madam, sly-grog operator, drug trader and underworld figure.

Milestone
Born
Dubbo, New South Wales
10 Mar 1881
Died
Sydney, New South Wales
04 Feb 1964
Buried
07 Feb 1964
Name
Alternate
Barry, Kate
Birth
Beahan, Kathleen Mary Josephine
Occupation
Position
1893 - 1897
Relationship
Spouse
02 May 1902 - 1922
Spouse
1922
Spouse
1950 - 1954

Kate Leigh

CC BY-SA 2.0
,
2016

Kate Leigh, the 'Sly Grog Queen', was a leading figure in Sydney's criminal milieu in the early decades of the twentieth century and a protagonist in the razor gang wars. Famous for her feud with the brothel-keeper Tilly Devine, Leigh was seen by some as the worst woman in Sydney and by others as a community hero and matriarch.