Catherine Lee (c. 1786–1832)
Catherine Riley was about three years old when she embarked with her mother aboard the Lady Juliana which left Plymouth, England, in July 1789, arriving at Sydney in June 1790 as part of the Second Fleet.
Catherine and her mother were sent to Norfolk Island on the Surprize in August 1790. They returned to Sydney in March 1794 to give evidence against James Robbs who was charged with sexually assaulting Catherine (Robbs was acquitted).
Catherine had a daughter with John Lee in 1802. The couple were married at St Philip's Church, Sydney, on 25 December 1803. Catherine was recorded with five children in 1814, living with her husband, a labourer. No further records have been found for him. In 1822 Catherine was described as the wife of Thomas Horber. In 1828 she was working as a housekeeper for Joseph Filton in Pitt Street, Sydney. She was buried on 9 April 1832 at Sydney. Her name was registered as Catherine Lee and her age was given as 47.
* information from Michael Flynn, The Second Fleet: Britain’s Grim Convict Armada of 1790 (1993), pp 499-500
Related Entries in NCB Sites
- Riley, Elizabeth (mother)
- Robbs, James (crime perpetrator)
Citation details
'Lee, Catherine (c. 1786–1832)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/lee-catherine-30643/text37976, accessed 3 May 2025.
Life Summary [details]
Alternative Names
- Riley, Catherine
- Horber, Catherine
Birth
Death
8 April,
1832
(aged ~ 46)
Sydney,
New South Wales,
Australia
Cultural Heritage
Includes subject's nationality; their parents' nationality; the countries in which they spent a significant part of their childhood, and their self-identity.
Religious Influence
Includes the religion in which subjects were raised, have chosen themselves, attendance at religious schools and/or religious funeral rites; Atheism and Agnosticism have been included.