Elizabeth Riley (c. 1763–?)
Elizabeth Riley, Catherine Clark, Mary Barnes, and Ann Bryant were found guilty in March 1789 at the Kent Assizes of stealing ten yards of muslin from a shop and four yards of linen from another shop. Sentenced to 7 years transportation the women arrived at Sydney aboard the Lady Juliana in June 1790 as part of the Second Fleet. Riley was allowed to bring her young daughter Catherine, who was about three years old, with her.
Riley and her daughter were sent to Norfolk Island on the Surprize, arriving 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).
Elizabeth was recorded as living with her daughter in the 1825 Muster at Pitt St, Sydney. She was not listed in the 1828 Census. It is likely she had died by then.
* information from Michael Flynn, The Second Fleet: Britain’s Grim Convict Armada of 1790 (1993), pp 500-501
Related Entries in NCB Sites
- Lee, Catherine (daughter)
- Barnes, Mary (criminal associate)
- Bryant, Ann (criminal associate)
- Morgan, Catherine (criminal associate)
Citation details
'Riley, Elizabeth (c. 1763–?)', People Australia, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://peopleaustralia.anu.edu.au/biography/riley-elizabeth-30642/text37975, accessed 11 September 2024.