LILEY, Thomas (fl.1840-1847) — Sydney
Lithographer & printer. Produced J. Armstrong, Plan of eligible allotments at Balmain adjoining Mr Blakes property fronting the main street and extending to Johnston’s Bay ca. 1840; Charles E. Langley, Plan of Smithfield Market, town of Prospect ca.1840; Robert Dixon, This map of Moreton Bay compiled from authentic surveys 1842; Village of Livingstone at the Little Forest to be sold by auction 1842; Edward James Howes Knapp, Plan of the Piperston suburban allotments near Sydney 1842 — with Thomas Bluett. Also produced music, etc.
Liley was probably the man of that name born 1 Jun 1802 and baptised at St. George Hanover Square, London, 26 Dec 1815 — the son of Thomas Liley, a coachman, and Mary his wife. He was working as a labourer in November 1826, when at the age of twenty-four he was charged with deserting his wife and subsequently served six months in a house of correction for bigamy — having married Eliza Matthews and Maria Hast(e) just eight days apart on 25th July and 3rd August of that year. He was tried for larceny at the Old Bailey aged twenty-seven 16 Sep 1830. Despite a robust defence claiming that he was the innocent victim of an attempt to defraud his employer’s creditors, he was found guilty and sentenced to transportation for seven years. After a number of months on the prison hulk Retribution at Woolwich, he left England on 20 Jul 1831 and arrived in Hobart as a convict on the Lord Lyndoch 18 Nov 1831. In March 1834 he was charged with the misappropriation of Government paper and “his labour in Government time”, and was ordered the tread-wheel for seven days. He was granted his ticket-of-leave 7 Jun 1837. On 11 Aug 1843 he was sued for libelling the artist John Skinner Prout (1805-1876) and served three months in prison on the evidence of Prout himself, Thomas Bluett and a man called Thomas Hughes. Liley’s neighbour in Brougham Place, the engraver Hugh Carruthers (1802-1862), appeared on Liley’s behalf, as did Joseph Pettingell. He married Bridget Madden at St. Philip, Sydney, 10 Oct 1844. Liley’s estate was sequestrated for debt in April 1845 — his assets stated after the exclusion of bad and doubtful debts at under £10. An application for discharge from bankruptcy in August 1845 was opposed by a baker who claimed that Liley had concealed and made away with a press which should have been forfeited, but a Certificate of Discharge was granted 3 Sep 1845. In October 1846 he appeared on a list of subscribers for the building of St. Benedict’s church. He has not been further traced beyond 1847, although he and his wife were perhaps the Mr & Mrs Liley who left the colony for New Zealand in July 1848.
13 Brougham Place, Pitt Street, Sydney — 1842
1 Phillip Street, Sydney — 1845-1847
BNA. NLA. Niedorf. OB. Tooley. Trove.