ELIZABETH DALTON/BURLEY/BURLEIGH -

- this story is under review by Membership Team

Elizabeth Burley was the daughter of James and Sarah Burley and baptised on 21 March 1766, at Westminster, Swallow Street, Scotch Church, Middlesex. Her brothers were baptised at the same church — Paul in 1764 and James in 1768.  
In the Old Bailey Sessions Papers appears this record: ‘Trial No. 748, Elizabeth Dalton was indicted for feloniously stealing on the 15th day of September last, fourteen linen handkerchiefs, value 14s. the property of Joseph Earle, privily in his shop, etc. The prisoner called two witnesses, who gave her a good character. Elizabeth was found guilty of stealing, to the value of 3s. at the Sessions which began on Wednesday, 14 September 1785, by the second Middlesex Jury before Mr Baron Hotham.’ 
 
Elizabeth Burley was transported on Lady Penrhyn when she was just 21 years of age.  She conceived a child to John Clement, a seaman on Lady Penrhyn, during the voyage to New South Wales. The daughter, Frances Hannah Clement, was born while the ships were anchored in Botany Bay, baptized at St Philip’s Church, Church Hill, on 20 April 1788 and buried on 23 January 1800, in the cemetery of St John’s Church Parramatta.
Elizabeth's assignment to, and liaison with, Thomas Arndell commenced soon after her arrival in the Colony. Their son, William Burleigh, was baptised on 5 September 1790 and died on 4 March 1792. He is buried in the cemetery of St John's Church, Parramatta, with Frances Hannah.  
 
It is interesting that in the will of Thomas Arndell he refers to his sons and daughters who were born before his marriage to Elizabeth Burley in 1807 as "my reputed children", whereas his last child, a second Frances Hannah, born in 1808, was referred to as "my daughter." 

The nearest school to Caddai was eight miles away at Windsor and the children were initially educated by their parents before James Hardy Vaux became their tutor. Vaux was a thief and swindler who was transported to the Colony in 1800. Within one year he was chief clerk to the magistrates at Parramatta, so this is where Thomas Arndell would have learned of Vaux's educational skills. It can be understood why Elizabeth remained constantly in attendance while Vaux was tutoring her children. Vaux wrote the Colony's first dictionary, albeit an insight to the slang of that period — Vocabulary of the Flash Language. 

Elizabeth was one of the convict women fortunate enough to become the wife of a settler, but her life would still have been far from easy. In 1830, being over 60 years of age and infirm, she applied for a pension, but was refused. She spent 22 years of widowhood at Caddai with her son, Thomas, and his wife, and died on 31 January 1843. She was buried at St Matthew's Church, Windsor, with her husband, Thomas Arndell.