Australian Dictionary of Biography - Online Edition Main site navigation Advanced Search Browse About ... Help Quick Search Related entries King, William Francis (1807 - 1873) - Alternative Names:
- Flying Pieman
- Birth:
- London England
- Death:
- 10 August 1873 Liverpool, Sydney New South Wales Australia
- Cultural Heritage:
- Religious Influence:
- Occupation:
Life Summary Resources ... Abbreviations William Francis King (1807 - 1873), by Walter G. Mason, courtesy of National Library of Australia. nla.pic-an7979080.
Image Details KING, WILLIAM FRANCIS (1807-1873), pedestrian and street character, best known as 'The Flying Pieman', was born in London, the eldest son of Francis King, a paymaster in the Treasury. Though intended for the church, he had various jobs before becoming a clerk in the Treasury where he met the chaplain of the Tower, Rev. W. G. Broughton . He arrived at Sydney in 1829, probably on a remittance, and through Broughton was appointed schoolmaster at Sutton Forest. After some years as a private tutor to the Kern family at Campbelltown and as a barman at the Hope and Anchor in Sydney, he emerged as an athlete and extravagantly bedecked itinerant pieman: 'The Ladies' Walking Flying Pieman'. An earlier 'Flying Pieman', the notorious and unfortunate Nathaniel McCulloch, had died in May 1839. Contemporary sketches of 'The Flying Pieman' depict a well-built, athletic figure with a somewhat distracted expression: one shows him in an open shirt, blue jacket, reddish breeches, white stockings and shoes, wearing a top hat with coloured streamers and carrying a long staff decorated with ribbons. | |
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