William Francis King William Francis King i(A74284 works by) (a.k.a. Billy King; The Flying Pieman; The Walking Pieman)
Born: Established: 1807 London,
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England,
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United Kingdom (UK),
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Western Europe, Europe, ; Died: Ceased: 10 Aug 1873 Liverpool, Liverpool area, Sydney Southwest, Sydney, New South Wales,
Gender: Male
Arrived in Australia: 1829
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BiographyHistory

King was a nineteenth century Sydney eccentric. He took bets on his ability to walk great distances in a short amount of time. King was also known as The Flying Pieman. In the 1850s he sold pies at Circular Quay in Sydney to passengers embarking on the Parramatta River steamer. He then walked to Parramatta, arriving before the steamer, and sold pies to the same passengers as they got off the boat.

The Parramatta Chronicle, and Cumberland General Advertiser describes King as a 'well-known pedestrian and poet'. (1.45 (1844): [3].)

Most Referenced Works

Notes

  • See also the full Australian Dictionary of Biography Online entry for William Francis King (1807-1873).
  • An article, under the heading 'Colonial Depravity' (Sydney Monitor on 26 January 1838, p.2), suggesting that the 'Flying Pieman' was of questionable character probably relates to an earlier bearer of this nickname, Nathaniel McCulloch.
Last amended 14 Feb 2014 14:35:04
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