William Bede Dalley

Australian politician (1831–1888)

William Bede Dalley (5 July 1831 – 28 October 1888) was an Australian politician and barrister and the first Australian appointed to the Privy Council of the United Kingdom. He was a leading lay representative and champion of the Catholic community and was known for his parliamentary and legal eloquence.

Dalley was born at Sydney in 1831 to Irish parents, John Dalley and Catherine Spillane, who were both convicts. He was educated at the Sydney College and St Mary's College. He was called to the bar in 1856.

In 1857 Dalley was elected to the Legislative Assembly as a representative of Sydney (City). In 1858 he successfully contested Cumberland Boroughs to help Charles Cowper's re election in Sydney. He pressed for several reforms including an unsuccessful attempt to abolish the death penalty for rape. towards the end of his first term as Attorney General.

The homes he owned on the northern beaches were Marinella, commonly called Dalley's Castle, at Manly and a house called variously Yellamb i, Tallamalla, Bilgola House and Bilgola Cottage, immediately behind Bilgola Beach. While the house at Bilgola was built as a weekender, Marinella was built as a home, although Dalley's use of both was brief. Dalley bought 0.4ha on a knoll overlooking Manly in late 1882 and had a large home, called Marinella, erected upon it, although it was invariably known as Dalley's Castle because of its size and dominant position overlooking the village. The property Dalley bought also included an existing cottage and a stone tower that had previously housed a camera obscura. The Gothic Roman castle was built in 1882 1883 and by 1884 Dalley is listed as living there, although the following years were among his busiest and he had other properties closer to the city, so the amount of time he spent at Marinella is uncertain. Dalley's Castle was demolished in 1939, despite strong local opposition, and Housing Commission flats, ironically called Marinella, were built on the site.

Dalley refused a knighthood and the office of chief justice, but in 1886 was appointed to the privy council, the first Australian to be given that honour.