The wooden ship Thomas Hilyard, 1500 tons, was built by Hilyard Bros. at St John, New Brunswick, Canada, in 1874. Originally owned by D V Roberts, she measured 209 feet in length with a 39 foot beam. She first appeared in Lloyd's Register in 1885 and despite a short period of registry in Amsterdam, she was back in British ownership at the time of her last appearance in the 1900 Register.