John Romilly Allen FSA FSAScot (9 June 1847 – 5 July 1907) was a British

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

Life

Allen was the son of

George Baugh Allen George Baugh Allen JP DL (23 April 1821 – 19 September 1898) was a Welsh lawyer. Biography Allen was the elder son of Lancelot Baugh Allen, Master (i.e. headmaster) of Dulwich College, and his first wife Caroline Jane (née Romilly). He was ...

. He was educated at

King's College School King's College School, also known as Wimbledon, KCS, King's and KCS Wimbledon, is a public school in Wimbledon, southwest London, England. The school was founded in 1829 by King George IV, as the junior department of King's College London and ...

Rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

and

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

. In 1867 he was articled to

George Fosbery Lyster George Fosbery Lyster FRSE (1821–1899) succeeded John Hartley as Engineer in Chief to the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board. He is usually referred to as G. F. Lyster. Life He was born on 7 September 1821 at Mount Talbot in County Roscommon in ...

, engineer in chief to the

Mersey Docks and Harbour Board The Mersey Docks and Harbour Company (MDHC), formerly the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board (MDHB), owns and administers the dock facilities of the Port of Liverpool, on the River Mersey, England. These include the operation of the enclosed north ...

, with whom he remained until 1870. He was next employed as resident engineer to the Persian railways of Baron de Reuter and afterwards in supervising the construction of docks at

Leith Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by '' Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world. The earliest ...

and at

Boston, Lincolnshire Boston is a market town and inland port in the borough of the same name in the county of Lincolnshire, England. Boston is north of London, north-east of Peterborough, east of Nottingham, south-east of Lincoln, south-southeast of Hull ...

. Meanwhile, Allen was interested in archaeology; and he spent the rest of his life on it, and particularly on the study of prehistoric antiquities and of pre-Norman art in

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

. His earliest contribution was to ''Archæologia Cambrensis'' ("A description of some cairns on Barry Island"), appearing in April 1873; he joined the

Cambrian Archaeological Association The Cambrian Archaeological Association ( cy, Cymdeithas Hynafiaethau Cymru) was founded in 1846 to examine, preserve and illustrate the ancient monuments and remains of the history, language, manners, customs, arts and industries of Wales and the ...

in 1875, was elected a member of the general committee in 1877, became one of two editors of its ''Journal'' in 1889, and was sole editor from 1892 until his death. Having begun with the antiquities of

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, Allen from 1880 gave attention to those of

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

also; in 1883 he was elected fellow of the

Scottish Society of Antiquaries The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland is the senior antiquarian body of Scotland, with its headquarters in the National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh. The Society's aim is to promote the cultural heritage of Scotland. The usua ...

, and in 1885 was Rhind Lecturer in archaeology in the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

. In

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, he became fellow of the

Society of Antiquaries of London A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societ ...

in 1896, editor of the ''Reliquary and Illustrated Archæologist'' in 1893; and

Yates Lecture Yates may refer to: Places United States * Fort Yates, North Dakota * Yates Spring, a spring in Georgia, United States *Yates City, Illinois * Yates Township, Illinois *Yates Center, Kansas * Yates, Michigan * Yates Township, Michigan * Yates, Mis ...

r in archæology in

University College, London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = � ...

, for 1898. Allen was unmarried, and during his later years made his home in London, where he died on 5 July 1907.

Works

In addition to contributions to archaeological journals, Allen published: # ''Theory and Practice in the Designs and Construction of Dock Walls'', 1876. # ''Early Christian Symbolism in Great Britain and Ireland'' ( Rhind Lectures), 1887. # ''The Monumental History of the Early British Church'', 1889. # ''The Early Christian Monuments of Scotland'', Edinburgh, 1903. # ''Celtic Art in Pagan and Christian Times'', 1904.

References

CItations

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, John Romilly 1847 births 1907 deaths People educated at Rugby School Alumni of King's College London British archaeologists Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London Welsh antiquarians Members of the Cambrian Archaeological Association 19th-century Welsh historians 19th-century British scientists Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland