William Allen (English Quaker)
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William Allen (29 August 1770 – 30 September 1843) was an English scientist and
philanthropist Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives, for the Public good (economics), public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private goo ...
who opposed slavery and engaged in schemes of social and penal improvement in early 19th-century
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 ...
.


Early life

Allen was born in 1770, the eldest son in the
Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...
family of Job Allen (1734–1800), a silk manufacturer, and his wife Margaret Stafford (died 1830). He was educated at a Quaker school in
Rochester, Kent Rochester ( ) is a town in the unitary authority of Medway, in Kent, England. It is at the lowest bridging point of the River Medway, about from London. The town forms a conurbation with neighbouring towns Chatham, Rainham, Strood and Gillin ...
, and then went into his father's business. As a young man in the 1790s, he became interested in science. He attended meetings of scientific societies, including lectures at
St. Thomas's Hospital St Thomas' Hospital is a large NHS teaching hospital in Central London, England. It is one of the institutions that compose the King's Health Partners, an academic health science centre. Administratively part of the Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Fo ...
and
Guy's Hospital Guy's Hospital is an NHS hospital in the borough of Southwark in central London. It is part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and one of the institutions that comprise the King's Health Partners, an academic health science centre. ...
, becoming a member of the Chemical Society of the latter establishment. On Job Allen's death, the family silk firm was taken over by his father's assistant. Allen had concentrated on his own career in the field of
pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links heal ...
, taking over the Plough Court chemical business of Joseph Gurney Bevan who retired in 1795. In 1802, he was elected a Fellow of the
Linnean Society The Linnean Society of London is a learned society dedicated to the study and dissemination of information concerning natural history, evolution, and taxonomy. It possesses several important biological specimen, manuscript and literature colle ...
and lectured on chemistry at Guy's Hospital. A year later he was made president of the Physical Society at Guy's, and on the advice of
Humphry Davy Sir Humphry Davy, 1st Baronet, (17 December 177829 May 1829) was a British chemist and inventor who invented the Davy lamp and a very early form of arc lamp. He is also remembered for isolating, by using electricity, several elements for t ...
and
John Dalton John Dalton (; 5 or 6 September 1766 – 27 July 1844) was an English chemist, physicist and meteorologist. He is best known for introducing the atomic theory into chemistry, and for his research into colour blindness, which he had. Colour b ...
also accepted an invitation from the
Royal Institution The Royal Institution of Great Britain (often the Royal Institution, Ri or RI) is an organisation for scientific education and research, based in the City of Westminster. It was founded in 1799 by the leading British scientists of the age, inc ...
to become one of its lecturers. In 1807, Allen's original research (on carbon) enabled him to be successfully proposed for election to
Fellowship of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathematics ...
, bringing him into contact with those who were publishing much of the original scientific research of the day. This strengthened his ties with the eminent Humphry Davy, and in due course with his long-standing friend
Luke Howard Luke Howard, (28 November 1772 – 21 March 1864) was a British manufacturing chemist and an amateur meteorologist with broad interests in science. His lasting contribution to science is a nomenclature system for clouds, which he proposed i ...
, who was likewise elected to Fellowship of the Royal Society, though some years later.


Pharmacist

Allen was known in commerce for his pharmaceutical company at 2 Plough Court, trading in 1795 as Mildred & Allen while he was in partnership with Samuel Mildred. It was situated off Lombard Street in the
City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...
. In 1797, Allen brought in
Luke Howard Luke Howard, (28 November 1772 – 21 March 1864) was a British manufacturing chemist and an amateur meteorologist with broad interests in science. His lasting contribution to science is a nomenclature system for clouds, which he proposed i ...
as a partner. A later partner was Daniel Bell Hanbury, father of the botanist
Daniel Hanbury Daniel Hanbury FRS (11 September 1825 – 24 March 1875) was a British botanist and pharmacologist. He was an early student of pharmacognosy, the study of the medicinal applications of nature, principally of plants. Life Hanbury was born o ...
. By 1856, the company had become
Allen & Hanburys Allen and Hanburys Ltd was a British pharmaceutical manufacturer, absorbed by Glaxo Laboratories in 1958. GlaxoSmithKline, its successor company, used the Allen and Hanburys name for the specialist respiratory division until beginning to phase ...
. It was acquired in 1958 by
Glaxo Laboratories GSK plc, formerly GlaxoSmithKline plc, is a British multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company with global headquarters in London, England. Established in 2000 by a merger of Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham. GSK is the tent ...
, who retained the Allen & Hanburys name as a separate marque within the GSK group. Allen strengthened the company's links with medical institutions, particularly Guy's Hospital, where he was elected to its Physical Society. Using Plough Court for meetings, he also co-founded the
Askesian Society The Askesian Society — was a debating club for scientific thinkers in London (1796-1807). The name was taken from the Greek term '' Askesis'', meaning 'training' or 'application'. History Founded on 23 March 1796 in London.''Torrens H. S.'' The ...
. There new ideas for research and experimentation could be discussed with others such as
Luke Howard Luke Howard, (28 November 1772 – 21 March 1864) was a British manufacturing chemist and an amateur meteorologist with broad interests in science. His lasting contribution to science is a nomenclature system for clouds, which he proposed i ...
, Joseph Fox,
William Hasledine Pepys William Haseldine Pepys FGS FRS (23 March 1775 – 17 August 1856) (or William Hasledine Pepys - both versions were used during his lifetime) was an English scientist and founder of learned institutions who contributed significantly to the advan ...
, William Babington, and the surgeon
Astley Cooper Sir Astley Paston Cooper, 1st Baronet (23 August 176812 February 1841) was a British surgeon and anatomist, who made contributions to otology, vascular surgery, the anatomy and pathology of the mammary glands and testicles, and the pathology ...
. A second laboratory was opened for the development of new chemicals, a few miles away in Plaistow. In 1841, Jacob Bell pressed for a professional body for pharmacists. Allen co-founded The Pharmaceutical Society, which later became ''The Royal Pharmaceutical Society''. He was its first president.


Abolitionist

As a teenager, under the influence of Quaker abolitionists, Allen gave up
sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...
as a reaction to the
Atlantic slave trade The Atlantic slave trade, transatlantic slave trade, or Euro-American slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of enslaved African people, mainly to the Americas. The slave trade regularly used the triangular trade route and i ...
and abstained from it until 1834. He became interested in the politics of abolitionism in 1790/1, and in 1792, made a speech on the topic at the Worshipful Company of Coachmaker's Hall. The speech was published as a pamphlet by
Martha Gurney Martha Gurney (1733–1816) was an English printer, bookseller and publisher, known as an abolitionist activist. Life The daughter of Thomas Gurney, she had Joseph Gurney as brother, and it was the memoirs of Joseph's son William Brodie Gurney t ...
. It was influenced by the writer William Fox. In 1794, he befriended
Thomas Clarkson Thomas Clarkson (28 March 1760 – 26 September 1846) was an English abolitionist, and a leading campaigner against the slave trade in the British Empire. He helped found The Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade (also known ...
. In 1805, after some years of assisting the
Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade The Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade, also known as the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade, and sometimes referred to as the Abolition Society or Anti-Slavery Society, was a British abolitionist group formed on ...
, William Allen was elected to its committee. The group had always been strongly influenced by Quakers, and particularly by those based in or near London. All the members of its predecessor committee (1783–1787) had been Quakers, and nine of the twelve founders of the subsequent non-denominational Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade were Quakers, including two –
Samuel Hoare Jr Samuel Hoare Jr (9 August 1751 – 14 July 1825) was a wealthy British Quaker banker and abolitionist born in Stoke Newington, then to the north of London in the county of Middlesex. His London seat was Heath House on Hampstead Heath. He was one ...
and Joseph Woods Sr (father of the botanist Joseph Woods Jr) – who lived close to William Allen in
Stoke Newington Stoke Newington is an area occupying the north-west part of the London Borough of Hackney in north-east London, England. It is northeast of Charing Cross. The Manor of Stoke Newington gave its name to Stoke Newington the ancient parish. The ...
, the village near London where Allen had family interests after his second marriage in 1806. Perhaps the best known committee member of the new non-denominational abolition society, founded in 1787, was
William Wilberforce William Wilberforce (24 August 175929 July 1833) was a British politician, philanthropist and leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780, eventually becom ...
, who, unlike its Quaker members, was eligible as an
Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
to be elected to, and sit in, the
House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...
. Wilberforce visited William Allen at his experimental gardens on several occasions in his role as the Society's parliamentary representative. He had long been familiar with the village, owing to family connections. His sister Sarah had married the lawyer James Stephens, whose family home was the Summerhouse, a large house adjoining
Abney Park Abney Park is in Stoke Newington, London, England. It is a park dating from just before 1700, named after Lady Abney, the wife of Sir Thomas Abney, Lord Mayor of London in 1700 and one of the first directors of the Bank of England and associat ...
in the very grounds of the mansion that later, in the 1820s, was to become Allen's novel girls' school. William Allen was also a founder member and a Director of the
African Institution The African Institution was founded in 1807 after British abolitionists succeeded in ending the slave trade based in the United Kingdom. The Institution was formed to succeed where the former Sierra Leone Company had failed—to create a viabl ...
, the successor body to the
Sierra Leone Company The Sierra Leone Company was the corporate body involved in founding the second British colony in Africa on 11 March 1792 through the resettlement of Black Loyalists who had initially been settled in Nova Scotia (the Nova Scotian Settlers) after ...
, sponsored by philanthropists to establish a colony in
West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...
for slaves freed on a voluntary basis, through the abolitionists' efforts, in America. The work of the successor body began in 1808, when the colony had been handed to the Crown in return for the British Parliament passing legislation for its protection at about the same time as the passing in 1807 of the Act for the abolition of the slave trade. Allen's active interest in the abolitionist cause continued until his death. In the mid-1830s he was passionate about abolition of the apprenticeship clause, and achieving the complete freedom of African-Caribbean people on 1 August 1838. His biographer, James Sherman, records, "the apprenticeship clause in the Bill... had been greatly abused by the planters. Mr Allen was indefatigable in his efforts, by interviews with Ministers and official persons.. His account of the spirit-stirring time is graphic:" : ''The cruelty and oppression of the planters of Jamaica, as exercised on those poor sufferers, whose redemption from slavery we have paid twenty millions, has been exposed in the face of day. The West Indies in 1837, the result of personal investigation by our friend
Joseph Sturge Joseph Sturge (1793 – 14 May 1859) was an English Quaker, abolitionist and activist. He founded the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society (now Anti-Slavery International). He worked throughout his life in Radical political actions support ...
, has created a great sensation... The Anti Slavery Associations in all quarters are in a high degree of excitement, and petitions are loading the tables of both Houses of Parliament, begging for the abolition of the apprenticeship clause, and the complete establishment of freedom...on the 1st of Eight Month, 1838.'' In 1838, the Friends sent a party to France. Allen went with
Elizabeth Fry Elizabeth Fry (née Gurney; 21 May 1780 – 12 October 1845), sometimes referred to as Betsy Fry, was an English prison reformer, social reformer, philanthropist and Quaker. Fry was a major driving force behind new legislation to improve the tr ...
and her husband,
Lydia Irving Lydia Irving (15 May 1797 – 22 February 1893) was a British philanthropist & prison visitor. She was a leading Quaker and she worked closely with Elizabeth Fry seeking to improve conditions for women in prisons and on convict ships filled with ...
, and
Josiah Forster Josiah Forster (1782 – 27 June 1870) was an English teacher and philanthropist. He was an early member of the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society in 1839Anti-Slavery International Anti-Slavery International, founded as the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society in 1839, is an international non-governmental organisation, registered charity and advocacy group, based in the United Kingdom. It is the world's oldest interna ...
. In this role he was an organiser of, and delegate to, the world's first anti-slavery convention, which was held in London in 1840 – an event depicted in a large painting by
Benjamin Haydon Benjamin Robert Haydon (; 26 January 178622 June 1846) was a British painter who specialised in grand historical pictures, although he also painted a few contemporary subjects and portraits. His commercial success was damaged by his often tactles ...
that hangs in the
National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: *National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra *National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London, with s ...
, London.


Pacifist

Allen made an approving note in his diary, during 1798, on a pacifist tract, ''The Lawfulness of Defensive War upon Christian Principles Impartially Considered''. It was by "A Clergyman of the Church of England", on the basis of a later publication thought to be J. Bradley Rhŷs, but not further identified.> In 1811, with the support of
James Mill James Mill (born James Milne; 6 April 1773 – 23 June 1836) was a Scottish historian, economist, political theorist, and philosopher. He is counted among the founders of the Ricardian school of economics. He also wrote ''The History of British ...
, he started a publication entitled ''The Philanthropist''. It published articles by Mill and by
Jeremy Bentham Jeremy Bentham (; 15 February 1748 Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">O.S._4_February_1747.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New Style dates">O.S. 4 February 1747">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.htm ...
. At the end of the
Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
, it printed peace petitions. In 1814, about a month after
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
was exiled to
Elba Elba ( it, isola d'Elba, ; la, Ilva) is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano National ...
, a Peace Committee met at Allen's house in Plough Court. A leading activist who attended was
Joseph Tregelles Price Joseph is a common male given name, derived from the Hebrew Yosef (יוֹסֵף). "Joseph" is used, along with "Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the mo ...
. The idea of a "peace association" was in the air, supported by pseudonymous writers. One of those, certainly known to Allen, was the Unitarian
William Pitt Scargill William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
, associated also with Richard Phillips of '' The Monthly Magazine''. In 1816, Allen became a founding member of the
Society for the Promotion of Permanent and Universal Peace The Peace Society, International Peace Society or London Peace Society originally known as the Society for the Promotion of Permanent and Universal Peace, was a pioneering British pacifist organisation that was active from 1816 until the 1930s. Hi ...
, after another meeting in his home. By 1823, however, his earlier trust in the
Holy Alliance The Holy Alliance (german: Heilige Allianz; russian: Священный союз, ''Svyashchennyy soyuz''; also called the Grand Alliance) was a coalition linking the monarchist great powers of Austria, Prussia, and Russia. It was created after ...
, and in particular
Alexander I of Russia Alexander I (; – ) was Emperor of Russia from 1801, the first King of Congress Poland from 1815, and the Grand Duke of Finland from 1809 to his death. He was the eldest son of Emperor Paul I and Sophie Dorothea of Württemberg. The son of ...
, to uphold peace in Europe, had given way to disillusionment.


Other philanthropic works and interests

Allen's philanthropic work was closely allied to his religious beliefs, and began at an early age. In 1814 he became a partner in
New Lanark New Lanark is a village on the River Clyde, approximately 1.4 miles (2.2 kilometres) from Lanark, in Lanarkshire, and some southeast of Glasgow, Scotland. It was founded in 1785 and opened in 1786 by David Dale, who built cotton mills and housi ...
. In the area of
penal reform Prison reform is the attempt to improve conditions inside prisons, improve the effectiveness of a penal system, or implement alternatives to incarceration. It also focuses on ensuring the reinstatement of those whose lives are impacted by crimes. ...
, prompted by
Basil Montagu Basil Montagu (24 April 1770 – 27 November 1851) was a British jurist, barrister, writer and philanthropist. He was educated at Charterhouse and studied law at Cambridge. He was significantly involved in reforms to bankruptcy laws of Britain. He ...
, he founded a Society for the Diffusion of Knowledge Respecting the Punishment of Death and the Improvement of Prison Discipline, in 1808.


Nutrition and self-sufficiency

In 1798 Allen set up a Soup Society in
Spitalfields Spitalfields is a district in the East End of London and within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The area is formed around Commercial Street (on the A1202 London Inner Ring Road) and includes the locale around Brick Lane, Christ Church, ...
. His later interest in agricultural experiments was also aimed improving the nutrition and diet of ordinary people. Using only small plots, he carried out trials at Lordship Lane in
Stoke Newington Stoke Newington is an area occupying the north-west part of the London Borough of Hackney in north-east London, England. It is northeast of Charing Cross. The Manor of Stoke Newington gave its name to Stoke Newington the ancient parish. The ...
, and later put into practice some of his findings at the model agricultural settlement of Lindfield that he helped establish. Allen's self-sufficient settlement was described in detail in his pamphlet ''Colonies at Home'', where he stated "instead of encouraging emigration at enormous expense per head let the money be applied to the establishment of Colonies at Home and the increase of our national strength". At the time (1820s) the familiar colonies were in
the Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America, North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. ...
so the whole area became known as "America". This identity remains in the local street names and people's memories of the cottages in what is now America Lane.


Education

Allen was approached to help fund the ideas of
Joseph Lancaster Joseph Lancaster (25 November 1778 – 23 October 1838) was an English Quaker and public education innovator. He developed, and propagated on the grounds both of economy and efficacy, a monitorial system of primary education. In the first deca ...
and his
monitorial system The Monitorial System, also known as Madras System or Lancasterian System, was an education method that took hold during the early 19th century, because of Spanish, French, and English colonial education that was imposed into the areas of expansion. ...
, under which one teacher supervised several senior pupils, who in turn instructed many junior ones. In 1808 Allen, Joseph Fox and Samuel Whitbread co-founded the Society for Promoting the Lancasterian System for the Education of the Poor, from 1814 the
British and Foreign School Society The British and Foreign School Society (BFSS) offers charitable aid to educational projects in the UK and around the world by funding schools, other charities and educational bodies. It was significant in the history of education in England, suppor ...
. In 1810 Allen became treasurer of the Society, whose aim was to open progressive schools in England and abroad. In 1824 Allen founded the
Newington Academy for Girls The Newington Academy for Girls, also known as Newington College for Girls, was a List of Friends schools, Quaker school established in 1824 in Stoke Newington, then north of London. In a time when Female education, girls' educational opportuniti ...
, also known as the Newington College for Girls, a Quaker school. The headmistress was
Susanna Corder Susanna Corder (9 November 1787 – 28 February 1864) was an educationist and Quaker biographer. Early years Corder was born in 1787 in Kelvedon in Essex, the daughter of Quakers Ruth ''née'' Marriage and John Corder, a farmer. A sickly child, ...
.
Quaker views on women Quaker views on women have always been considered progressive in their own time (beginning in the 17th century), and in the late 19th century this tendency bore fruit in the prominence of Quaker women in the American women's rights movement. The ...
had from the beginning tended towards equality, with women allowed to minister, but still, at the time, girls' educational opportunities were limited. His school offered a wide range of subjects "on a plan in degree differing from any hitherto adopted", according to the prospectus. Here Allen was able to ensure that the new sciences were covered (he taught astronomy, physics, and chemistry himself), as well as many languages. Allen hired
Ugo Foscolo Ugo Foscolo (; 6 February 177810 September 1827), born Niccolò Foscolo, was an Italian writer, revolutionary and a poet. He is especially remembered for his 1807 long poem ''Dei Sepolcri''. Early life Foscolo was born in Zakynthos in the Io ...
, a revolutionary and poet, to teach Italian. The school was situated at Fleetwood House and made much use of
Abney Park Abney Park is in Stoke Newington, London, England. It is a park dating from just before 1700, named after Lady Abney, the wife of Sir Thomas Abney, Lord Mayor of London in 1700 and one of the first directors of the Bank of England and associat ...
, the grounds in which it sat. It was also innovative in commissioning the world's first
school bus A school bus is any type of bus owned, leased, contracted to, or operated by a school or school district. It is regularly used to transport students to and from school or school-related activities, but not including a charter bus or transit bus ...
, designed by
George Shillibeer George Shillibeer (11 August 1797 – 21 August 1866) was an English coachbuilder. Biography Shillibeer was born in St Marylebone, London the son of Abraham and Elizabeth Shillibeer. Christened in St Marys Church, Marylebone on 22 October ...
, to transport the pupils to
Gracechurch Street Gracechurch Street is a main road in the City of London, the historic and financial centre of London, which is designated the A1213. It is home to a number of shops, restaurants, and offices and has an entrance to Leadenhall Market, a covered ...
meeting house A meeting house (meetinghouse, meeting-house) is a building where religious and sometimes public meetings take place. Terminology Nonconformist Protestant denominations distinguish between a * church, which is a body of people who believe in Chr ...
on Sundays. The school was the subject of a poem by
Joseph Pease Joseph Pease may refer to: * Joseph Pease (railway pioneer) (1799–1872), railway owner, first Quaker elected Member of Parliament ** Sir Joseph Pease, 1st Baronet (1828–1903), MP 1865–1903, full name Joseph Whitwell Pease, son of Joseph Pease ...
, a railway pioneer who later became the first Quaker MP.


Evangelism and travel

From 1818 to 1820 Allen toured Europe with the Quaker evangelist
Stephen Grellet Stephen Grellet (28 October 1772 – 16 November 1855) was a prominent French-American Quaker missionary. Life Grellet was born Étienne de Grellet du Mabillier in Limoges, France, the son of Antoine Gabriel Grellet, a counsellor of King Loui ...
. In 1818 they were in
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
. After his third wife's death, Allen travelled extensively. In 1840, for example, he spent five months in Europe with
Elizabeth Fry Elizabeth Fry (née Gurney; 21 May 1780 – 12 October 1845), sometimes referred to as Betsy Fry, was an English prison reformer, social reformer, philanthropist and Quaker. Fry was a major driving force behind new legislation to improve the tr ...
and Samuel Gurney.


Family life

William Allen married Mary Hamilton in 1796. They had a daughter, who bore the same name. The mother did not recover from the childbirth, and died just two days later. In 1806, Allen married for the second time. His new wife, Charlotte Hanbury was born in 1762. The couple visited the continent in 1816, but Charlotte died during their travels, leaving him to bring up his adolescent daughter Mary. In 1823, Mary, who had married to another Cornelius Hanbury, gave birth to a son, but she died nine days later. William Allen married for the third time in 1827. Grizell was the eldest sister of another family of well-off Stoke Newington Quakers, of whom the best-known is
Samuel Hoare Jr Samuel Hoare Jr (9 August 1751 – 14 July 1825) was a wealthy British Quaker banker and abolitionist born in Stoke Newington, then to the north of London in the county of Middlesex. His London seat was Heath House on Hampstead Heath. He was one ...
(1751–1825), one of the twelve founding members of the
Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade The Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade, also known as the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade, and sometimes referred to as the Abolition Society or Anti-Slavery Society, was a British abolitionist group formed on ...
. She had been nurse and companion to her father, a merchant in the City of London, and then married Wilson Birkbeck in 1801. As a wealthy widow, she contributed to the 1824 foundation of
Newington Academy for Girls The Newington Academy for Girls, also known as Newington College for Girls, was a List of Friends schools, Quaker school established in 1824 in Stoke Newington, then north of London. In a time when Female education, girls' educational opportuniti ...
, and three years later she and William Allen, both co-founders of this novel educational establishment, married. She was 72, and the marriage was greeted by a satirical cartoon entitled "Sweet William & Grizzell-or- Newington nunnery in an uproar!!!" by
Robert Cruikshank Isaac Robert Cruikshank, sometimes known as Robert Cruikshank (27 September 1789 – 13 March 1856), was a caricaturist, illustrator and portrait miniaturist, the less well-known brother of George Cruikshank, both sons of Isaac Cruikshank. Just ...
. Grizell Allen died in 1835.


Death and memorial

William Allen died on 30 DecemberLife of William Allen with Selections from his correspondence, volume II, page 540 published 1847 1843 and was buried in
Stoke Newington Stoke Newington is an area occupying the north-west part of the London Borough of Hackney in north-east London, England. It is northeast of Charing Cross. The Manor of Stoke Newington gave its name to Stoke Newington the ancient parish. The ...
, London, in the grounds of the Yoakley Road Quaker Meeting House. Today this has been replaced by a
Seventh-Day Adventist The Seventh-day Adventist Church is an Adventism, Adventist Protestantism, Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the Names of the days of the week#Numbered days of the week, seventh day of the ...
chapel, the other half of its grounds becoming a small Council-maintained park for the nearby public housing estate.


Sources and further reading

* * * * Doncaster, Hugh (1965) 'Friends of Humanity: with special reference to the Quaker William Allen', London: Dr William's Trust * * *


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, William 1770 births 1843 deaths English scientists People of the Industrial Revolution English educational theorists English abolitionists Fellows of the Royal Society Fellows of the Linnean Society of London English Quakers People from Stoke Newington English pharmacists English Christian pacifists Quaker abolitionists Committee members of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge