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William Allen (Quaker)
Encyclopedia
William Allen FRS, FLS
(29 August 1770 – 30 September 1843) was an English scientist and philanthropist
who opposed slavery and engaged in schemes of social and penal improvement in early nineteenth century England
.
manufacturer. As a young man, in the 1790s, William Allen became interested in science. He attended meetings of various scientific societies, including lectures at St. Thomas's Hospital and Guy's Hospital, becoming a member of 'The Chemical Society' of the latter establishment.
In the first year of the new century, William Allen's father died, and the family silk business was thereafter managed by his father's assistant. This left William free to grow his own business in the field of pharmacy, gradually becoming independent and establishing his own business. In 1802 he was elected a Fellow of the Linnean Society 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
and John Dalton
also accepted an invitation from the Royal Institution
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
, 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
who was likewise elected to Fellowship of the Royal Society, though some years later.
, it eventually grew into one of the UK's largest pharmaceutical companies: Allen & Hanburys
. The company was acquired in 1958 by Glaxo Laboratories
, who retained 'Allen and Hanburys' as a separate marque within the GSK group.
In 1841 William Allen co-founded The Pharmaceutical Society
, which later became The Royal Pharmaceutical Society. Its first president was William Allen.
Allen's involvement with the Plough Court Pharmacy began in the 1790s when he began working there for Samuel Mildred. Already a thriving business in the City of London, with the arms of the Apothecaries Company emblazoned on its window, it continued to prosper and William Allen was offered a partnership; the company thereafter trading for a while under the name Mildred and Allen. William Allen strengthened the company's links with medical institutions, particularly Guy's Hospital where he was elected to its 'Physical Society'. Meanwhile, using the facilities at Plough Court for meetings, he was able to broaden such associations further by co-founding the Askesian Society
through which new ideas for research and experimentation could be discussed with others such as Luke Howard
, Joseph Fox, W.H.Pepys, Dr Babington, and the eminent surgeon Sir Astley Cooper
. In 1797 William Allen invited Luke Howard
to formally collaborate with him at the Plough Court Pharmacy, the business becoming known as Allen and Howard to reflect this partnership. As the business expanded, a second laboratory was opened for the development of new chemicals, a few miles from the company's City of London headquarters, in Plaistow
.
, and later put into practice some of his findings at the model agricultural settlement of Lindfield
that he helped establish.
His 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". To the people of the time (1820s) the known colonies were in the Americas 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.
William Allen's other philanthropic interest was education. He became greatly influenced by the ideas of Joseph Lancaster
, who invented the monitorial system that bears his name. It was a cheap way of educating large numbers, where one teacher supervises several senior pupils who in turn instruct 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, later the British and Foreign School Society for the Education of the Labouring and Manufacturing Classes of Society of Every Religious Persuasion. In 1810 William Allen became treasurer of the Society, whose aim was to open progressive schools in England and abroad. It was renamed the British and Foreign School Society
in 1814, when Allen was again its treasurer.
In 1824 Allen founded the Newington Academy for Girls
, also known as the Newington College for Girls, a Quaker school. Quaker views on women 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. The school was situated at Fleetwood House and made much use of Abney Park
, the grounds in which it sat. It was also innovative in commissioning the world's first school bus
, designed by George Shillibeer
, to transport the pupils to Gracechurch Street
meeting house
on Sundays. The school was the subject of a poem by Joseph Pease
, a railway pioneer who later became the first Quaker MP.
In 1811 William Allen, with the support of James Mill
, started a publication entitled the Philanthropist. It published articles by Mill and by Jeremy Bentham
. In 1816 he became a founding member of the Peace Society
, a political development from his long-standing Quaker pacificism. From 1818-1820 he toured Europe with the Quaker evangelist Stephen Grellet
.
The society had always been strongly influenced by the Friends, and particularly by London-based Quakers. All the members of its predecessor committee (1783-7) 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
and Joseph Woods Sr (father of the botanist Joseph Woods Jr
) - who lived close to William Allen in Stoke Newington
, 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
, who, unlike its Quaker members, was eligible as an Anglican to be elected to, and sit in, the House of Commons. Wilberforce visited William Allen at his experimental gardens in Stoke Newington
on several occasions in his role as the Society's parliamentary representative. He had long been familiar with the village, owing to residence there of his brother-in-law James Stephens'
father at Summerhouse - a large house adjoining Abney Park
in the very grounds of the mansion that later, in the 1820s, was to become William Allen's novel girls' school.
William Allen was also a founder member and a Director of the African Institution; the successor body to the Sierra Leone Company
, sponsored by philanthropists to establish a colony in West Africa
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.
William 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:',
In 1839 William Allen became a founding Committee Member of the British and Foreign Anti-slavery Society for the Abolition of Slavery and the Slave-trade Throughout the World, which is today known as Anti-Slavery International
. 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
that hangs in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
In 1806 William Allen married for the second time. His new wife, Charlotte Hanbury of Stoke Newington
was the daughter of a similarly affluent Quaker family. The marriage led to a long-standing association between William Allen and Stoke Newington
. The couple visited the continent in 1816, but Charlotte died during their travels, leaving him to bring up his daughter Mary. Tragedy struck again in 1823, when Allen's daughter Mary (recently married to Cornelius Hanbury) gave birth to a son but died just nine days later.
William Allen married for the third time in 1827. This marriage was the subject of public comment, since his betrothed - Grizell Birbeck (formerly Grizell Hoare of Stoke Newington) - was an elderly Quaker widow. A satirical cartoon was published by Robert Cruikshank
(brother of the more famous George
) depicting Allen and his elderly fiancée in 'Newington Nunnery'
the novel Quaker girls' school of which he was so proud. This marriage was as tragic as his first two, for Allen's wife Grizell died in 1835, leaving him single for a third time. However, he had a large circle of friends, and was able to afford to travel extensively. In 1840, for example, he travelled for five months across Europe with Elizabeth Fry
and Samuel Gurney
.
, London, in the grounds of the Yoakley Road Quaker Meeting House. Today this has been replaced by a Seventh Day Adventist chapel, the other half of its grounds becoming a small Council-maintained park for the nearby public housing estate.
Linnean Society of London
The Linnean Society of London is the world's premier society for the study and dissemination of taxonomy and natural history. It publishes a zoological journal, as well as botanical and biological journals...
(29 August 1770 – 30 September 1843) was an English scientist and philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
who opposed slavery and engaged in schemes of social and penal improvement in early nineteenth century England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Early life
William Allen was the eldest son of devout Quakers Job and Margaret Allen. They were a well-to-do family, Job earning his wealth as a silkSilk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
manufacturer. As a young man, in the 1790s, William Allen became interested in science. He attended meetings of various scientific societies, including lectures at St. Thomas's Hospital and Guy's Hospital, becoming a member of 'The Chemical Society' of the latter establishment.
In the first year of the new century, William Allen's father died, and the family silk business was thereafter managed by his father's assistant. This left William free to grow his own business in the field of pharmacy, gradually becoming independent and establishing his own business. In 1802 he was elected a Fellow of the Linnean Society 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
Humphry Davy
Sir Humphry Davy, 1st Baronet FRS MRIA was a British chemist and inventor. He is probably best remembered today for his discoveries of several alkali and alkaline earth metals, as well as contributions to the discoveries of the elemental nature of chlorine and iodine...
and John Dalton
John Dalton
John Dalton FRS was an English chemist, meteorologist and physicist. He is best known for his pioneering work in the development of modern atomic theory, and his research into colour blindness .-Early life:John Dalton was born into a Quaker family at Eaglesfield, near Cockermouth, Cumberland,...
also accepted an invitation from the Royal Institution
Royal Institution
The Royal Institution of Great Britain is an organization devoted to scientific education and research, based in London.-Overview:...
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
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
, 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
Humphry Davy
Sir Humphry Davy, 1st Baronet FRS MRIA was a British chemist and inventor. He is probably best remembered today for his discoveries of several alkali and alkaline earth metals, as well as contributions to the discoveries of the elemental nature of chlorine and iodine...
, and in due course with his long-standing friend Luke Howard
Luke Howard
Luke Howard FRS was a British manufacturing chemist and an amateur meteorologist with broad interests in science...
who was likewise elected to Fellowship of the Royal Society, though some years later.
Pharmacy
William Allen was known in commerce for his pharmaceutical company Plough Court. Situated off Lombard Street in the heart of the City of London, and founded by the Quaker scientist Silvanus BevanSilvanus Bevan
Silvanus Bevan was an apothecary, who founded the successful firm of Allen & Hanburys.He was born into a prosperous Welsh Quaker family. His father was also called Silvanus Bevan...
, it eventually grew into one of the UK's largest pharmaceutical companies: Allen & Hanburys
Allen & Hanburys
Allen and Hanburys Ltd was a British pharmaceutical manufacturer, absorbed by Glaxo Laboratories in 1958.-History:The business was founded in 1715 in Old Plough Court, Lombard Street, London, by Silvanus Bevan, a Welshman, apothecary and a Quaker...
. The company was acquired in 1958 by Glaxo Laboratories
GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline plc is a global pharmaceutical, biologics, vaccines and consumer healthcare company headquartered in London, United Kingdom...
, who retained 'Allen and Hanburys' as a separate marque within the GSK group.
In 1841 William Allen co-founded The Pharmaceutical Society
Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain was formerly the statutory regulatory and professional body for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in England, Scotland and Wales...
, which later became The Royal Pharmaceutical Society. Its first president was William Allen.
Allen's involvement with the Plough Court Pharmacy began in the 1790s when he began working there for Samuel Mildred. Already a thriving business in the City of London, with the arms of the Apothecaries Company emblazoned on its window, it continued to prosper and William Allen was offered a partnership; the company thereafter trading for a while under the name Mildred and Allen. William Allen strengthened the company's links with medical institutions, particularly Guy's Hospital where he was elected to its 'Physical Society'. Meanwhile, using the facilities at Plough Court for meetings, he was able to broaden such associations further by co-founding the Askesian Society
Askesian Society
The Askesian Society was a debating club for scientific thinkers, established in 1796 in London. The name was taken from the Greek term Askesis, meaning 'training' or 'application'. It was founded by William Allen, who allowed the use of his laboratory at No...
through which new ideas for research and experimentation could be discussed with others such as Luke Howard
Luke Howard
Luke Howard FRS was a British manufacturing chemist and an amateur meteorologist with broad interests in science...
, Joseph Fox, W.H.Pepys, Dr Babington, and the eminent surgeon Sir Astley Cooper
Astley Cooper
Sir Astley Paston Cooper, 1st Baronet was an English surgeon and anatomist, who made historical contributions to otology, vascular surgery, the anatomy and pathology of the mammary glands and testicles, and the pathology and surgery of hernia.-Life:Cooper was born at Brooke Hall in Brooke, Norfolk...
. In 1797 William Allen invited Luke Howard
Luke Howard
Luke Howard FRS was a British manufacturing chemist and an amateur meteorologist with broad interests in science...
to formally collaborate with him at the Plough Court Pharmacy, the business becoming known as Allen and Howard to reflect this partnership. As the business expanded, a second laboratory was opened for the development of new chemicals, a few miles from the company's City of London headquarters, in Plaistow
Plaistow, Newham
Plaistow is a place in the London Borough of Newham in east London. It formed part of the County Borough of West Ham in Essex until 1965.Plaistow is a mainly residential area, including several council estates; the main road is the A112 - Plaistow Road, High Street, Broadway, Greengate Street and...
.
Philanthropic and educational work
William Allen's philanthropic work was closely allied to his religious revivalist beliefs, and began at an early age. As the eighteenth century drew to a close, his concerns about the effects of a local famine, led to him opening a 'soup society'. Later his interest in agricultural experiments was also aimed improving the nutrition and diet of ordinary people susceptible to food shortages. Using only small plots, he carried out trials at Lordship Lane in Stoke NewingtonStoke Newington
Stoke Newington is a district in the London Borough of Hackney. It is north-east of Charing Cross.-Boundaries:In modern terms, Stoke Newington can be roughly defined by the N16 postcode area . Its southern boundary with Dalston is quite ill-defined too...
, and later put into practice some of his findings at the model agricultural settlement of Lindfield
Lindfield
Lindfield may refer to:*Lindfield, New South Wales, Australia*Lindfield, West Sussex, England...
that he helped establish.
His 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". To the people of the time (1820s) the known colonies were in the Americas 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.
William Allen's other philanthropic interest was education. He became greatly influenced by the ideas of Joseph Lancaster
Joseph Lancaster
Joseph Lancaster was an English Quaker and public education innovator.-Life:Lancaster was born the son of a shopkeeper in Southwark, south London....
, who invented the monitorial system that bears his name. It was a cheap way of educating large numbers, where one teacher supervises several senior pupils who in turn instruct many junior ones. In 1808 Allen, Joseph Fox and Samuel Whitbread
Samuel Whitbread
Samuel Whitbread was an English politician.- Early life :Whitbread was born in Cardington, Bedfordshire, the son of the brewer Samuel Whitbread. He was educated at Eton College, Christ Church, Oxford and St John's College, Cambridge, after which he embarked on a European 'Grand Tour', visiting...
co-founded the Society for Promoting the Lancasterian System for the Education of the Poor, later the British and Foreign School Society for the Education of the Labouring and Manufacturing Classes of Society of Every Religious Persuasion. In 1810 William Allen became treasurer of the Society, whose aim was to open progressive schools in England and abroad. It was renamed the British and Foreign School Society
British and Foreign School Society
The British and Foreign School Society offers charitable aid to educational projects in the UK and around the world by funding schools, other charities and educational bodies...
in 1814, when Allen was again its treasurer.
In 1824 Allen founded the Newington Academy for Girls
Newington Academy for Girls
The Newington Academy for Girls, also known as Newington College for Girls, was a Quaker school established in 1824 in Stoke Newington, then north of London. In a time when girls' educational opportunities were limited, it offered a wide range of subjects "on a plan in degree differing from any...
, also known as the Newington College for Girls, a Quaker school. Quaker views on women had from the beginning tended towards equality, with women allowed to minister, but still, at the time, girls' educational opportunities
Female education
Female education is a catch-all term for a complex of issues and debates surrounding education for females. It includes areas of gender equality and access to education, and its connection to the alleviation of poverty...
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. The school was situated at Fleetwood House and made much use of Abney Park
Abney Park
The historic grounds of Abney Park are situated in Stoke Newington, London, England. It is a 13ha park dating from just before 1700, named after Lady Mary Abney and associated with Dr Isaac Watts. In the early 18th century, the park was accessed via the frontages and gardens of two large mansions...
, the grounds in which it sat. It was also innovative in commissioning the world's first school bus
School bus
A school bus is a type of bus designed and manufactured for student transport: carrying children and teenagers to and from school and school events...
, designed by George Shillibeer
George Shillibeer
George Shillibeer was an English coachbuilder.Shillibeer was born in St Marylebone, London the son of Abraham and Elizabeth Shillibeer. Christened in St Marys Church, Marylebone on 22 October 1797, Shillibeer worked for the coach company Hatchetts in Long Acre, the coach-building district of the...
, to transport the pupils to Gracechurch Street
Gracechurch Street
Gracechurch Street is a street in the City of London which forms part of the A10. It is home to a number of shops, restaurants, offices and Leadenhall Market....
meeting house
Meeting house
A meeting house describes a building where a public meeting takes place. This includes secular buildings which function like a town or city hall, and buildings used for religious meetings, particularly of some non-conformist Christian denominations....
on Sundays. The school was the subject of a poem by Joseph Pease
Joseph Pease (1799-1872)
Joseph Pease was involved in the early railway system in the UK and was the first Quaker elected to Parliament.-Life:...
, a railway pioneer who later became the first Quaker MP.
In 1811 William Allen, with the support of James Mill
James Mill
James Mill was a Scottish historian, economist, political theorist, and philosopher. He was a founder of classical economics, together with David Ricardo, and the father of influential philosopher of classical liberalism, John Stuart Mill.-Life:Mill was born at Northwater Bridge, in the parish of...
, started a publication entitled the Philanthropist. It published articles by Mill and by Jeremy Bentham
Jeremy Bentham
Jeremy Bentham was an English jurist, philosopher, and legal and social reformer. He became a leading theorist in Anglo-American philosophy of law, and a political radical whose ideas influenced the development of welfarism...
. In 1816 he became a founding member of the Peace Society
Peace Society
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 society founded on 14 June 1816 for the promotion of permanent and universal peace; it advocated a gradual, proportionate, and...
, a political development from his long-standing Quaker pacificism. From 1818-1820 he toured Europe with the Quaker evangelist Stephen Grellet
Stephen Grellet
Stephen Grellet was a prominent French Quaker missionary.He was born Étienne de Grellet du Mabillier in Limoges, the son to a counsellor of King Louis XVI. Raised as a Roman Catholic he was educated at the military College of Lyons, and at the age of seventeen he entered the body-guard of Louis XVI...
.
Abolition of slavery
In 1805, after some years of assisting the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade, William Allen was elected a 'Committee Member'.The society had always been strongly influenced by the Friends, and particularly by London-based Quakers. All the members of its predecessor committee (1783-7) 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
Samuel Hoare Jr
Samuel Hoare Jr was a wealthy British Quaker merchant and abolitionist born in Stoke Newington, the north of London. He was one of the twelve founding members of the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade.-Background:...
and Joseph Woods Sr (father of the botanist Joseph Woods Jr
Joseph Woods
Joseph Woods FLS FGS 24 August 1776-1864 was an English Quaker architect, botanist and geologist born in the village of Stoke Newington, a few miles north of the City of London...
) - who lived close to William Allen in Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington is a district in the London Borough of Hackney. It is north-east of Charing Cross.-Boundaries:In modern terms, Stoke Newington can be roughly defined by the N16 postcode area . Its southern boundary with Dalston is quite ill-defined too...
, 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
William Wilberforce was a British politician, a philanthropist and a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780, eventually becoming the independent Member of Parliament for Yorkshire...
, who, unlike its Quaker members, was eligible as an Anglican to be elected to, and sit in, the House of Commons. Wilberforce visited William Allen at his experimental gardens in Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington is a district in the London Borough of Hackney. It is north-east of Charing Cross.-Boundaries:In modern terms, Stoke Newington can be roughly defined by the N16 postcode area . Its southern boundary with Dalston is quite ill-defined too...
on several occasions in his role as the Society's parliamentary representative. He had long been familiar with the village, owing to residence there of his brother-in-law James Stephens'
James Stephens
James Stephens may refer to:*James Stephens , 17th century MP for Gloucester*James Stephen , English lawyer associated with the abolition of slavery* James B...
father at Summerhouse - a large house adjoining Abney Park
Abney Park
The historic grounds of Abney Park are situated in Stoke Newington, London, England. It is a 13ha park dating from just before 1700, named after Lady Mary Abney and associated with Dr Isaac Watts. In the early 18th century, the park was accessed via the frontages and gardens of two large mansions...
in the very grounds of the mansion that later, in the 1820s, was to become William Allen's novel girls' school.
William Allen was also a founder member and a Director of the African Institution; the successor body to the Sierra Leone Company
Sierra Leone Company
The Sierra Leone Company was the corporate body involved in founding the second British colony in Africa in 1792 through the resettlement of black American ex-slaves who had initially been settled in Nova Scotia after the American Revolutionary War...
, sponsored by philanthropists to establish a colony in West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
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.
William 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
James Sherman (minister)
The Rev. James Sherman , was a Congregationalist and abolitionist; a popular preacher at The Castle Street Chapel in Reading from 1821 to 1836 and the Surrey Chapel, Blackfriars, London from 1836-54. He was successor at the Surrey Chapel to Rowland Hill...
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, 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 1839 William Allen became a founding Committee Member of the British and Foreign Anti-slavery Society for the Abolition of Slavery and the Slave-trade Throughout the World, which is today known as Anti-Slavery International
Anti-Slavery International
Anti-Slavery International is an international nongovernmental organization, charity and a lobby group, based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1839, it is the world's oldest international human rights organization, and the only charity in the United Kingdom to work exclusively against slavery and...
. 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 Haydon
Benjamin Robert Haydon was an English historical painter and writer.-Biography:Haydon was born in Plymouth. His mother was the daughter of the Rev. Benjamin Cobley, rector of Dodbrooke, near Kingsbridge, Devon. Her brother, General Sir Thomas Cobley, was renowned for his part in the siege of Ismail...
that hangs in the National Portrait Gallery, London.
Family life
William Allen married Mary Hamilton in 1796, and his daughter (also named Mary) was born. Unfortunately, Mrs Allen did not recover from the childbirth, and died just two days later.In 1806 William Allen married for the second time. His new wife, Charlotte Hanbury of Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington is a district in the London Borough of Hackney. It is north-east of Charing Cross.-Boundaries:In modern terms, Stoke Newington can be roughly defined by the N16 postcode area . Its southern boundary with Dalston is quite ill-defined too...
was the daughter of a similarly affluent Quaker family. The marriage led to a long-standing association between William Allen and Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington is a district in the London Borough of Hackney. It is north-east of Charing Cross.-Boundaries:In modern terms, Stoke Newington can be roughly defined by the N16 postcode area . Its southern boundary with Dalston is quite ill-defined too...
. The couple visited the continent in 1816, but Charlotte died during their travels, leaving him to bring up his daughter Mary. Tragedy struck again in 1823, when Allen's daughter Mary (recently married to Cornelius Hanbury) gave birth to a son but died just nine days later.
William Allen married for the third time in 1827. This marriage was the subject of public comment, since his betrothed - Grizell Birbeck (formerly Grizell Hoare of Stoke Newington) - was an elderly Quaker widow. A satirical cartoon was published by Robert Cruikshank
Isaac Robert Cruikshank
Isaac Robert Cruikshank, sometimes known as Robert Cruikshank was a caricaturist, illustrator, and portrait miniaturist, the less well-known brother of George Cruikshank, both sons of Isaac Cruikshank. Born in Middlesex, where he and his brother George attended school in Edgware...
(brother of the more famous George
George Cruikshank
George Cruikshank was a British caricaturist and book illustrator, praised as the "modern Hogarth" during his life. His book illustrations for his friend Charles Dickens, and many other authors, reached an international audience.-Early life:Cruikshank was born in London...
) depicting Allen and his elderly fiancée in 'Newington Nunnery'
Abney Park
The historic grounds of Abney Park are situated in Stoke Newington, London, England. It is a 13ha park dating from just before 1700, named after Lady Mary Abney and associated with Dr Isaac Watts. In the early 18th century, the park was accessed via the frontages and gardens of two large mansions...
the novel Quaker girls' school of which he was so proud. This marriage was as tragic as his first two, for Allen's wife Grizell died in 1835, leaving him single for a third time. However, he had a large circle of friends, and was able to afford to travel extensively. In 1840, for example, he travelled for five months across Europe with Elizabeth Fry
Elizabeth Fry
Elizabeth Fry , née Gurney, was an English prison reformer, social reformer and, as a Quaker, a Christian philanthropist...
and Samuel Gurney
Samuel Gurney
Samuel Gurney was an English banker and philanthropist.He should not be confused with his second son, Samuel , also described as banker and philanthropist, and a Member of Parliament.-Early years and marriage:...
.
Death and memorial
William Allen died on 30 September 1843 and was buried in Stoke NewingtonStoke Newington
Stoke Newington is a district in the London Borough of Hackney. It is north-east of Charing Cross.-Boundaries:In modern terms, Stoke Newington can be roughly defined by the N16 postcode area . Its southern boundary with Dalston is quite ill-defined too...
, London, in the grounds of the Yoakley Road Quaker Meeting House. Today this has been replaced by a Seventh Day Adventist 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