Person:John Allen (275)

John Burridge Allen was born in 1843 at Plymouth in Devon, son of Sarah Allen, formerly Dawe, and her husband William Allen, a basket maker. John appears in both the 1851 and 1861 censuses living with his parents and siblings in Plymouth. The 1861 census describes John as a seaman. He spent most of his adult life serving in the Royal Navy.

In 1873 John married Mary Ann Harry. They already had one daughter from a few months before their marriage, but her baptism record names John as her father. They went on to have ten children altogether, but two died as babies and another two died as small children of 7 and 8 years old. The 1881 census finds John serving on board the HMS Miranda, which was docked at Sydney in Australia on census night and John was listed as having gone ashore. Back in Plymouth, Mary Ann and the children were living at 10 John Street.

John appears to have left the navy later in 1881 or early 1882; all his children's baptisms after 1882 describe him as a naval pensioner. For a time in the mid 1880s the family lived with John's mother in law at 3 Claremont Place in Plymouth. They then moved to Devonport, living at 15 Wake Street from 1888 onwards, and appearing there in the 1891 census.

In 1892, John was charged with aggravated assault on his wife. He was convicted and sent to jail for one month.

Mary Ann died in 1895, aged 42. John was left with six surviving children to look after. He married again shortly after Mary Ann's death, with his second wife being Annie Maria George.

John died in 1898, aged 55. The 1901 census finds his younger children scattered; one was living with John's widow, and two were in orphanages.

1. ↑ Births index, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   b. John Burridge ALLEN, March Quarter 1843, Plymouth Registration District, Volume 9, page 427, mother's maiden name Dawe

2. ↑ England. 1851 Census Returns for England and Wales. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class HO107; Piece 1878; Folio 240; Page 7, 30 Mar 1851.

   Address: 18 Salem Street, Plymouth (Charles), Devon
   Mary Dawe, head, widow, female, 72 [1778/9], Pauper (Charwoman), b. St George, Cornwall
   William Allen, son in law, married, male, 33 [1817/8], Basket maker, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Sarah Allen, wife, married, female, 33 [1817/8], b. Plymouth, Devon
   Mary Allen, daughter, unmarried, female, 12 [1838/9], Servant at Home, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Isabella Allen, daughter, female, 10 [1840/1], Scholar, b. Plymouth, Devon
   John Allen, son, male, 9 [1841/2], Scholar, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Catherine Allen, daughter, female, 4 [1846/7], Scholar, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Edward Allen, son, male, 2 [1848/9], b. Plymouth, Devon

3. ↑ England. 1861 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG9; Piece 1437; Folio 20; Page 34, 7 Apr 1861.

   Address: 32 Gibbon Street, Plymouth (Charles), Devon
   William Allen, head, married, male, 42 [1818/9], Basket maker, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Sarah Allen, wife, married, female, 42 [1818/9], Dress maker, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Mary A.E. Allen, daughter, unmarried, female, 21 [1839/40], Domestic Servant, b. Plymouth, Devon
   John B. Allen, son, unmarried, male, 18 [1842/3], Seaman, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Edwin Allen, son, male, 12 [1848/9], Scholar, b. Plymouth, Devon
   Alfred W. Allen, son, male, 9 [1851/2], Scholar, b. Plymouth, Devon

4. ↑ England. 1881 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands: . (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG11; Piece 5641; Folio 57; Page 31, 3 Apr 1881.

   HMS Miranda, Sydney, Australia
   List of the officers, men, boys and marines borne on the books of the ship, but not on board on the night of Sunday, April 3rd, 1881:
   [ten men, including:]
   John Allen, 2 Cap:Fole?, married, 37 [1843/4], b. Plymouth, Devon

5. ↑ England. 1891 Census Schedules for England and Wales, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands. (
   Kew, Richmond, Greater London TW9 4DU, United Kingdom:
   The National Archives (abbreviated TNA), formerly the UK General Register Office.)
   Class RG12; Piece 1744; Folio 141; Page 45, 5 Apr 1891.

   Address: 15 Wake Street, Devonport, Stoke Damerel, Devon
   2 rooms occupied
   J.B. Allen, head, married, male, 48 [1842/3], Seaman, employed, b. Plymouth, Devon
   M.A. Allen, wife, married, female, 38 [1852/3], b. Portsmouth, Hampshire
   A.M. Allen, daughter, female, 12 [1878/9], Scholar, b. Plymouth, Devon
   A.S. Allen, son, male, 6 [1884/5], Scholar, b. Plymouth, Devon
   G.B. Allen, son, male, 4 [1886/7], Scholar, b. Plymouth, Devon
   W.H. Allen, son, male, 2 [1888/9], b. Devonport, Devon
   W.M. Allen, daughter, female, 1 [1889/90], b. Devonport, Devon

6. ↑ Deaths index, in General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration. (London: General Register Office).

   d. John Burridge ALLEN, December Quarter 1898, Plymouth Registration District, Vol. 5b, page 183, aged 57 [1840/1]

7.   Plymouth Borough Records 1519-1905.

   1892 Epiphany to Easter
   No. 64
   Name of Parties: John Burridge Allen
   Offences: Aggravated assault on wife
   Amount of Fine: -
   Observations: 1 month