Philip Allen was the second illegitimate son of Lucy Allen. He named his two oldest children after his maternal grandparents. They were William and Mary Allen. Who they were remains a mystery.

Philip Allen

Born: 1793 in Colwall, Herefordshire, England

Father: Unknown
Mother: Lucy Allen (1774 to 1833)

Spouse: Ann Weaver (1808 to 1873)

Married: 30 JAN 1830 in Worcester St Nicholas, Worcestershire, England

Children:

William Philip Allen (1832 to 1903)
Mary Allen (1833 to Unknown)
Edward Allen (1836 to 3 SEP 1894)
Jesse Weaver Allen (1837 to 1911)
Robert Allen (1840 to 1902)
Ann Louisa Hanford Allen (1843 to 1888)
James Allen (1845 to 1847)
Joseph Allen (1852 to 1923)

Died: 19 JUN 1853 in Westbury on Severn, Gloucestershire, England

Burial: St Peter and St Paul Churchyard

Timeline:

1830 Marriage to Ann
1832 Birth of son, William
1833 Death of mother, Lucy
1833 Birth of daughter, Mary
1836 Birth of son, Edward
1837 Birth of son, Jesse
1840 Birth of son, Robert
1841 Kemerton, Gloucestershire, England
1843 Birth of daughter, Ann
1845 Birth of son, James
1847 Death of son, James
1851 Westbury on Severn, Gloucestershire, England
1852 Birth of son, Joseph
1853 Death and Burial

Occupation: laborer

Records:

England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975
Worcestershire, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1947
1841 England Census Record
1851 England Census Record
England & Wales, FreeBMD Death Index: 1837-1915
UK and Ireland, Find a Grave® Index, 1300s-Current

Variations of Surname: none

Philip was baptized on 1 APR 1793 in Colwell, Herefordshire, England. He was the second illegitimate son born to Lucy Allen.

The 1841 England Census shows that Philip and his family lived in Kemerton, Gloucestershire, England. This parish is 26 miles northeast of Westbury on Severn, Gloucestershire, England.

In 1843, Philip was convicted of deserting his wife and five children. He was sentenced to 30 days in jail and was incarcerated in Littledean, Gloucestershire, England.

Philip and Ann must have reconciled. The 1851 England Census shows that the family returned to Westbury on Severn, Gloucestershire, England.

The Find A Grave memorial includes the inscription of the headstone:

“In memory of Philip Allen of this parish who died June 19th, 1853, aged 61 years. Also Ann, wife of Richard Coventry, and relict of the above who died June 2nd, 1873, aged 64 years. Also, seven children of William and Mary Allen who died in their infancy. Also, Elizabeth Allen who died October 26th, 1879, aged years and 10 months.”

Philip’s Mother:

Lucy Allen was born in 1774 in Colwall, Herefordshire, England. She died in 1833 in Mathon, Worcestershire, England.

The baptism record listed Lucy’s parents as William and Mary Allon. Other family trees have tied Lucy to William Allen (1744 Bishopstone, Gloucestershire, England) and Mary Ann Airson (1756). These family trees supply no documentation to corroborate this connection.

Lucy gave birth to her first illegitimate child when she was 17 years old:

Thomas Kendrick Allen was baptized on 25 SEP 1791 in Colwall and was buried three days later.

Five years after Philip was born, Lucy married Henry Turner. They were united on 14 AUG 1797 in Claines, Worcestershire, England.

There were eight known children born during their marriage. All the children were born in Mathon, Herefordshire, England

John Turner (1798)
Hannah Turner (1799)
Ann Turner (1801 to 1802)
William Turner (1803 to 1805)
Edward Turner (1805 to 1827)
Jane Turner (1807)
Elizabeth Turner (1809)
Henry Turner (1811)

Henry Turner was born on 6 APR 1764 in Mathon, Worcestershire, England. He died on 3 NOV 1811 in Mathon, Worcestershire, England.

Philip’s Wife:

Ann Weaver:

Ann was born in 1808 in Aston on Carrant, Gloucestershire, England. She died in 1873 in Westbury on Severn, Gloucestershire, England.

Ann’s father was William Weaver. He was born in 1770 in Bredon, Worcestershire, England. He died in 1844 in Aston on Carrant, Gloucestershire, England.

Ann’s mother was Elizabeth. Her surname may be Dodell, although this is still an unanswered question. She was born in 1773 in Gloucestershire, England. She died on 1 NOV 1852 in Bredon, Worcestershire, England.

NOTE: Elizabeth’s surname was spelled Dodhall on the marriage record. They were married on 10 DEC 1795 in Chaceley, Gloucestershire, England.

I could find no information on the internet for the surname Dodhall. It could be that the cleric wrote the name as it sounded.

The House of Names website indicates that the surname Dodell has Welsh origins. Chaceley is approximately 30 miles from the Welsh border.

There is also the parish of Dowdeswell which is 16 miles southeast of Chaceley. Elizabeth’s family may have lived in this area.

Ann had nine brothers and sisters:

Joseph Weaver (1798 to 1809)
William Weaver (1801)
James Weaver (1803 to 1803)
James Weaver (1804)
Sarah Weaver (1806)
Joseph Weaver (1810)
Elizabeth Weaver (1813)
Jesse Weaver (1816)
David Charles Weaver (1819)

Philip and Ann’s Daughters:

Mary Ann Allen:

Mary Ann was born on 17 JUN 1833 in Westbury on Severn, Gloucestershire, England. She died on 7 APR 1905 in Joliet, Will County, Illinois, USA.

Mary Ann married Anthony Bennett on 29 SEP 1861 in Gloucester, St Mark, Gloucestershire, England. Four children were born during their marriage. The three oldest children were born in Westbury on Severn. The youngest child was born in Ruspidge.

Joseph Anthony Bennett (1862)
Charles Bennett (1865)
Louisa Bennett (1868)
Thomas Bennett (1872)

Anthony Bennett was born in 1835 in Westbury on Severn, Gloucestershire, England. He died in 1873 in Lower Ruspidge, Gloucestershire, England. Anthony was 38 years old when he died.

The 1891 Wales Census shows that Mary Ann moved from Westbury on Severn to Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorgan, Wales. Her sons, Charles and Thomas, were coal miners.

The 1900 US Census shows that Mary Ann immigrated to America in 1892. She was living with her widowed son and his children in Joliet, Will County, Illinois, USA.

There is a Find A Grave memorial for Mary Ann showing the death date. She was buried in the Oakwood Cemetary.

Ann Louisa Hanford Allen:

Ann was born in 1843 in Westbury On Severn, Gloucestershire, England. She died in 1888 in Longdon, Worcestershire, England. Ann was 44 years old when she died.

Ann married Caleb Langford on 18 JUL 1867 in Whitechapel, London, England. No known children were born during their marriage.

Caleb Langford was born in 1842 in Wantage, Berkshire, England. He died on 1 SEP 1867 in Shoreditch, London, England. Caleb was 25 years old when he died.

Did You Notice?

Ann and Caleb were married on 18 JUL 1867. Caleb died on 1 SEP 1867. Caleb died 6 weeks and 3 days after they married.

The marriage record listed Caleb’s occupation as a policeman. Could he have been killed in the line of duty?

After Caleb died, Ann married George Rawson Nokes on 24 NOV 1877 in Islington, London, England. They were both widowed. No known children were born during their marriage.

George Rawson Nokes was born in 1841 in St Mary, Leicester, Leicestershire, England. He died on 1 JAN 1893 in Longdon, Worcestershire, England.

George’s first wife was Mary Austin. They were married in 1862 in Litchfield, Staffordshire, England. No known children were born during their marriage.

Mary Austin was born in 1833 in Wroughton, Wiltshire, England. She died in 1876 in Twyning, Gloucestershire, England. Mary was 43 years old when she died.

George’s third marriage was to Annie Cornes. They were united on 13 FEB 1890 in Hulme, Lancashire, England. Two known children were born during their marriage:

George Rawson Nokes (1891 Longdon, Worcestershire)
Percy Kenyon Nokes (1893 Hulme to 1905 Chorlton cum Hardy)

NOTE: Percy was born on 5 SEP 1893 in Hulme, Lancashire, England. This was 8 months and 4 days after his father died. Annie must have moved back to Lancashire to be close to her family. The witnesses to their marriage were listed as John Cornes Jr and Emily Cornes.

Annie Cornes was born on 10 JAN 1858 in Salford, Lancashire, England. She died in 1923 in South Manchester, Lancashire, England.

The Allen Family:

The Surname Database indicates that the surname Allen is of Gaelic and Breton origins:  

“The Bretons, who were originally British settlers in France, returned as invaders with William, Duke of Normandy, otherwise known as ‘The Conqueror’ in 1066, and in so doing it is claimed, re-introduced the name into England.”

The House of Names website explains:

“The name was popular among the Breton followers of William the Conqueror due to St. Alan (St Alain), a 5th-century bishop from Quimper, Brittany. During the Middle Ages, parents often named their children after saints in the hope that the child would be blessed or protected by the saint.”

“The surname Allen was first found in the lands of Shropshire, where Walter Fitz Alan of Brittany held a family seat after the Norman Conquest of 1066.”

An article on Wikipedia indicates that Walter was a son of Alan Fitz Flaad:

“Alan Fitz Flaad, a Breton knight, was awarded lands in Shropshire by King Henry I.  Although the surname was also common in Scotland and Ireland, it was probably Alan’s descendants who populated these counties.”

The Allen ancestors that you find in this family tree settled in the counties of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire in England. Shropshire lies directly northwest of these counties.

The progenitor of this family tree was Philip Allen. He was the second illegitimate son of Lucy Allen. Her parents were William and Mary Allen. They remain a mystery at this time.

Do you have Allen ancestors who lived in this area of England?  Do you have information on Lucy’s parents? If you know the answer to this question, please contact me. My email is dlwakenight@yahoo.com. You can also leave a message in the Comments Section of this post.

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