Sunday 26 January 2014

(105) Alleyn of Hatfield Peverel and Little Leighs, baronets

Alleyn of Hatfield Peverel
Richard Alleyn (d. 1527) of Thaxted (Essex) had three surviving sons, two of whom were called John. (This was unusual, and must have been confusing, but is not in fact unprecedented). One John, who was knighted, was the founder of the Alleyns of Gresley. The other two sons, John Alleyn (d. 1558) and his brother Christopher, married the two daughters and co-heirs of Gyles Leigh of Walton-on-Thames (Surrey) and acquired through their marriages the Hatfield Peverel and Hazeleigh Hall estates in Essex, respectively. At Hatfield Peverel, John acquired the premises of the former priory, which were adapted as a house for the family.  Nothing is known of the alterations which must have been made to this house over the years, but the adapted priory buildings were not replaced by a new manor house until 1769-71.

Sir Edward Alleyn (c.1586-1638), who was High Sheriff of Essex in 1629-30 was created a baronet the same year. By his marriage to the daughter and heiress of George Scott of Little Leighs he acquired the Little Leighs Hall estate (not to be confused with nearby Leez Priory), and at his death this secondary estate passed to his second son. When his great-grandson, the 3rd baronet, died in about 1658 as a child, the Hatfield Priory estate passed to his sister, Arabella (1655-1746), who was the wife first of Francis Thompson MP and later of Lord George Howard.  Arabella seems to have been a woman of independent views and strong character, and in 1707 she and her husband agreed to separate; as part of the deal, Arabella recovered control of her property and by 1720 she had sold part of it and leased Hatfield Priory itself for life to Arthur Dobbs (d. 1750/1). On his death, Hatfield Priory reverted to Sir Edmund Alleyn (d. 1759), 8th bt., who had previously inherited the Little Leighs estate from his uncle. He was, however, the last of the male line, and both estates passed to his sister, another Arabella, the wife of Rev. Henry Chalmers, and were sold.

The second son of John Alleyn (c.1538-72), Thomas Alleyn or Allen (c.1560-1635) inherited or bought property at Goldington (Beds) and later at Little Waltham (Essex).  He and his wife had a large family, and William Alleyn, one of his younger sons, needing to make his way in the world, became a druggist in London.  His son in turn was Sir Thomas Alleyn (d. 1690), a grocer who played a prominent part in the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, when he happened to be the Lord Mayor of London. Because the City had predominantly favoured the Parliamentarian side in the Civil War, its reception of Charles II on his return from exile was critical to the diplomacy by which a peaceful transition to monarchy was achieved. The Lord Mayor arranged a banquet at St George's Fields in Southwark, at which he knelt and handed the king the sword of the city, and was knighted in return.  Two weeks later, he was made a baronet and later that year he held a further banquet - this time in Guildhall - for the King and both Houses of Parliament.  In 1664 Sir Thomas bought the estate of Poynter's Grove at Totteridge (Middx) which had belonged to a less fortunate Lord Mayor - Sir Thomas Gurney - who died incarcerated in the Tower of London in 1647.  He probably had hopes of establishing a dynasty, but his only son died in 1730 without surviving issue, having already sold Poynters Grove.

Hatfield Priory, Hatfield Peverel, Essex


At the Dissolution, the manor of Hatfield Peverel Priory was acquired by Giles Leigh, from whom it passed by marriage to the Alleyn family. They lived in the timber-framed old priory adjacent to the church until 1762 when Mrs Chambers (nee Alleyn) died and the estate was sold to John Wright of Witham, Master of the Guild of Coachmakers.  He demolished the old priory buildings and built the present house in 1769-71 on a new site about a hundred yards to the south, raised on a little knoll. 


Hatfield Priory from a print of 1818.

The house is of two storeys over a basement and five bays square, and has an exceptionally plain exterior of white brick, relieved only by shallow three-bay projections on the principal fronts and a small triangular pediment over the entrance.  The house has been attributed to the London master carpenter, John Philips (c.1709-75), who displayed a similar restraint in rebuilding his own house, Culham House (Oxon) at much the same time.  It is also possible that John Wright played a hand in the design, since he is described on his monument in the church as having 'more than ordinary knowledge of architecture, painting and the other liberal arts'.

After the exterior, the interior of the house is a complete surprise, as the fittings - doorcases, window architraves and chimneypieces - are tastefully arranged architectural salvage.  The probable source of most of the material is Giacomo Leoni's Thorndon Hall (Essex) of 1733-42, which was never finished and which was demolished in 1763. In the entrance hall the overmantel is a relief of the Sacrifice of Diana by Laurent Delvaux, dating from the 1720s. Three brackets supported busts by Pietro Torrigiano of Henry VII, Henry VIII as a young man and Bishop Fisher from the Holbein Gate at Whitehall Palace, demolished in 1759 (the busts themselves, restored by a young John Flaxman, are now in the V&A, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Getty Museum respectively).  Opposite the entrance are plaster reliefs of three kings celebrated for upholding civil liberties: Alfred (surrounded by six shields displaying the arms of the Wrights and their connections), George II and William III.  The other main rooms on the ground floor are the Drawing Room and Dining Room, and the former Library (now a kitchen); the basement level provided the kitchen, servants' hall and other service accommodation. The house and interior were beautifully restored for Adrian & Fiona Cowell in the 1980s.

The 40 acre grounds of the house were laid out by the Catholic landscape gardener, Richard Woods, and work may indeed have begun on this scheme before the house was rebuilt. The original plan survives but the date of it is uncertain as the original date has been trimmed off and '1765' - which was the year before Wright bought the estate - has been added in a later hand. Although very simple the scheme is of interest because it incorporated agricultural activity within the boundaries of the park in the manner of a ferme ornée. The plan seems to have been executed in full and the park remains very much as designed; the layout was restored in the 1980s by Fiona Cowell (Woods' biographer) and her husband. They also added the Gothick temple south of the house, which was built in 1986 using fragments of a garden building from Wardour Castle (Wilts) which was designed by Woods in 1768.

Descent: Gyles Leigh (fl. mid 16th cent.); to daughter, Margaret Leigh, wife of John Alleyn (d. 1558); to son, John Alleyn (c.1538-72); to son, Edmund Alleyn (1558-1616); to son, Sir Edward Alleyn (c.1586-1638), 1st bt.; to grandson, Sir Edmund Alleyn (c.1632-56); to son, Sir Edmund Alleyn (d. c.1658), 3rd bt.; to sister, Arabella Alleyn (1655-1746), wife of Francis Thompson MP and later of Lord George Howard; sold for life to Arthur Dobbs (d. 1750/1); reverted to Sir Edmund Alleyne (d. 1759), 8th bt.; to sister, Arabella Alleyn (d. 1762), wife of Rev. Henry Chalmers; sold under an order in Chancery, 1766 to John Wright who rebuilt the house and landscaped the grounds; to son, John Wright (d. 1796); to nephew, Peter Luard (later Wright); to grandson, John Wright (d. 1882); to son, John Wright; to widow (d. 1912); sold after her death to Charles Tennant (tenant since 1912); sold 1935 to Marianhill Mission, a Catholic lay brotherhood which closed 1972; sold to Dolph Claydon; sold to Derek Marriott for use as a school; sold 1979 to Adrian & Fiona Cowell, who restored the house and park; sold c. 2012.


Little Leighs Hall, Essex


A timber-framed and plastered house of 15th century or earlier origins, which was extended in the 17th century and given a taller south wing in about 1753.  It has also been much altered and renovated in the 20th century.  The south wing incorporates some moulded beams that may have been brought here when Leez Priory nearby was partly dismantled by Guy's Hospital in 1753.

Descent: George Scott (fl. c.1600); to daughter, Elizabeth Scott, wife of Sir Edward Alleyn (c.1586-1638), 1st bt.; to younger son, Sir George Alleyn (d. 1664), 4th bt.; to son, Sir George Alleyn (d. 1702), 5th bt.; to son, Sir Clopton Alleyn (d. 1726), 6th bt.; to brother, Sir George Alleyn (d. 1736/7), 7th bt.; to nephew, Sir Edmund Alleyn (d. 1759), 8th bt.; to sister, Arabella Alleyn (d. 1762), wife of Rev. Henry Chalmers...


Poynter's Grove, Totteridge, Middlesex

The house (also known as Pointers Grove, Poynters Hall or Poynters) was one of several substantial mansions at Totteridge.  In the 17th century it was the home of Sir Richard Gurney, the Lord Mayor of London who died in the Tower of London in 1647.  
Poynters Grove, from an old postcard

It was rebuilt in the early 18th century, probably for Sir Peter Meyer, as a five bay two storey house with two-bay pavilion wings and talled hipped roofs.  The wings were later extended and remodelled for Mrs. Williams, and the interior redecorated, but it remained substantially in this form until it was demolished sometime after the death of Mrs Harmsworth in 1925. A set of engravings made of the house and its surroundings in 1926 may have been done with commemorative intent.


Poynters Grove, from an engraving of c.1926








Poynters Grove: interior of drawing room in the early 20th century


Descent: Sir Richard Gurney (d. 1647); to widow; sold after 1652 to Sir John Aubrey (c.1606-79), 1st bt.; sold 1664 to Sir Thomas Allen (d. 1690); to son, Sir Thomas Allen (1648-1730), 2nd bt.; who sold to Sir Peter Mayer (d. 1728); sold to Sir John Sheffield; sold 1758 to Edward Williams; to widow; to niece, Miss D. Capper, later wife of Rev. William Shippen Wills of Cirencester, who leased to Charles Thelusson; sold to John Puget, Governor of Bank of England; to son, John Hey Puget MP (fl. 1826-58); to son, Col. John Puget; sold to Lewis Dunbar Brodie Gordon (d. 1872).. sold 1897 to Mrs Alfred Harmsworth (1838-1925); demolished after her death.


The Alleyns of Hatfield Peverel and Little Leighs


Alleyn, Richard (d. 1527) of Thaxted. He married (it is suggested but not certain that his wife was Alice Pelesholle (d. 1536)) and had issue:
(1) Sir John Alleyn (d. 1545), kt. (from whom descend the Alleynes of Gresley)
(2) John Alleyn of Thaxted (d. 1558) (q.v.);
(3) Christopher Alleyn, of London; married Agnes, younger daughter and co-heir of Gyles Leigh esq. of Walton-on-Thames (Surrey) and had issue four sons and three daughters (from whom descended the Allens of Hazeleigh Hall (Essex).
He is said to have owned an extensive estate in Essex.
He died 23 June 1527 at Thaxted.

Alleyn, John (d. 1558). Younger son of Richard Alleyn (d. 1527) of Thaxted.  He married Margaret, elder daughter and co-heir of Gyles Leigh esq. of Walton-on-Thames (Surrey) and had issue:
(1) John Alleyn (c.1538-72) (q.v.);
(2) Christopher Alleyn;
(3) Giles Alleyn, of Hatfield Peverel; married, 21 October 1566 at Terling (Essex), Christian, daughter of John West and had issue one son and three daughters.
He acquired the Hatfield Priory estate through his marriage.
He died 22 June 1558.

Alleyn, John (c.1538-72). Eldest son of John Alleyn (d. 1558) and his wife Margaret, daughter and co-heir of Gyles Leigh esq. of Walton-on-Thames (Surrey), born about 1538. He married three times and by Elizabeth Alabaster (d. 1568?) had issue three sons and four daughters including:
(1) Edmund Alleyn (1558-1616) (q.v.);
(2) Thomas Alleyn (c.1560-1635) (q.v.); 
(3) Elizabeth Alleyn (b. c.1565); married Christopher Goldingham esq. (fl. 1615) of Bulmer (Essex) and had issue one son and two daughters;
(4) Mary Alleyn (b. c.1568); married, 8 July 1589, William Coys (d. c.1627) of North Ockendon (Essex) and had issue; died before her husband.
He inherited the Hatfield Priory estate from his father in 1558, at the age of 20.
He died 1 December 1572.

Alleyn, Edmund (1558-1616). Elder son of John Alleyn (c. 1538-72) and his wife Elizabeth Alabaster, born 1558. He married 1st, Martha (d. 1593), daughter and co-heir of John Glascock esq. of Powers Hall, Witham (Essex) and 2nd, Alice [surname unknown] and had issue:
(1.1) Sir Edward Alleyn (c.1586-1638), 1st bt. (q.v.);
(1.2) Elizabeth Alleyn; married after 1610, as his second wife, Robert Castell (d. 1630) of East Hatley (Cambs) and had issue two sons and three daughters;
(1.3) Mary Alleyn (b. c.1590); married c.1612, Henry Hall (fl. 1671) of Greatford Hall (Lincs); dead by 1653/4 when he married again; probably died without issue;
(1.4) John Alleyn; died without issue in the lifetime of his father;
(1.5) Henry Alleyn; died without issue in the lifetime of his father;
(1.6) Anne Alleyn; died without issue;
(1.7) Agnes Alleyn; died without issue.
He inherited the Hatfield Priory estate from his father in 1572.
He died 12 September 1616 and his will was proved 27 September 1616.

Alleyn, Sir Edward (c.1586-1638), 1st bt. Only son of Edmund Alleyn (d. 1616) and his wife Martha, daughter and co-heir of John Glasscock of Pewters Hall, Witham (Essex), born about 1586 (said to be 30 in 1616). Sheriff of Essex, 1629-30.  Created a baronet, 24 June 1629.  He married Elizabeth (d. 1637/8), daughter and co-heir of George Scott esq. of Little Leighs and had issue:
(1) Martha Alleyn (d. 1639); married Rev. Joshua Blower (d. c.1681), vicar of Hatfield Peverel and rector of Fairsted, and had issue; buried 10 December 1639 at Hatfield Peverel;
(2) Edmund Alleyn (d. 1633) (q.v.);
(3) Sir George Alleyn (d. 1664), 3rd bt. (q.v.);
(4) John Alleyn; died without issue;
(5) Robert Alleyn; some genealogies associate him with the Robert Allyn who emigrated to Massachusetts in c. 1636 but I think this improbable;
(6) Dorothy Alleyn; died without issue.
(7) Mary Alleyn (b. 1618), baptised 25 October 1618; married, 20 June 1640, Robert Clive (d. 1697) of Styche Hall (Shropshire) and had issue a son; buried at Moreton Say (Shropshire).
He inherited the Hatfield Priory estate from his father in 1616, and considerable landed property (principally Little Leighs Hall, Stapleford Tawney Hall and Ovesham Hall, Matching) in Essex in right of his wife.  At his death the Hatfield estate passed to the son of his eldest son, and the Little Leighs estate to his second son, George.
He was buried 24 October 1638. His wife was buried 12 February 1637/8.

Alleyn, Edmund (d. 1632/3). Eldest son of Sir Edward Alleyn (c.1586-1638), 1st bt. and his wife Elizabeth, daughter and co-heir of George Scott esq. of Little Leighs.  Educated at Grays Inn (admitted 1619/20). He married Mary (d. 1633), daughter of Nicholas Miller esq. of Wrotham (Kent) and had issue:
(1) Sir Edmund Alleyn (1631/32-56), 2nd bt. (q.v.).
(2) Elizabeth Alleyn (1633-99), baptised 30 April 1633; married 1st, John Robinson (1626/7-59) of Denston Hall and 2nd, 11 September 1661, Sir William Jones (1630-82), kt., attorney-general to King Charles II; died 27 July 1699 and buried at Denston (Suffolk); will proved 12 August 1699;
He died in the lifetime of his father and was buried 4 March 1632/3. His widow was buried 18 June 1633.

Alleyn, Sir Edmund (c.1632-56), 2nd bt.  Elder son of Edmund Alleyn (d. 1633) and his wife Mary, daughter of Nicholas Miller esq. of Wrotham (Kent), born 1 January 1631/2 and baptised 12 January 1631/2. He married, 1 May 1651, Frances (1636-57), only daughter and heir of Thomas Gent esq. of Moyns Park, Steeple Bumpstead (Essex) and had issue:
(1) Sir Edmund Alleyn (d. c.1658), 3rd bt.; died young;
(2) Frances Alleyn (b. 1652), baptised 13 September 1652; died young;
(3) Arabella Alleyn (1655-1746), born 5 November and baptised 21 November 1655; married 1st, 2 December 1669, Francis Thompson esq., MP (d. 1693) of Humbleton (Yorks) and had issue one son, and 2nd, 1698 (separated 1707), Lord George Howard (d. 1720/21), third son of Henry Howard, 6th Duke of Norfolk; died 9 July 1746, aged 90.
He inherited the Hatfield Priory estate from his grandfather in 1638 and acquired the manor of Birdbrook through his marriage. At his death the title and estate passed to his infant son who died soon afterwards; the title then passed to his uncle, while the estate passed to his daughter; she sold Birdbrook in 1716 and conveyed the Hatfield estate for life to Arthur Dobbs (d. 1750/1).  After his death it passed to her kinsman, Sir Edmund Alleyn (d. 1759), 8th bt.
He died 2 November and was buried 25 November 1656 'with all the solemnityes and formalityes of a baronett', and his widow died 16 January 1657 and was buried with him at Hatfield Peverel, 9 February 1657.

Alleyn, Sir George (d. 1664), 4th bt of Little Leighs.  Younger son of Edmund Alleyn (d. 1633) and his wife Mary, daughter of Nicholas Miller esq. of Wrotham.  Educated at Grays Inn (admitted 1619/20). He married 1st, Margaret [surname unknown] (d. 1639); 2nd, Martha (d. c.1645), daughter of Roger Jones of Monmouthshire, and 3rd, Elizabeth Hall of Lincolnshire; had issue:
(1.1) Elizabeth Alleyn (b. 1637), baptised 19 October 1637; died young
(1.2) Edward Alleyn (b. 1638/9), baptised 2 February 1638/9; died unmarried before 1664;
(2.1) Mary Alleyn (b. 1643), baptised 11 August 1643;
(2.2) Sir George Alleyne (1644-1702), 5th bt. (q.v.);
(2.3) Martha Alleyn; died unmarried
(3.1) Ann Alleyn (b. 1647), baptised 22 February 1647/8; died in infancy;
(3.2) Ann Alleyn (b. 1648), baptised 12 February 1648/9; married Henry Freeman esq. of Higham Ferrers (Northants);
(3.3) Edmund Alleyn (b. 1649; fl. 1695), baptised 15 January 1649/50; brought a lawsuit in 1695 against his brother, Sir George, claiming that he and others had persuaded him to sign over the Lowlers estate at Great Leighs to them while he was temporarily of unsound mind; died unmarried.
He inherited the Little Leighs estate from his father in 1638.
He died in 1664 and was buried at Little Leighs. His first wife was buried at Hatfield Peverel, 12 September 1639.

Alleyn, Sir George (1644-1702), 5th bt. of Little Leighs Hall.  Only son of Sir George Alleyn (d. 1664), 4th bt. and his second wife Martha, daughter of Roger Jones of Monmouthshire, born 15 December and baptised 31 December 1644 at Hatfield Peverel. He married Mercy (d. 1728/9), youngest daughter of John Clopton esq. of Little Waltham and had issue:
(1) Sir Clopton Alleyn (1683-1726), 6th bt., baptised 1 November 1683; died unmarried, 1 September and was buried 3 September 1726 at Little Leighs;
(2) Frances Allen (1685-), baptised 3 January 1685;
(2) Sir George Alleyn (1689-1736/7), 7th bt., baptised 12 February 1689; died unmarried and was buried at Little Leighs, 17 March 1736/37; will proved 1746?;
(3) Edward Alleyn (1690-c.1740) (q.v.);
(4) John Alleyn (1692-1736), born 23? March and baptised 29 March 1692; died unmarried and was buried 29 November 1736 at Little Leighs.
He inherited the Little Leighs estate from his father in 1664.  After his death it passed in turn to his two elder sons and then to his only grandson.
He was buried at Little Leighs, 22 June 1702. His widow was buried at Little Leighs, 15 January 1728/9.

Alleyn, Edward (1690-c.1740).  Third son of Sir George Alleyn (d. 1702), 5th bt. and his wife Mercy, daughter of John Clopton of Little Waltham, born 23 May and baptised 25 May 1690 at Little Leighs.  Attorney-at-law, of Barnards Inn. He married, 28 July 1713, Mary, daughter of Rev. Thomas Trott, vicar of Great Saling (Essex) and had issue:
(1) Arabella Alleyne (1713-62), born 15 December 1713 and baptised 19 January 1714; married, 20 June 1747, Rev. Henry Chalmers (c.1722-86) MA, vicar of Earls Colne and rector of Little Waltham (Essex) and had issue one son and one daughter; died 1762
(2) Sir Edmund Alleyne (d. 1759), 7th bt. (q.v.);
(3) Clapton [recte Clopton?] Alleyn (b. 1717), baptised 13 March 1717; probably died young;
(3) Thomas Alleyn (1719-24), baptised 18 July 1719; died young and was buried 26 January 1724.
His date of death is unknown.

Alleyne, Sir Edmund (d. 1759), 8th bt. of Hatfield Peverel and Little Leez.  Only son of Edward Alleyn (fl. 1726) and his wife Mary, daughter of Rev. Thomas Trott, vicar of Great Saling.  Educated at Lincolns Inn (admitted 1737). Sheriff of Essex, 1752-53.  He married, 1757, Hon. Miss (Dorothy or Elizabeth) Tracy (d. before February 1758), daughter of Thomas Charles Tracy, 5th Viscount Tracy, but had no issue.
He inherited the Little Leighs estate from his great-uncle, Sir George Alleyn, 6th bt. and the Hatfield Priory estate under the will of his distant cousin, Arabella Howard, in 1751.  At his death his estates passed to his sister, Arabella Chalmers, and after her death in 1762 they were sold by order of the Court of Chancery.
He died from an apoplectic fit while riding near Bath, 15 September, and was buried at Hatfield Peverel, 29 September 1759. The baronetcy became extinct on his death.


The Alleyns of London and Totteridge (Middx)



Alleyn, Thomas (c.1560-1635). Second son of John Aleyne (c.1538-72) of Thaxted and Elizabeth Alabaster, born about 1560.  He married, 30 July 1582, Mary, daughter of Thomas Fairclough of Weston (Herts) and widow of William Haseldine (d. 1581), and had issue:
(1) Giles Alleyn (b. 1583; fl. 1634), baptised 2 May 1583; married and had issue;
(2) Ann Alleyn (b. 1584), baptised 2 October 1584; married Robert Haseldine;
(3) John Alleyn (b. 1585), baptised 27 September 1585; probably died young;
(4) Thomas Alleyn (b. 1586), baptised 3 November 1586; probably died young;
(5) Jane Alleyn (1587-1626), baptised 17 January 1587/8; married 12 April 1613, Rev. Peter Bulkeley (1582-1659) and had issue ten sons and two daughters; died 8 December 1626; her husband subsequently married again and emigrated to America;
(6) Ursula Alleyn (b. 1588; fl. 1634), baptised 15 October 1588; married, 30 July 1607 at Goldington (Beds), Lawrence Matthew (d. before 1634) of Harlington (Beds) and had issue;
(7) William Alleyn (b. 1590; fl. 1634) (q.v.);
(8) Joanna Alleyn (b. 1592), baptised 5 December 1592; married John Staple of Hatfield Peverell;
(9) Edmund Alleyn (b. 1594), baptised 10 February 1594;
(9) Richard Alleyn (b. 1595; fl. 1634), of Goldington (Beds), baptised 4 May 1595; married and had issue.
He owned property at Little Waltham (Essex) and Goldington (Beds).  At his death he bequeathed his leasehold property at Goldington to his son Richard and the bulk of his property to his eldest son, Giles.
He was buried 14 April 1635 at Little Waltham (Essex).

Alleyn, William (b. 1590; fl. 1634) of London. Second surviving son of Thomas Alleyn (c.1560-1635) and his wife Mary Fairclough of Weston (Herts), baptised 12 October 1590. Citizen and druggist of London. He married Elizabeth, daughter of William Cumpton of London and had issue:
(1) John Alleyn;
(2) Sir Thomas Alleyn (d. 1690)
(3) William Alleyn.
He died after 1634.

Alleyn alias Allen, Sir Thomas (d. 1690), 1st bt..  Eldest son of William Alleyn (fl. 1634) and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of William Cumpton of London, probably born about 1620. Citizen and grocer of Leadenhall Street, London; Alderman of the City of London, 1652-83, 1689-90; Sheriff of London, 1654; Lord Mayor of London, 1660; responsible for welcoming King Charles II on his return from exile, 29 May 1660, and knighted on that occasion at St George's, Southwark; created a baronet, 14 June 1660, and nominated as one of the intended members of the Order of the Royal Oak, 1660. On 5th July 1660 he held a banquet for the King and both Houses of Parliament in Guildhall. He was at the head of the commission for trying the Regicides, 1660; admitted to Grays Inn, 1673/4; Master of the Grocers' Company, 1676. He married, before 1648, Elizabeth Birch of London and had issue:
(1) Sir Thomas Allen (c.1648-1730), 2nd bt. (q.v.);

(2) Elizabeth Allen; married, 1663, Sir Dowse Fuller (d. 1673) of Chamberhouse.
He purchased the Pointer Grove, Totteridge (Herts) estate in 1664. 
He died 15 December 1690 and was buried at Totteridge (Middx). In 1660 his estate was said to be worth £2,000 a year, but at the time of his death, only £300 a year. His will was proved 13 December 1694.

Allen, Sir Thomas (1648-1730), 2nd bt. Only son of Sir Thomas Alleyn (d. 1690), 1st bt. and his wife Elizabeth Birch of London.  He married Elizabeth Angell, but had no surviving issue.
He inherited the Pointer Grove, Totteridge estate from his father in 1690.
He died 10 June 1730, when the baronetcy became extinct.


Sources


T. Wotton, English Baronetage, 1741, vol. 2, p. 151; Gentleman's Magazine, April 1757; Burke's Extinct and Dormant Baronetcies, 2nd edn, 1841, pp. 3-4; T. Wright, The history and topography of Essex, vol. 1, 1836, pp. 210, 245-46; G.E. Cokayne, Complete Baronetage, vol. 2, 1902, pp. 74-75; J. Bettley & Sir N. Pevsner, The buildings of England: Essex, 2nd edn, 2007, pp. 482-83; F. Cowell, Richard Woods (1715-93): master of the pleasure garden, 2009, pp. 205-06; J. Uglow, A gambling man, 2009, p. 49; http://www.stirnet.com/genie/data/british/aa/allen03.php#dau1.  Many genealogical details for this family have been extracted from the original parish registers of Hatfield Peverel and Little Leighs, now available online.


Location of archives


No significant archive is known to survive.


Coat of arms


The family used the same arms as the Alleyns of Gresley: Sable, a cross potent or.

Revision
This account was last revised 3rd January 2015.

11 comments:

  1. e.florence@ntlworld.com16 March 2014 at 10:06

    Delighted to find this Nick. I'm an Allen and currently researching forebears, we still hold the arms/crest as described in Burke. May I point out there were only seven Barts (as in Stirnet) though. Thanks for all your hard work and lovely site. E. Florence (nee Allen).

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    1. My hubby came upon this as we work on my genealogy, as well. My paternal grandmother was an Allen and we are trying to determine which branch we go back to. Family lore was a connection to Ethan Allen, but it does not appear there is any truth to that. One never knows, we may be distant cousins. Thank you Nick for your effort and for sharing.

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  2. Actually I believe Burke's is in error on this occasion as they omit the infant son of the 2nd bt who held the title for a couple of years in the 1650s. There are quite a lot of errors in Burke’s pedigrees of this kind, especially in the Extinct and Dormant Baronetcies, which were not subject to as much correction and revision as the ‘current’ pedigrees received during the 19th and 20th centuries. For example, I have today published a post on the Alstons of Chelsea, where Burke’s omits the 4th bt (who held 1716-18) and the 7th and 8th bts, who kept the title going to 1819!

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  3. I'm thoroughly enjoying your well-researched blog, and have used information from this post on the Alleyns of Hatfield Peverel (with mention of you and a link to it) in a post I just made on my blog Royal Descent:
    http://royaldescent.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/edward-iv-descent-for-william-thompson.html

    Thank you for sharing your impressive research.

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  4. Thank you so much for your astounding depth of history and genealogical research. We are indeed related still retaining on a signet ring the crest and arms of the Alleynes of Thaxted and Hatfield Peveral. Our written records begin at William DD Custos College, Canon, Chaplain to the Bishop of Hereford (1610-1691). This family (via Stirnet) is large and we see Sir John (Sheriff, Mayor, Privy Councillor Henry VIII) included in his vast portfolio holdings in Hereford - we wonder if in all your research in that county if the Alleynes appear. Just a query - thanks so much for your brilliant and informative work. Enid F (nee Allen).

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    1. Dear Enid,

      I have not done any work on the Alleynes of Herefordshire. Did they have a country house?

      Nick Kingsley

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  5. Thankyou for your work on Poynters Grove. I am distantly related to Edward Williams who owned the house in mid 18th century. I can give you biographical details from my own research if you are interested. While the Capper family is well known, I am still trying to find the family he belonged to that had arms described on the tomb at St Andrews -
    At the foot of the tomb of Edward Williams and Elizabeth Capper:- On a Bend three Fish hauriant and a Canton for WILLIAMS; impaling (Or); on a Chevron (gules) three Roses (argent), a Canton (of the last) for CAPPER. regards Lyn (Also sent you PM)

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    1. I have only just found this, thanks to unhelpful changes to Blogger. I should indeed be interested to see your notes on Edward Williams; perhaps you could PM me again. The arms on the St Andrews' tomb appear incomplete as they do not include any heraldic tints, but I have looked through the Williams arms listed in Burke's General Armory and can't identify them. The Capper arms are those of the Cappers of Lincoln's Inn and Bushey (Herts). Best wishes, Nick Kingsley.

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  6. This is amazing. I am doing family research and trying to figure out which branch of Allen's I come from. The farthest I can go back so far with my brothers help is 1780s, Orange county North Carolina. But I am hoping soon to link the rest. So thank you very much

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  7. I am a paternal descendant of the Allen's from America. I wonder if we could line up our ancestors with those across the pond here is a link! To our descent http://www.johnbrobb.com/JBR-ALLENtrees.htm#A-13

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  8. Philip Charles Tennant (1867–1936) of Hatfield Priory, lord of the manor of Hatfield Peverel, was 7th son of Robert Tennant (1828-1900) of Chapel House in the parish of Conistone (now Conistone with Kilnsey, Burnsall), Yorkshire, Conservative Party Member of Parliament for Leeds, Yorkshire, from 1874 to 1880. Chapel House was acquired by the Tennant family in 1572 (Sources: Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry, 15th Edition, ed. Pirie-Gordon, H., London, 1937, pp.2217-8, pedigree of Tennant of Chapel House & Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry, 15th Edition, ed. Pirie-Gordon, H., London, 1937, p.2219, pedigree of "Tennant of Hatfield Peverel")

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Please leave a comment if you have any additional information or corrections to offer, or if you are able to help with additional images of the people or buildings in this post.