William Shepherd Allen

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William Shepherd Allen
W. S. Allen 1912
Member of Parliament
for Newcastle-under-Lyme
In office
1865–1886
Preceded byWilliam Murray
William Jackson
Succeeded byDouglas Harry Coghill
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Te Aroha
In office
1890–1891
Preceded bynew constituency
Succeeded byWilliam Fraser
Personal details
Born22 June 1831
Manchester, England
Died15 January 1915(1915-01-15) (aged 83)
Cheadle, Staffordshire
Resting placeSt Giles the Abbot's Churchyard, Cheadle
Political partyLiberal Party (UK)
Children10
RelativesJohn Candlish (father-in-law)
William Allen (son)
Stephen Allen (son)
John Manchester Allen (grandson)
Residence(s)Woodhead Hall, Cheadle
Annandale near Morrinsville, New Zealand
Alma materWadham College, Oxford

William Shepherd Allen (22 June 1831 – 15 January 1915) was an English Liberal politician. He also worked as a farmer and served as an MP in New Zealand.

Biography[edit]

Allen was born at Manchester, the son of William Allen and his wife Maria Shepherd. His father was JP for Staffordshire, residing at Woodhead Hall,[1] Cheadle. Allen was educated at Wadham College, Oxford. He graduated with a BA in law and history in 1854, and an MA in 1857.[2]

In 1869, Allen married Elizabeth Penelope Candlish, the daughter of John Candlish MP for Sunderland. Their eldest son William was later MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme. Another son, Colonel Sir Stephen Allen, (1882–1964) was a New Zealand lawyer, farmer, local body politician, and Mayor of Morrinsville. He served in World War I and in the Territorial Army, and was Administrator of the colony of Western Samoa (now Samoa) 1928–31.[3]

He was a devout Methodist and wrote several religious papers.

Allen was elected as member of parliament for Newcastle-under-Lyme in 1865. He held the seat until 1886. In later life he shared his time between Woodhead Hall in England and his property Annandale near Morrinsville in New Zealand.[4]

New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate Party
1890–1891 11th Te Aroha Independent

In 1890 he was elected MP for Te Aroha in New Zealand, but his election was disallowed on petition by William Fraser in 1891.[5][6][7] The judges disqualified Allen from standing in the Te Aroha electorate for 12 months and he expressed disappointment that he could not contest the resulting 1891 by-election,[8] which was won by Fraser.[9] Allen contested the Parnell electorate in the 1893 election as an Independent, but was beaten by the incumbent, Frank Lawry, who represented the Liberal Party.[10][11] His son, John Candlish Allen, was one of three candidates in Parnell in the 1899 election, but came last with Lawry at the head of the poll.[12][13]

He died at Cheadle on 15 January 1915 at the age of 83 and is buried at St Giles the Abbot's Churchyard in Cheadle. His wife died in 1922.[14]

Publications[edit]

  • The Teaching of Christ With Respect to the Future Punishment of the Wicked
  • The present position of Wesleyan Methodism : the causes of its decreasing numbers, and the means which must be adopted to secure an increase

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Woodhead Hall" (PDF). Zoopla. Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  2. ^ Robert Henry Mair, ed. (1870). Debrett's House of Commons. London: Dean & Son. p. 4. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  3. ^ McGibbon, Ian. "Allen, Stephen Shepherd". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  4. ^ "Pars about People". Observer. 26 March 1904.
  5. ^ "The Te Aroha Election". Thames Advertiser. Vol. XXIV, no. 6882. 4 April 1891. p. 2. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  6. ^ "The Te Aroha Election". Thames Advertiser. Vol. XXIV, no. 6883. 6 April 1891. p. 2. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  7. ^ Scholefield, Guy (1950) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 (3rd ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer. p. 92.
  8. ^ "The Te Aroha Election". The Press. Vol. XLVIII, no. 7836. 13 April 1891. p. 6. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  9. ^ "Te Aroha Election". Thames Star. Vol. XXIII, no. 6930. 10 July 1891. p. 2. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
  10. ^ "Parnell". Auckland Star. Vol. XXIV, no. 282. 28 November 1893. p. 5. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  11. ^ "Parnell". Auckland Star. Vol. XXIV, no. 284. 30 November 1893. p. 6. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  12. ^ "Electoral District of Parnell". Observer. Vol. XIX, no. 1095. 23 December 1899. p. 2. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
  13. ^ "John Candlish Allen". New Zealand War Graves Project. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
  14. ^ "Some Memorial Inscriptions - Cheadle, Staffordshire". Wishful Thinking. Retrieved 3 February 2013.

External links[edit]

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Newcastle-under-Lyme
18651886
With: Edmund Buckley 1865–1878
Samuel Rathbone Edge 1878–1880
Charles Donaldson-Hudson 1880–1885
Succeeded by
New Zealand Parliament
New constituency Member of Parliament for Te Aroha
1890–1891
Succeeded by