Sir Thomas Allen (24 April 1603 – 18 August 1681) was an English politician,

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gove ...

and lawyer.

Biography

Allen was the only son of Edward Allen, a London fishmonger, and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of William Bennett. He was educated at

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...

and then at

St John's College, Oxford St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded as a men's college in 1555, it has been coeducational since 1979.Communication from Michael Riordan, college archivist Its foun ...

, where he graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in 1622 and a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

in 1626. Allen became a governor of Barnet Grammar School in 1634 and was knighted in 1639. During the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

, he was first Commissioner for Assessment, then of Array. After

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he served as Commissioner of Oyer and Terminer for London and Middlesex in 1660, and was appointed Deputy Lieutenant and Justice of the Peace of the latter county a year later. In 1661, Allen entered the

English House of Commons The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England (which incorporated Wales) from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of ...

, sitting for

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

until 1679. Allen died in 1681 and was buried in

Finchley Finchley () is a large district of north London, England, in the London Borough of Barnet. north of Charing Cross, nearby districts include: Golders Green, Muswell Hill, Friern Barnet, Whetstone, London, Whetstone, Mill Hill and Hendon. It is ...

Family

In 1627, Allen married Mary, youngest daughter of Sir John Weld, and had by her seven daughters and six sons.

References

1603 births 1681 deaths Alumni of St John's College, Oxford Members of Gray's Inn 17th-century English lawyers Cavaliers Deputy lieutenants of Middlesex English MPs 1661–1679 {{1661-England-MP-stub