Information from Cynthia Glover’s (nee Coleman) book, “The Allen Family” and first published in 2005. Cynthia’s great-great-great-great-grandmother was this Mary Allin b. in or before 1786. (Mary’s granddaughter, Martha Allen b. 1849, married Charles Oliver, youngest son of James and Ruth Oliver).

Cynthia writes that, Mary Allin, mother of William, was a maid in the employ of the 3rd Earl [3rd Earl Stanhope] at Chevening House on his estate near Sevenoaks, Kent”.

The father of William was this 3rd Earl Stanhope, Charles Stanhope.

Cynthia goes on to write, “Mary would have been 23 and Charles 56 years of age at the time of William’s birth”.

Charles Stanhope and Mary Allin died within two weeks of each other in December 1815. Charles peacefully at home, possibly from a heart attack, and Mary possibly from a typhus related epidemic. William was only 5 years of age, and was left an orphan. It was likely he went to a family member as over half the local population was named ‘Allin’.