Patrick Allen

71

Robin Sharkey on 22nd March 2019

PATRICK ALLEN in NSW He did not get his Certificate of Freedom until 1811 - dated 2nd February 1811. In fact he would have been entitled to a certificate of freedom nine tears earlier, and it does in fact note that his term expired in March 1802. By 1820 Patrick Allen was employed at Parramatta as a tanner with a man named Jones who had a tanning business. This information comes from a memorial he sent to Governor Macquarie, dated 1st June 1820. Land GrantMemorial dated June 1st, 1820, summary: • Patrick Allen was a tanner of Parramatta Arrived per Marquis Cornwallis • Had been a free man for a number of years • Resides at Parramatta • Supporting an honest industrious character • Had never received any indulgence of land from government • Was anxious to improve a farm • Humbly implores His Excellency to take his case into consideration and grant a parcel of land for a Farm. His application was supported by J. Harris, J.P [John Harris?] who wrote simply that “This man is employed with Jones the tanner in that capacity at Parramatta.” and was also signed by George Middleton who noted that he was of “Parramatta – Officiating Chaplain”. Macquarie noted in handwriting on the side: “30 acres” * Patrick Allen does not say anything about having a family so it is likely that he was a single man the whole time. * He got a land grant of 30 acres at Minto. However, at some stage between 1820 and 1831 he sold this land (or otherwise disposed of it) to William Klensendorff. Klensendorff had acquired several 30 acre blocks originally granted to others at Minto (see Sydney Gazette, 15 October 1831, p.1) Grants of land about to be formally made were published for general information in the Sydney Gazette in order that anyone may have an opportunity for correcting any errors/omissions – and if no caveat was lodged against the particular property within a month then Deeds of Grant would be prepared. Sydney Gazette 20 Sept 1831 page 1: "MINTO "3.  Patrick Allen, 30, Thirty Acres; bounded on the East by a line South 58 chains, commencing at Johnson's North-west corner; on the South by a line West 30 degrees North 8 chains ; on the West by a line North 58 chains ; and on the North by Curran Creek. "Promised by Governor Macquarie on the 31st March, 1821 ; Quit-rent, 1s. sterling per annum, commencing 1st January, 1827." But William Klensendorff must have lodged a caveat against Patrick Allen’s 30 acre foral land grant and the land was readvertised the following month for a document to be issued to Klensendorff. See Sydney Gazette 15 October 1831 page 1.

71

Robin Sharkey on 22nd March 2019

The crime for which Patrick Allen was transported was tried at the Lent Assizes for the county of Antrim held at Carrickfergus in late March, 1795: Belfast Newsletter Monday March 30 1795, p.3: “The following persons were tried at the Antrim Assizes held at Carrickfergus which ended on Wednesday last (i.e 25 March): “PAT ALLEN found guilty of feloniously taking 25 yards of linen cloth out of the bleach yard of Jonathon Richardson, value 10s. to be transported for 7 years. " William Baxter who was tried at the same assizes for the same crime (but whose death sentence was commuted) also sailed on the same ship to NSW. The indent of the Marquis Cornwallis, which sailed just over four months after the trial, recorded Patrick Allen as being aged 28, and tried at Antrim in March 1795, given a seven year sentence. WAS THIS THE PAT ALLEN of 1792 GAOL ESCAPE from DOWNPATRICK? A man named Patrick Allen had escaped from Downpatrick Gaol with Patrick Marmion (also per Marquis Cornwallis) and several others in April or May 1792? Allen's age on the indent of Marquis Cornwallis in 1795 was said to be 28 years, however if his age was consistent with the 1792 escapee description given for pat Allen, he would be aged 38 years (a possible transcribing error). A report of the original trial which put that earlier Patrick Allen into Downpatrick Gaol hasn’t yet been located. However, when Pat Marmion was before the court at Downpatrick in April 1791, there was also a John Allen given a short one month sentence – was this person related to Patrick Allen of the Downpatrick incident? Freemans Journal, Saturday April 16th 1791 p. 4 “Downpatrick Assizes “At the Assizes for the county Down, which commenced in Downpatrick before the Hon Baron Power, on the 7th [April] and ended the 13th April 1791 — the following persons were put on their trial, viz: “John Allen, for assaulting the Rev Mr Frazer of Kirkcubbin, - guilty, to be imprisoned a month and fined a mark.” If the two Patrick Allens are the same person, then he was at large for almost three years. However, the report of the Carrickfergus Assizes in 1795 did not refer to him as having escaped from gaol or “returning from transportation” if that had been the original Downpatrick sentence. See Patrick Marmion record for detailed description of the Downpatrick Patrick Allen. A Patrick Allen was also tried at Downpatrick later in 1792, in September, a few months after the gaol break, for robbing a bleach-green at Downpatrick. But he was acquitted with several others. It would be thought that if this was the same gaol escape man, he would be recognised and returned to gaol. However, it’s also possible that the gaol escape Pat Allen was different to the bleach-green robbing Pat Allen but that the bleach-green robber is the same as the 1795 Co Antrim convict: Freemans Journal Thurs 6 Sept 1792 page 4 “Downpatrick Assizes "Patrick Conway of felony – to be transported "Patrick Carr for a felony – to be transported “Patrick Allen, Daniel McSevigny, Elizabeth Dorman, and Elizabeth Stewart, acquitted of stealing linen out of the bleach-yard of James Agnew of Drumbridge. "Patrick Allen, George Mckeever, John Newton, James Ennis, Michael Ennis, Thomas Shortin, and Edward Straney, acquitted of felonies. (Remainder in our next)" ___________________________________________