174 DR. BENJAMIN ALLEN, OF BRAINTREE.
My Note Books or Manuscripts of Medicine and private Methods of Cure,
disclosing much of the Practise of Physick (principally the two vellum folios
numbered One & Two, in letters at length, with two small thin quarto receipt
books), as a separate matter from Goods, I ordain not to be sold, but preserved
in some sufficient hand of one of the Family in the Practise of Physick or
Pharmacy, under the over-sight of my Executors and their Executors,
for the use and benefit of my Family hereafter, to see they be
secure from losing or making away or parting with any way out of
their custody ; but so as to allow [my] Niece Martin's Son or [my] Nephew
William Marter's son, if either practise Physick, to look into and transcribe any
receipt for their use, without removing or taking the books into their custody,
if either of them request and desire to copy any receipt ; and [this] to be
allowed only to those two sons of my niece Martin and William Marter now
already born.
This sufficiently shows the high value Allen set upon the books.
The volume noticed above cannot be other than one of the
"two vellum folios" mentioned, though it does not now bear
either of the numbers stated. It would be a matter of great
interest if we could discover the fellow volume1 and also the
"two small thin quarto receipt books;" but one fears they have
now disappeared beyond hope of recovery.
Dr. Allen had, by his wife Katherine (nee Draper ; died 17272),
six children (two sons, both of whom died young, and four
(laughters). Some of these have been noticed already, but it may
be convenient to enumerate all here, as follows :3
(1) Thomas, baptised 12 Aug. 16974; died 23, and buried 26 July 1713,
aged lb.
(2) Benjamin, born 20 Mar. and baptised 28 Mar. 1698-95; buried 20 May,
1724, aged 25.
(3) Katherine, born 2 July ("at 17 m. past 12 in the morning") and
baptised 11 July 1701; died (unmarried) 17— ?
(4) Mary, born 23 Nov. ("a little before 9 at night") and baptised 4 Dec,
1702 ; died (unmarried) 1747, aged 45.
(5) Elizabeth, born 3 Dec. and baptised 26th Dec. 1704 ; married Rev.
John Harrison, of (?) Braintree; died (?) 1759.
(6) Lydia, born — ? ; died (unmarried) 1744.
One other thing in connection with Allen must not be over-
looked—namely, the fact that Dickens has introduced him as
one of the characters in Pickwick. In that work, Mr. Benjamin
1 A reference to something "in the other book" occurs on p. 214.
2 The Braintree Registers record that "Katherine Allen, wife of Mr. Benjamin [Allen
was] buried March 16," 1727.
3 The dates are taken chiefly from the Braintree Registers. Mr. Fitch ascribes to
Allen several other sons and daughters ; but, from the inscription on his tomb, it is clear
they were not his.
4 Mrs. Ray was godmother (see ante, p. 150).
5 Sir George Alleyn, Bart., was one of his godfathers.