William Allen

ALLEN, William (1757?-1825) — Dublin

Map and printseller; stationer; publisher. Sold William Faden (see BME 2011), A plan of the town, bar, harbour and environs of Charlestown 1780, “published by Wm Allen, map & printseller, 88 Dame St. Correct plan of Charlestown Harbour … Masks, fancy dress, bows, quivers etc. etc. for the masquerade, supplied at the above place” (Dublin Journal, 4-6 Jul 1780); produced A new & accurate plan of Gibraltar with the memorable attack of the Spanish Fleet 1782; George Taylor & Andrew Skinner, Taylor and Skinner’s maps of the roads of Ireland : surveyed in 1777 and corrected down to 1783 1783, with William Wilson in Dublin and Thomas Longman in London; Henry Pelham, The county of Clare in the province of Munster and kingdom of Ireland 1787 (twelve-sheet), engraved by John Cheevers and Thomas Harmar (see BME 2011), and co-published with Faden in London and A. Watson in Dublin; published proposals for a map of Ireland by Daniel Augustus Beaufort 27 Mar 1787 — the map published in 1792 below; An historical map of England exhibiting a distinct view of the bounds of the seven kingdoms of the Saxon heptarchy, advertised in the Dublin Chronicle, 5 Feb 1789; Daniel Augustus Beaufort, A new map of Ireland civil and ecclesiastical 1792, engraved by Samuel John Neele (see BME 2011) and co-published with Faden, Allen taking 480 of the 1,000 initially printed, and a further 100 the following year — “Price 17s 4d coloured … elegantly engraved on 2 sheets of Whatman’s double elephant wove paper” (Saunders Newsletter, 2 Aug 1792) — Trinity College Dublin paid Allen 9s.2d. for mounting and colouring a copy 13 Mar 1793; Daniel Augustus Beaufort, ‘Memoir of a map of Ireland; illustrating the topography of that kingdom … with a complete index to the map’ 1792, with William Slater; advertised “dissected maps, of the world, the four quarters, and separate kingdoms, at 8s 8d each; & a chronological table of the kings of England, dissected in the same manner as the maps … The geographical games of Europe and England, with totums & counters for playing with, price 7s 7d each” (Hibernian Journal, 2 Jan 1793); advertised “skeleton maps … for the pupils to fill up themselves, found to be a most useful method of teaching” (Dublin Evening Post, 20 Dec 1794); Alexander Taylor, A new map of Ireland having the great features of the country described in a manner highly expressive and the distances between the towns & stages ca.1795; published proposals 13 Jun 1795 for Arthur Richards Nevill(e), To the Rt. Honble and Honble the noblemen and gentlemen of the county of Wicklow this map of said county taken from actual surveys, engraved by John McKinley Taylor (see BME 2011) — the map eventually published in 1798; retailed, with John Archer, William Faden, A plan of the city of Dublin … to the present time 1797, engraved by Neele, with a title-piece by Joseph Collyer (see BME 2011); Arthur Richards Nevill(e), A map of the county of Wexford 1798, engraved by Taylor; A map of the county of Carlow 1798, engraved by William Creed and Charles Henecy (see BME 2011); A new and correct map of France, with the roads and departments ca.1802; William Larkin, A survey of the county of West Meath 1808, with Faden — “Price one guinea in sheets, mounted on linen in a case, £1 10s 4d. and on linen and mahogany rollers, £1 14s 5d.” (The Correspondent, 17 Nov 1808); sold William Edgeworth, A map of the county of Longford, laid down from actual survey 1814, published by Faden; Allen’s new & correct pocket map of Ireland 1815; William Larkin, A map of the county of Meath in the province of Leinster in Ireland, 1812 1817 (six-sheet), engraved by ‘Samuel John Neele & Son’; New map of the city of Dublin for the year 1817; William Larkin, A map of the county of Waterford in the province of Munster 1819 (six-sheet) — “now published, & for sale at William Allen & Son’s Map & Picture Ware-House, 32, Dame-street, Dublin. Price, in sheets, to persons paying county rates in the county of Waterford, two guineas; & to all others three guineas” (Waterford Mirror, 4 Aug 1821); Allen’s new and correct map of Ireland, divided into provinces and counties ca.1820; Allen & Sons’ map of Dublin with the parishes 1821, engraved by Charles E. Maguire (see BME 2011), for John James MacGregor, ‘New picture of Dublin: comprehending a history of the city’; Allen & Sons’ map of Dublin with the parishes 1821, engraved by Taylor; John Killally, Design for a ship canal, from the Grand Harbour docks, to the Royal Harbour at Kingston 1823, etc. Also features on the imprint of a number of London-published maps as the Dublin retailer, and is also known as the publisher of a wide variety of prints.

Born about 1757 and the leading Dublin map and print-seller of his time, he took over the Dame Street premises of the printseller Richard Bushell in the latter part of 1778. A view of the shop was published in Exshaw’s Magazine Mar 1780. He advertised in 1781 that he had “a very extensive collection of maps and prints, atlass’s, books of prints, drawing books, &c. &c. most of which he chose the impressions of in London, a few months ago, and sells at the London prices”, as well as paintings, drawing materials, water-colour paints, etc. (Dublin Evening Post, 15 Dec 1781). He announced that he was “intending to retire to the country, is desirous of disposing of his house & stock in trade a well established & profitable business” (Dublin Evening Post, 22 Mar 1785), but then changed his mind and moved to larger brand-new premises in Dame Street 24 Jun 1786. Served as lieutenant in the Royal Dublin Volunteers, receiving a vote of gratitude on his retirement in 1807 (Saunders’s News-Letter, 4 Mar 1807). His son Charles entered Trinity College Dublin at the age of fifteen in 1818, while Allen traded as ‘Allen & Sons’ from 1819 with two further sons, John William Allen and Mark H. Allen (see BME 2011). After his death aged sixty-eight at his home on Rathmines Road on 15 Oct 1825 — his will granted probate 13 Dec 1825 — the two sons continued the business in Dame Street until forming separate businesses in 1831.

88 Dame Street, Dublin — 1778-1786
32 Dame Street, Dublin — 1786-1825

Andrews (1997). Information from J. H. Andrews. Bonar Law. Bonar Law (2005). BM. BNA. Chubb. LHD. Pollard. Rodger. Tooley.