Oct. 19. 1850.] 



NOTES AND QUEKIES. 



333 



Noorthouck, who published his History of Lon- 

 don, 1773, thus speaks of the affair: — 



" The next day. May 10. (1768,) produced a more 

 fatal instance of rash violence against the people on ac- 

 count of their attachment to the popular prisoner 

 (Wilkes) in the King's Bench. The parliament ben.g 

 to meet on that day to open the session, great numbers 

 of the populace thronged about the prison from an ex- 

 pectation that Mr. W. would on that occasion recover 

 his liberty; and with an intention to conduct him to 

 the House of Commons. On being disappointed, they 

 trew tumultuous, and an additional party of the third 

 re.^iment of Guards were sent for. Some foolish paper 

 had been stuck up against the prison wall, which a 

 justice of the peace, then present, was not very wise 

 in taking notice of, for when he took it down the mob 

 insisted on having it from him, which he not regarding, 

 the riot grew louder, the drums beat to arms, the pro- 

 clamation was read, and while it was reading, some 

 stones and bricks were thrown. William Allen, a 

 voung man, son of Mr. Allen, keeper of the Horse 

 'Shoe Inn in Blackman Street, and who, as appeared 

 afterwards, was merely a quiet spectator, being pursued 

 alon^ with others, was unfortunately singled out and 

 followed by three soldiers into a cow-house, and shot 

 dead I A number of horse-grenadiers arrived, and these 

 hostile measures having no tendency to disperse the 

 crowd, which rather increased, the people were hred 

 upon, five or six were killed, and about filteen wounded ; 

 among which were two women, one of whom after- 

 wards died in the hospital." 



The author adds, — 



" The soldiers were next day publicly thanked by a 

 letter from the Secretary-at-War in his master's name. 

 M'Laughlln, who actually killed the inoffensive Allen, 

 was withdrawn from justice and could never be found, 

 so that though lus two associates Donald Maclaine and 

 Donald Maclaury, with their commanding officer 

 Alexander Murray, were proceeded against for the 

 murder, the prosecution came to nothing and only 

 contributed to heighten the general discontent." 



With respect to the monument in St. Mary's, 

 Newington, I extract the following from the Ox- 

 ford Magazine for 1769, p. 39. : — 



" Tuesday, July 25. A fi.ne large marble tombstone, 

 elegantly finished, was erected over the grave of Mr. 

 Allen, junr., in the church-yard of St. Mary, New- 

 ington, Surry, It had been pLiced twice before, but 

 taken away on some disputed points. On the sides 

 arc the following inscriptions : — 



l<!orth Side. 



Sacred to the Memory of 

 W'illiam Allen, 

 An Englishman of unspotted life and amiable dispo- 

 sition, [who was inhumanely murdered near St. 

 George's Fields, the 10th day of May, 17G8, by the 

 Scottish detachment from the army.]'* 



* A foot-note informs us that " a white-wash is put 

 over these lines between the crotchets." 



" His disconsolate parents, inhabitants of this parish, 

 caused this tomb to be erected to an only son, lost to 

 them and the world, in lils twentieth year, as a monu- 

 ment of his virtues and their affections." 



* * * • 



At pan-e 53. of the same volume is a copperplate 

 represenling the tomb. On one side appears a 

 soldier leaning on his musket. On his cap is in- 

 scribed " SrdT.egt. ;" his right hand pomts to the 

 tomb ; and a label proceeding from his mouth re- 

 presents him saying, " I have obtained a pension 

 of a shilling a day only for putting au end to thy 

 days." At the foot of the tomb is represented a 

 lai-ge thistle, from the centre of which proceeds the 

 words, "Murder screened and rewarded. 



Accompanying this print are, among other re- 

 marks, the following : — 



" It was generally believed that he was m-— — d 

 bv one Maclane, a Scottish soldier of the 3d Reg .. 

 The father prosecuted, Ad n undertook the de- 

 fence of the soldier. The solicitor of the Treasury, 

 Mr. Nuthall, the deputy-solicitor, Mr. Irancis, and 

 Mr Barlow of the Crown Office, attended the trial, 

 and it is said, paid the whole expence for the prisoner 

 out of the Treasury, to the amount of a very consider- 

 able sum. The defence set up was, that young Allen was 

 not killed bv Maclane, but by another Scottish soldier 

 of the same'reglment, one M'Laughhn, who confessed 

 it at the time to the justice, as the justice says, though 

 he owns he took no one step against a person who de- 

 clared himself a murderer in the most express terms. 

 The perfect innocence of the young man as to 

 tiie charge of being concerned in any riot or tumult, is 

 universally acknowledged, and a more general good 

 character is nowhere to be found. This M'Laughhn 

 soon made his escape, therefore was a deserter as well 

 as a murtherer, yet he has had a discharge sent him 

 with an allowance of a shilling a day." 



Maclane was most prob.ibly the "Mac" alluded 

 toby Senex; but his account differs in so many 

 respects from cotemporaneous records that i have 

 ventured to trespass somewhat lai-gely upon yoiir 

 space. I may add, that I by no. means agree m 

 the propriety of erasing a monumental mscriptiou 

 of inore than eighty years' existence without some 

 much stronger proof of its falsehood ; for I quite, 

 coincide with the remarks of llev. D. Lysons m 

 his allusion to this monument {Surrey, p. 39 J.), that 

 " Allen was illegally killed, whether he was con- 

 cerned in the riots or not, «. he was shot apart fromjhe 

 mob at a time when he miyht, if necessary, have been ap. 

 prdttnded and brought to justice." Price 



September 30. 1850. 



The Rev. Dr. John Frea* preached a sermon on 

 the above occasion (which was printed) Irom the 



• Dr Free was of Christ Church, Oxford, and 

 perhaps' some of your readers may know where lus 

 biography is. 



