Charles Peter Allen

Charles Peter Allen

Full name	Charles Peter Allen
Date of birth	2 December 1861(1861-12-02)
Place of birth	Prestwich, England
Date of death	18 September 1930(1930-09-18) (aged 68)
Place of death	London, England
School	Rugby School
University	Oxford University
Rugby union career
Playing career
Position	Back
Amateur clubs
Years	Club / team
	Oxford University RFC Bangor RFC Manchester
National team(s)
Years	Club / team	Caps	(points)
1884	Wales[1]	2	(0)

Charles Peter Allen MP (2 December 1861 – 18 September 1930)^[2] was an English Liberal politician who represented Stroud from 1900-1914. His professional career was as a solicitor and newspaper journalist. He served his country during World War I, as a major in the Gloucestershire Regiment, and as a sportsman played international rugby for Wales.

Personal history

Charles Peter Allen was born in 1861 in Prestwich, Lancashire to Peter Allen, the manager of the Manchester Guardian and part owner of the Manchester Evening News. In 1865 the family moved to Beaumaris on the Isle of Angelsey in Wales, when they rented a property. The family purchased a house in the town in 1873.^[3] Allen was educated at Rugby School, before matriculating to Oxford University. On leaving university he was articled to a firm of Manchester solicitors, and qualified as a barrister, though by 1887 he had changed careers and became a journalist for the Manchester Guardian. He was assigned as a foreign correspondenet and was sent to Russia, Bulgaria and Turkey.^[3] While in Constantinople he met Evelina Barker and the two were married in the city in 1890, before returning to live in Beaumaris. They had five children, four daughters and a son.

In 1900 he became Member of Parliament for Stroud, and he and his family moved to the area. While a MP, Allen was made a Privy Councillor.^[4] He retained his position as MP until 1914, when he resigned his post to join the British war effort during World War I. Allen had been a member of the Territorial Volunteers of the 2/5th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment prior to the outbreak of war, and at the age of 53 he became a full-time soldier. Posted to France as a captain, he became a Town Mayor, dealing with troop movements.^[3] At the end of his military career, Allen had reached the rank of major. In 1922 he ran again for the Parliamentary seat of Stroud, but was beaten. He died at his London home in 1930.

Rugby career

Allen first came to note as a rugby player when he was selected for Oxford University RFC, though he had also represented Rugby School as a youth. Allen played in three Varsity Matches against Cambridge University, winning three sporting 'Blues' from 1881 to 1883. In 1884, Allen was selected to play for Wales in the opening match of the Home Nations Championship against his birth country, England. Under the captaincy of Charlie Newman, Wales lost by a goal to a goal and two tries, though it was Allen who scored the only Welsh try, the first points the Welsh team had ever scored against the English.^[5] Allen was reselected for the next game of the tournament, in a home game to Scotland. Wales lost the game, and Allen was replaced for the final game by Cardiff's William Norton.

International matches played

Wales^[6]

•  England 1884
•  Scotland 1884

Bibliography

• Godwin, Terry (1984). The International Rugby Championship 1883-1983. London: Willows Books. ISBN 000218060X. 
• Griffiths, John (1987). The Phoenix Book of International Rugby Records. London: Phoenix House. ISBN 0460070037. 
• Smith, David; Williams, Gareth (1980). Fields of Praise: The Official History of The Welsh Rugby Union. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. ISBN 0708307663. 

References

1. ^ Welsh Rugby Union player profiles
2. ^ Charles Allen rugby profile Scrum.com
3. ^ ^{a b c} Charles Peter Allen biography bangor-rugby.co.uk
4. ^ Jenkins, John M.; et al. (1991). Who's Who of Welsh International Rugby Players. Wrexham: Bridge Books. p. 13. ISBN 1872424104. 
5. ^ WRU recognises North Wales wrexhamafc.co.uk, 17 January 2008
6. ^ Smith (1980), pg 463.

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Charles Peter Allen

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Charles Cripps	Member of Parliament for Stroud 1900 – 1918	Succeeded by Sir Robert Ashton Lister

Persondata
Name	Allen, Charles Peter
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	2 December 1861
Place of birth	Prestwich, England
Date of death	18 September 1930
Place of death	London, England