William Allen, Head Teacher 1857 - 1932
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1. Roofing of the School House
2. William Allen with a class of children outside the school, 1902
3. Kathleen Allen, daughter of the Headmaster, sitting on the bank on Upper Farm Lane, c. 1914
4. Rose Laura, William Allen's second wife
William married twice, first to Adelaide Kate Simmons who had five children, then to Rose Laura Mountford and they had three children.
His son Reginald L.M. Allen tells how father had a full social life during his eleven batchelor years at Oakridge: 'He attendee dances at Nailsworth, where his sister lived, and afterwards walked home to Oakridge, a distance of at least six miles over the hills. He took holidays in Ireland, Scotland and France.'
Reginald records that during this period his father also attended Brimscombe Polytechnic, studying agriculture, political economy, German, woodwork and painting.
Adelaide Kate Simmons joined the Oakridge staff in the late 1880s and in 1891 William married her. She continued to teach for several years after this. The school house originally consisted of two living rooms, a scullery and two bedrooms.
This became inadequate for the growing family and a kitchen and third bedroom were added. Adelaide died in 1905 after a still-birth and puerperal fever. William's sister, Florence, who had been housekeeper to the Revd Thomas Keble at Bisley came to help with the family at the school house.
In 1908, William remarried. Rose Laura Mountford was trained as a nurse at Mile End Hospital and later joined the staff of the nurses' home in Stroud. William met her while she was nursing Alfred Powell nearby.
Throughout the time he lived in Oakridge, William was organist at Oakridge church. There, a brass plate on the organ case to commemrate this, reading 'To the Glory of God and in affectionate memory of William Allen for fortytwo years schoolmaster and organist in this parish 1880 RIP 1922.'
The family continued to live in Oakridge until William retired when they moved to Quarhouse, near Brimscombe, and then in 1930 Paganhill. He died there in 1932 and his second wife in 1967 in Albrighton, near Wolverhampton.
The above is an extract from 'Oakridge a History' by Pat Carrick, Kay Rhodes and Juliet Shipman, available from Oakridge History Group, price £15 through the ‘Contact Us’ page or from the Oakridge Village Shop.
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