Elizabeth ALLSOP was the forth child of John ALLSOP and Ann SHUREY. Elizabeth was born in 1803.

Har father John was a cordwainer (shoemaker) and they lived in James St., Kensington (see later - PLACES). Although we have not traced their marriage (c.1793) we know Anne's name because their first child was born out of wedlock. Elizabeth's parents had nine children of whom six survived:

Sarah *1793 James St? 29.1.1876, 56 Earls Court Rd, Kens
George(#2) *4.3.1798 James St 19.8.1861,11 Henry St,St Johns Wood
Argentine *8.3.1801) do. not known
Elizabeth(#2) *10.7.1803 do. 1.10.1878, 3 Salem Place, Fulham
Hannah(#2) *3.5.1807 do. not known
Charles William *25.7.1813 do. not known

The dates refer to their baptisms at St.Mary Abbott in Kensington. In what follows a * is used to distinguish a baptism date from a birthdate, and similarly a burial date from a death date. The non-survivors were buried at the same church, the first Hannah being given a 'poor' burial.
Of the six children we only know of George who married a Sarah XXX c1825 and Elizabeth who married Richard Hunt in 1821 (see separate section). Nothing is known of the others (except that Argentine was a witness at Elizabeth's wedding).
We haven't been able to trace the marriage of George and Sarah, but the 1851 census tells us she was 51 and born in St Giles. George and Sarah had six children of whom three survived:

Sarah Ann *4.12.1825 South End
Caroline Ellen *26.12.1827 James St
Sophia Elizabeth *26.12.1830 James St

Nothing is known of Sarah Ann. Caroline Ellen married a William Benjamin Short in 1853 and Sophia Elizabeth married a George McLachlan (a watchmaker) in 1852(1). George and Sophia were witnesses at Caroline Ellen's wedding and a generation later their daughter, Sophia Caroline, was a witness at the wedding of Caroline Ellen's daughter Edmee (to Harry Brooker); and one of the MacLachan sons lodged with Edmee & Harry.
Both George & Sarah and Elizabeth & Richard lived in the immediate neighbourhood of John & Ann (South End, James St. and Charles Place), and presumably functioned as an extended family: thus one of George's children (George Albert who died young) was baptised along with two of Elizabeth's children on Xmas day in 1834.
John Allsop died in 1837 aged 74, and Ann in 1840 aged 67.
George started life as a shoemaker, and later became a clerk/agent first to the local sawmill (1851 census) and eventually to a silk mercer. (The benefits of being able to read/write?) The same census tells us that Sophia Elizabeth (the only daughter present) was a dressmaker. George died 1861(3) Marylebone 1a 344, after which Sarah lived with her daughters' families and died in 1876(1) at 56 Earls Court Rd. See census entries under The SHORT Families.

The social background of these families is best explained by quoting from the London Survey, Royal Borough of Kensington, 1984. Describing conditions in the 1880's it refers to ".. the insanitary and dangerous state of James Street, with its small badly planned houses... About 384 people lived in the little street, or ten to a house, the most numerous heads of families being labourers, building trades workmen and laundresses or washerwomen." It was no less crowded in 1851 according to census returns.