When the trail goes cold ……. Miss Nellie Allen of Chorlton and Whalley Range

 Yesterday I was drawn into the life of Nellie Allen who was living on Barlow Moor Road in 1911 and on the census for that year refused to complete the form and instead wrote across it, “Until Women are recognised as citizens, I refuse to do a citizen’s duty” "No Vote No Census Nellie Allen”.*

Miss Nellie Allen, 1911

It was quite a find and prompted me to go looking for Miss Nellie Allen, who according to the enumerator was living at number 58 with her brother and a domestic servant in what was an eight roomed house.

I first thought they were living at the properties currently being redeveloped by Armistead Properties which once housed a mix of flats and commercial businesses including “The One Stop Party Shop”.

But now I am not so sure and think it maybe one of the houses closer to the junction with Cranbourne Road.

That was a disappointment which was made no better by the almost total absence of any mention in the official records.

So far, a search has revealed little before or after 1911 while the burial records of Southern Cemetery offer up five Nellie Allen’s buried there between 1914 and 1971.

Given her stance on votes for women I hoped there might be a reference in the newspapers of the period but that  has also drawn a blank.

Occupiers List, 1912-13

But she does appear in the street directory for 1911 and is listed as a “Dairyman” at 252 Upper Chorlton Road and 63 Barlow Moor Road.

Both shops are still there and the property on Upper Chorlton Road was still a Creamery in 1960.  The Chorlton business was in what is now a solicitor’s in therow which also contains the estate agent Emma Hatton and two hair stylists.

Barlow Moor Road, 2025

All of which just leaves a series of listings in the Occupiers List of the City of Manchester for 1911 through to 1914 which the document announces contains “Persons entitled to be enrolled in respect of Occupation aforesaid as Citizens, but not as Parliamentary Electors”.

And Nellie is there at 58 Barlow Moor Road but the property is shown as a shop which is confusing given that the row of semidetached houses appear always to have been residential, and at the beginning of 1911 was home to a Mr. Wiliam Henry Keenan.

I can only assume that as the directories were compiled before the start of the year and the 1911 census took place on April 2nd, this might explain the change of names.

But there is still the reference to 58 as a shop and as yet a total absence of any more records.

All a bit annoying.

Location; Chorlton & Whalley Range

Pictures; detail from the 1911 census for Miss Nellie Allen, and Occupiers List, 1912-13

*“No Vote No Census” ……. stories from Barlow Moor Road, https://chorltonhistory.blogspot.com/2025/05/no-vote-no-census-stories-from-barlow.html