Biography
Gentleman Cadet William Allen Glasgow is announced as second lieutenant in the Corps of Royal Engineers, vice Lefebvre, promoted, dated 1 October 1795. The notice is under Office of Ordnance, October 9; its preceding all dated 1 October 1795 applies through Dated as above. Both William and Allen are printed personal forenames across the line break. This is an announced commission, not family proof, an age statement or independently checked service history. A separately documented William Allen Glasgow is announced as an engineer officer. Existing exact full-name catalogue entries are later-born men. Compatible William-only candidates remain possible because a missing middle name is not an exclusion; none has a Royal Engineers identity bridge.[1]
Research Notes
A separately documented William Allen Glasgow is announced as an engineer officer. Existing exact full-name catalogue entries are later-born men. Compatible William-only candidates remain possible because a missing middle name is not an exclusion; none has a Royal Engineers identity bridge.
Bounded approved lexical QMD searches for the full name and Royal Engineers, plus checked public profile vitals. This is not an exhaustive external duplicate search.
Catalogue William Allen entries Glasgow-2182, Glasgow-2208 and Glasgow-2024 have nineteenth-century recorded births; they do not fit an officer acting in 1795. William-only profiles are retained as compatible comparisons rather than excluded for an absent middle name.
Office of Ordnance heading is 9 October; preceding all-dated line is 1 October 1795, adopted by Dated as above in this paragraph. Do not use publication 15 October as the commission day.
Glasgow-2965: Uncertain 1771 Lincolnshire birth permits an adult cadet in 1795; no middle-name, admission, commission or family bridge. Glasgow-2715: Estimated c. 1779 Crawford birth is compatible with a young cadet. Estimated age and a missing middle name do not exclude him; no engineering-service bridge. Glasgow-1463: Broad uncertain before 25 February 1816 birth is not an exact year and permits adulthood in 1795. It supplies no Allen, age or officer identity bridge.
Inspect the original Gazette announcement, Royal Military Academy cadet admission and commission/service records for age, parentage or address before assigning a profile.
Sources
- Identity review — 6 October 2026
No compatible WikiTree profile after a duplicate search; **READY TO CREATE** once the biography below is checked.
Roll of Officers of the Corps of Royal Engineers no. 267: Glasgow, William Allen, 2nd Lt 1 10 95, Lt 18 8 97; remarks column (row order: Handfield, Nicolls, Carmichael-Smyth, Landmann, Glasgow, Hayes) 'Died at Martinique, 3. 1 1798.' Exact name, rank and date as the notice. The earlier candidates are concretely excluded: Glasgow-2965 was living in Lincolnshire in 1841; Glasgow-2715 was a gamekeeper who died at Crawford in 1853; Glasgow-1463 was baptised in 1816. Exact-name William Allen Glasgows on WikiTree (2024, 2182, 2208) are 19th/20th-century Americans/Irish. New profile draft warranted (short-lived officer; parentage unknown).
- [The Caledonian Mercury, 1795-10-15, p.4](https://www.newspapers.com/image/395720951/): Oct 1795: Gentleman Cadet William Allen Glasgow commissioned Second Lieutenant, Royal Engineers. The RE roll gives 2nd Lt 1 Oct 1795, Lt 18 Aug 1797, died at Martinique 3 Jan 1798. No WikiTree profile; the earlier candidates lived into the 1840s-50s. - [Roll of Officers of the Corps of Royal Engineers 1660-1898 (Edwards), no. 267 Glasgow, William Allen (archive.org OCR)](https://archive.org/details/roll-of-officers-of-the-corps-of-royal-engineers-r.-f.-edwards)
Searches: archive.org advancedsearch 'roll officers corps royal engineers' -> Edwards/Connolly roll OCR, grep Glasgow; wt.py search 'William Allen' Glasgow; wt.py search William Glasgow 1765-1780; bios of 2965, 2715, 1463.; 6 Oct 2026 re-run: wt.py search 'William Allen' Glasgow (only 2024, 2182, 2208, all 19th-20th c.).