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Allan bought by the Grand Duke Nicholas when he visited Edinburgh. Allan afterwards painted some scenes from Scottish history, suggested by the novels of Sir Walter Scott. Mr. Lockhart, M.P., bought his ‘Death of Archbishop Sharpe.’ and Mr. Trotter, of Ballendean, his ‘Knox admonishing Mary Queen of Scots,’ which was exhibited in 1823, and engraved by John Burnet. His ‘Death of the Regent Murray’ (exhibited 1825) was purchased by the Duke of Bedford for 800 guineas, and gained the artist his election as an associate of the Royal Academy. In 1826 he was appointed master of the Trustees' School, Edinburgh, an office which he held till a few years before his death.

Soon afterwards Allan's health gave way, and he was threatened with blindness. For rest and change he went to Rome, and, after spending a winter there, proceeded to Naples, Constantinople, Asia Minor, and Greece. In 1826 he exhibited ‘Auld Robin Gray,’ in 1829 the ‘Prophet Jonah.’ In 1830 he returned to Edinburgh restored to health. His picture of the ‘Slave Market, Constantinople,’ was purchased by Alexander Hill, the publisher, and ‘Byron in a Fisherman's Hut after swimming the Hellespont’ (exhibited 1831) by R. Nasmyth, who also bought Allan's portraits of Burns and Sir Walter Scott, which were engraved by John Burnet. A smaller one of Scott in his study was engraved for the ‘Anniversary,’ a periodical edited by Allan Cunningham, and one of Ann Scott by her father's empty chair, called the ‘Orphan,’ was bought by Queen Adelaide. In 1834 he visited Spain and Morocco. In 1835 he was elected a Royal Academician, and in 1838, on the death of Sir George Watson, president of the Royal Scottish Academy. In 1841 he went to St. Petersburg, and in the same year succeeded Wilkie as limner to the queen in Scotland, an office which was, as usual, followed (in 1842) by knighthood.

In 1843 Sir William exhibited the ‘Battle of Waterloo from the English side,’ which was purchased by the Duke of Wellington, and the next year went again to St. Petersburg, where he painted, for the Czar, ‘Peter the Great teaching his Subjects the Art of Shipbuilding,’ a picture now in the Winter Palace. The last large work which he finished was a second view of the battle of Waterloo, this time from the French side. It was exhibited at Westminster Hall in 1846, in competition for the decorations of the Houses of Parliament, but was unsuccessful. He visited Germany and France in 1847. At the time of his death in Edinburgh, on 23 Feb. 1850, Sir William was engaged on a large picture of the ‘Battle of Bannockburn,’ which is now in the National Gallery of Scotland. A portrait by Sir William Allan of Sir Walter Scott is in the National Portrait Gallery.

Sir William Allan was not a grreat painter; but he deserves to be remembered in the history of English art for the impulse he gave to historical composition, and the example he set in depicting the manners of unfrequented countries. In the distinguished society in which he moved, he was noted for the geniality of his disposition, his natural humour, and his power as a mimic.

[Notes and Queries, 2nd series, vi. 528; Athenæum, 1850, pp. 240–1; Art Journal, 1849, pp. 108–9; Catalogues of Royal Academy, National Gallery, and National Portrait Gallery; Redgrave's Dictionary of Artists.]  ALLARDICE, ROBERT BARCLAY (1779–1854), pedestrian, generally known as, was the son of Robert Barclay, representative of the family of Barclays of Ury, who took the name of Allardice upon his marriage to Sarah Ann Allardice in 1776. The marriage was dissolved in 1793; Mrs. Allardice married John Nudd in 1795, and died in July 1833. Robert was born in August 1779, succeeded to the family estate after his father's death in 1797; went into the 23rd regiment in 1805, and served in the Walcheren expedition in 1809 as aide-de-camp to the Marquis of Huntly. He devoted himself to agriculture and improved the local breed of cattle. He married Mary Dalgarno in 1819; and their only child Margaret married S. Ritchie in 1840, and settled in America. After his mother's death, Captain Barclay claimed the earldom of Airth on the ground of his descent from William, Earl of Monteith, (d. 1694). The case was heard before the House of Lords in 1839; and in 1840 Captain Barclay claimed also the earldoms of Strathern and Monteith, but proceedings were ultimately dropped. In 1842 he published a short account of an agricultural tour made in the United States in the preceding spring. He died 8 May 1854, from paralysis, having been injured three days previously by a kick from a horse. Captain Barclay is known by his extraordinary pedestrian performances. His most noted feat was walking one mile in each of 1,000 successive hours. This feat was performed at Newmarket from 1 June to 12 July 1809. His average time of walking the mile varied from 14 min. 54 sec. in the first week to 21 min. 4 sec. in the last, and his weight was reduced from 13 st. 4 lb. to 11 stone. Though he had not trained himself regularly, he was so little exhausted 