James Allen was the first person known to have deliberately crossed and raised hybrid snowdrops from seed. For this reason he became known as "The Snowdrop King". He was a passionate galanthophile and a self-taught horticulturalist.
James Allen was born at Windsor Hill Mill, a mile to the north of Shepton Mallet, in 1830. He lived there for the first 20 or so years of his life and once he was old enough, he helped his mother Elizabeth and his brother John to run the watermill. His father, John Allen, died in 1842. The mill ground corn for human and animal consumption.
In 1853 James married Ellen Burt. She was the daughter of a local draper. Their son Frank was born in 1854 and they moved to Park House in Park Street, Shepton Mallet. It was there that James began breeding snowdrops. He grew all the varieties of snowdrops known at the time and bred over 100 snowdrop cultivars. He also bred a pale pink variety of wood anemone (Anemone nemorosa Allenii), a new lavender and a new Scilla.
James and Ellen had 8 children between 1854 and 1868: 4 sons and 4 daughters. James was involved in the running of the town of Shepton Mallet. James and his brother John were cheese and corn merchants. Their mother Elizabeth died in 1859.
John and his wife Emily lived across the road from James & Ellen in Highfield House. After John died in 1894, James and Ellen moved from Park House to Highfield House. James's health deteriorated from the 1880s onwards and he died on 8th March 1906. He was buried opposite the entrance to the Shepton Mallet Cemetery chapel. His gravestone included an obelisk, but this eventually fell into disrepair. In February 2022 a new obelisk was erected on his grave. This was funded by local people and organisations, including the local council.
Many of James Allen's snowdrops were destroyed by the fungal infection Botrytis or an attack of narcissus fly. However, two varieties that he bred are still available to buy today: Merlin and Magnet. The inner segments of Merlin are completely green and Magnet has an unusually long stalk. Both of these varieties have received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Shepton Mallet Horticultural Society began planting snowdrops in and around the town in 2015 and an annual Snowdrop Festival is held in the town every February.
