Born: 12 August, 1734 at Rastrick Yorkshire
Died: 25 December 1754 at Fulneck
Learn more about the life of Mary Allot
Mary Alott
Was born at Barksland in the Parish of
Elland. On the 12th of Decr 1734 N S.
When she was about Three years old her
Father dyed & she liv’d with her Mother &
her Aunt (Namely Betty Midgley) who
jointly Nurs’d
& Maintain’d her till she was
about seven, then her Mother being again
Married her Aunt left them took a Room
& design’d to live by herself,
But Mary not being
at all willing to be left behind often begg’d
her Aunt to take her with her, which
accordingly in a few weeks after she Willlingly
did, & Cared for her as her own.
When she was about Nine years old she
by the Drawing of the Holy Ghost was inclin’d
to hear the Gospel which she of her own free
accord begun & Continued
Constantly to do.
Some time after her Aunt had a mind for
the more Convenince of hearing the Brn
to live nearer Smith House & she made it
out with the Brethren that
Mary should also
come & remain with her which she was very
glad off.
In July 1748 they Both of them together got
leave to live with the Single Sisters in Clack-
Heaton & she remain’d there & in the same
Oconomy at
Tyre-sell-Hall till we came
in the Choir House (Which I shall take
Notice of afterwards)
In the year 1751 on the 5th of April she
was receiv’d in the Congregation which Pleas’d
her very much. In 1753 on the 25 of February
she
after many a Heartywish & Earnestlonging
for it was addmitted to the Lords Supper
In the same year was Receiv’d from the Great Girls
to the Single Sisters Choir.
She has since about 10, or 11, Years Old,
carried about a Very Sickly & Weakly Tabernacle
which she bore without Complaint, & being of an
exceeding shill quiet, but
also very solid &
sensible Dispossition she was seldom
heard to speak about any thing except when
spoken to: But however as we now have found she
took
good Notice of ever thing & Ponder‘d them in
her Heart.
In February this present yearshe had the
Small-Pox which not only went very hardly
with her But also left that remaining on her
which Render’d her Much more Weak
& Sickly
than before a Consumption appearing thro’ her
Whole Constitution: It was manifest to all about her
she could not hold it out long, tho she herself wo’d
commonly say when ask’d about it “that she was
pretty well Nevertheless what she inwardly felt
Brought her also upon the thoughts & consideration
of going to
Our Saviour (as she afterward, de-
clar’d with Joy.)
In July she was a little Better but the disor-
der Presently return’d more strong than ever:
Yet she continued to walk about till the 22d of
November, then she
entirely took her to her
Room & soon after to her Bed.
Now she freely acknowledgeing that she
had all this summer last, been in a Continual
meditation & Consultation with her Dear Saviour
about her going to him, having all along been Senscible
of it for herself that she should not stay here
but the Reason why she would not confess it
openly was
because she was affraid she should
not go as soon as she wish’d for.
She was now exceeding Bad, but quite Brisk
in her Spirits & chearfulin Heart & Soul, & as before
even Ever since we have known her she has
been us’d to
speak very little, so Now to the Con-
trary, she spoke a great deal especialy to these
with whom she had had an intimiate acquaintance
& Perticularly with Our
dear Sister Mary
who very faithfully visited her all the time
On the 12th instant she had her Birth-Day
(being 20; years old,) when many Sisters who vis-
ited her Express’d their Heartywishes for her
which she
receiv’d, & answer’d with much satis-
faction: In the afternoon her Class made
her a Very Pretty Love-Feast which rejoic-
ed her Exceedingly & in which she spoke of
her Departure with such Pleasure & Delight
as she never had done before; she spoke with
sister Mary & Made out Ev’ry thing that was in
her Mind about her Burial, as well as all
the Heartywishes & desiresof her heart for
her Class & c. In short she said that this had
been to her the Happiest
day she ever had
had in all her life. This day & forward she
unbosom’d & declar’d what she had (Perhaps)
kept Treasur’d up in her Heart to this Opper-
tunity
for some years Past, She spoke of her
various Troubles & Anxieties in Particular Circum-
Circumstances, such as no body had perciev’d on her
with with a
Chearful & ThankfulHeart, being
bowed with Shame before him will whom she
had spent many happy Moments, days & years
About the 15th it being Two years since
we came in ourChoir House she told Sister Mary
Ev’rything how she
had been & was in Tyre-
sell-Hall at that time, What Anxiety &
Concern she felt about coming in the Choir House
fearing Least she should not have
leave to
come & how she had in Shillness Pray’d & wept
before her dear Lamb, that he would give
her Leave to come & that if she should have
that favour
that he would grant her the feel-
ing & nearness of his Wounds that she might
be faithful to him therein &c. Nay his almost
incredible, how quick & active her
Memory
was over this matter she not only gave Sisr
Mary an account of herself but of all the
Sisters in Tyre-sell-Hall at that
time, she
(unperceiv’d) had taken Notice of ev’ry One,
conduct words & behaviour, But to return
she also Express’d herself in a very Lively
manner with grace &
Understanding how
Exceedingly she was Rejoiced when she was
assured she should come here. She at the
same time viz’ the 15th or 16th Instant spoke
wth
with an inly Tender feeling about the Choir
& Choir Grace what she has felt since
she was Receiv’d in the Single Sisters Choir
& what her dear
Bridegroom has done from
time to time on her therein, & Perticularly
in this Present Year, together with the Esteem
& Satisfaction she has had for, & in the Choir House
this she did from time to time Repeat And
also she would allways take notice of many
Sisters whom she
saw & Reflected on their
Situation at Present and time Past & when
Sister Mary came to her then she would sell
her all her Mind about
them & Especialy the
concern she had had, about her Class under
some heavy Circumstances some Months agoe
& being ask’d why she did not speak at such
time what
she had in her mind? She answer’d
“that she always thought herself too mean
& too insignificant to Speak Her mind about
any thing, But she had instead of that gone
somewhere in a Corner & Wept for them be
fore her dear Saviour & Pray’d him that he
would Bless Preserve & keep them & Her
& that they Might all
become a Joy to Him
Once in Sister Mary‘s Presence after having
fully spoken & Open’d all her Mind to her a
bout Many things, she took Notice that her
Aunt
(who faithfuly tended & Nurs’d
her all the time of Sickness) was a Cry-
ing: So she demanded the Reason of her why
she wept, telling her she had no Ocassion
to
weep for her since “says she” I am fully
Satisfied & Reconciled both with My Lamb &
& with all my Sisters & have spoke my mind
about Everything & Now am
Ready to go
whenever he Pleases
Thus she Continued under a Deep Sense
& Speaking of herself & her Choir & Often
Expressing her Desire to go. But yet she
would Secretly sometimes say to
her Aunt that
she believ’d she should live till Christmas, but
If our SaviourPleasd to take her before, she
would be glad
Sunday Last about 11 or 12 in the Evening
she was Siez’d with the monst Violent pain
So that Sister Mary who at the same time
watch’d with
her Perceiv’d such a Senscible
Alteration not only by her Excessive Pains
but also by the Motion & Alteration of all
her Faculties that she thought she Realy would
go, & thereupon ask’d her if she was now quite
Ready. She with Pleasure & Serenity answer’d
“yes! I am Quite Ready now & shall be glad to
go to my Lamb as soon
as he Pleases”
However she reviv’d a little & then desired
2 verses which she named to be sung for her
viz Appear as her Protector who turns to
Joy all Tears & When she shall get
Per-
mission to leave this Mortal Tent, From Pains
& Griefs Dissmission Thy self Just then present
And then says she “Sing Hush stir not up
the friend of Christ,
Wake not the Lovely Bride &c
She was very Bad all Night & Lay like
one Expireing till towards Night on Monday
Yet she Bore her Pains with Much more
Patiencethan any one could Expect who
did but
see how she was Munday night she was some-
what Easier & appear’d to us as if she might
Possibly continue a few days, But if she heard
any one take notice
of the near approach
of
Christmass & of the Joy we Expected in the Birth
day of our Saviour She would readly answer
them that if our Saviour only was Pleas’d to let
her go
to him before or in the Holidays She
should have a far Better Christmass than
We and that she would be glad of.
Tusday Night she Alter’d again & on Wed-
nesday Morning was much Worse. In the
Forenoon we thought again she would Certain-
ly Depart, But she continued and lay
severly
Oppresse’d with the Most Excessive Pangs thro’
Ev’ry Limb & Fibre, Speaking very little, But
Panting in Stillness for the Happy Moment
when she should get
the Departing Kiss, And
when Sometimes her Tabernacle seem’d to be
almost Rack’d in Pieces with the most shock-
ing & Excessive Pain as almost could be thought
Unpossibl a Human Creature could Bear. she herself was concern’d how she would say “Ah! how
shall I hold it Out Why does he not fetch me
Sis Mary then would remind her of the Hard
Toil & Conflict of our Saviour which he bore
in his Humanity Saying My dear Heart it
is but a few Minutes & you
will be with
him, She that Moment was again in a
CalmSerenityHeavenly & Peace& Said O! yes he soon
will fetch me to his Embraces, Which she
Obtain’d Under these Words, The Lamb wth
all his Grief & Smart Remains the Pleasure
of the Heart Long as it Moves in Thee
And Now when Here it Beats no
more
There where the Spear His Side did
bore thou Last thy Place Etneraly and
so she sweetly went to sleep in the Arms of
her Lover about 5 o’clock in the Evening
on Christmas Day.
It is to be Oberv’d that this dear Heart
was the Only One Great Girl in all the
Oconomies was One of the first that was
Receiv’d in the Congregation The Only One
that came in the Choir House at first
She was the first that was admitted to the
Sacrament. And Now the first that is gone
to Our saviour. Where she Rests from all
her
Pain: And has Left behind her the Char-
acter of an Honest Upright Unaffected
& Enamour’d Virgin Heart She has been
Known by those who have liv’d with her from
her first Commg among us to this Her Dissolution to be
an Example of Patience of Steadfastness &
Constancy in her Love to him who first gave
her
Confidence to believe in his Wounds she
never Once having been Perceiv’d to Draw back
or to Slight her Calling in Joy or in Smart,
and Now at last her Mouth has made
a
a Brief Confession of Him Whom her Heart
hasLoved Felt & Believ’d on.
