John Robert Lawrence Allen. 25 October 1932—18 October 2020

Abstract

John Allen was one of the leading British geologists of the late twentieth century, who changed his primary research focus in mid career from clastic sedimentology to geoarchaeology. He read for a BSc degree in geology at the University of Sheffield, graduating with first class honours in 1955. He continued at Sheffield as a postgraduate student researching the geology of the Old Red Sandstone of the Clee Hills in Shropshire, but never submitted a PhD thesis. However, in 1958 the University of Reading offered him a research fellowship to investigate the geology of the hydrocarbon-rich River Niger delta region. In 1961 he became a lecturer in geology and a member of the new purpose-built Sedimentology Research Laboratory at Reading. The international renown of the laboratory was largely based on his prodigious sedimentological research output relating to sedimentary structures, river and coastal environments and Devonian continental deposits. He was appointed reader in 1967 and professor in 1972. In 1974 he led the founding of a taught MSc course in ‘Sedimentology and its applications’, which soon became a world leader. In 1988, in the context of the rationalization of university geology departments, Reading's department was selected for closure. However, John Allen's research esteem was such that a special case was made and a postgraduate-only institute specializing in sedimentology was established with him as director. He resigned the directorship after five years in favour of a research professorship. His objectives changed from orthodox old-rock studies to research on recent muddy estuarine sediments. By selecting the estuary of the River Severn as his new field area, he soon realized that this opened up a rich area of collaboration with colleagues in archaeology. His geological skills were subsequently applied to a range of archaeological problems. He became a key contributor to a new MSc degree course in geoarchaeology.