Mary Elizabeth Braddon Victorian Theatre

Mary Elizabeth Braddon and the Victorian Theatre
Theatre Biographies of the Victorian Managers, Actors, Dancers, Pantomime Performers,
Music Hall Artistes and Circus Performers who worked with Braddon between 1852 and 1860
By
Jennifer Carnell

Mary Elizabeth Braddon (1835-1915) was one of the most popular and prolific novelists of her age and is best remembered today as the author of Lady Audley's Secret. For almost a decade Braddon acted under the name of Mary Seyton and during her theatrical career she performed at the Surrey Theatre and with companies in numerous provincial towns and cities in England and Scotland. Mary Elizabeth Braddon and the Victorian Theatre examines the lives and careers of the Victorian actors, theatre managers and other theatre employees Braddon worked with in the 1850s and early 1860s. It contains over 600 biographical profiles, cast lists, pictures, reviews of Braddon's acting and previously unrecorded information about Braddon and her theatrical career.

Braddon's son, the novelist W.B. Maxwell, believed his mother had only mixed with 'one small class' while on the stage, but during her time as an actress she encountered people from a wide variety of backgrounds. This book is the story of their lives and careers. She acted with stars including Ira Aldridge, Charles Mathews, Madame Celeste, Charles and Ellen Kean, Barney Williams and Mary Ann Keeley. Many actors and managers were from well-established acting families, while others were from non-theatrical families and some had working class origins. Although many came from a theatrical background, a surprising number for this date, like Braddon, were from non-theatrical families. Her fellow actors included the son of the forger Jim the Penman, an actor who travelled to Persia and become the Shah's explosives expert, an actress whose father claimed to be the lost French Dauphin, and the aunts of film director Cecil Hepworth. This book also traces the lives and careers of the next generation, many of whom followed their parents into the theatre, music hall and film. Despite hardships, a life in the theatre offered many opportunities not readily available to many in the Victorian era. Many performers found fame and fortune, while others suffered misfortune through poverty and illness and several ended their days in the workhouse. Some performers went to extreme lengths to keep their real names secret and their true identity remained unknown until now. The lives and careers of most of these people have now been almost forgotten and many of their descendants have no knowledge of their lives as performers.

The division between amateur and professional theatre was not as great as might be supposed and Braddon worked with amateurs from diverse backgrounds, including army officers, wealthy brewers, shopkeepers and printers. Braddon remained interested in the stage and there are echoes of her acting career, and those of her colleagues, in many of her novels and short stories. Illustrated with 119 pictures, it has genealogy interest as it includes information about the families and descendants with each entry.

Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Locations
Note on Entries
Entries (624 main entries, plus many entries for the children of those with entries)
Appendix 1 Probate
Appendix 2 A Selection of Reviews of Braddon's Acting
Appendix 3 Patrons of Benefits and Special Nights
Appendix 4 Authors of Original Works at the Theatre Royal, Brighton 1857-1860
Appendix 5 Adelaide Biddles and Braddon in Southampton
Appendix 6 Letter Attributed to Braddon
Appendix 7 A Selection of Plays and Casts
Appendix 8 Address Written by Braddon in 1860
Appendix 9 Address Written by Braddon in 1864
Appendix 10 The Loves of Arcadia Review
Appendix 11 ‘Notices to Correspondents' from the Halfpenny Journal
Appendix 12 Victorian Plays Adapted from Braddon Novels
Appendix 13 Victorian Actresses who Played Aurora Floyd
Appendix 14 Victorian Actresses who Played Lady Audley
Index

Illustrations

1. Cover illustration a stereoview by Michael Burr.
2. Mary Elizabeth Braddon
3. The Surrey Theatre in 1851
4. Braddon as Mary Seyton at the Surrey Theatre in 1856
5. Theatre Royal, Brighton
6. Braddon as Mary Seyton at the Theatre Royal, Brighton in 1858
7. The Corn Exchange in Lewes
8. F.B. Conway
9. Fanny Addison
10. Ira Aldridge
11. James R. Anderson
12. Emma Barnett
13. William Belford
14. George Belmore
15. James Bennett
16. Adelaide Biddles
17. Clara Biddles
18. William Blakeley
19. Harry Boleno
20. Charles Calvert
21. Kate Carson
22. J.F. Cathcart
23. Madame Celeste as Miami in The Green Bushes
24. Patty Chapman
25. Henry Nye Chart
26. Miss Cleveland
27. Joseph Whitfield Collier
28. Pat Corri
29. H.T. Craven
30. William Creswick
31. Frederick Dewar
32. Charles Dillon
33. Margaret Eburne
34. Miss Elsworthy
35. George Everett
36. Frederick Everill
37. Helen Faucit
38. Edmund Glover
39. Walter Gordon
40. Frank Hall
41. Florence Haydon
42. Edith Heraud
43. George Honey
44. Helen Howard
45. Frank Huntley
46. Rebecca Isaacs
47. Esther Jacobs
48. Eliza Johnston
49. Ferdinand Jonghmanns
50. Mons. Jullien
51. Charles Kean
52. Ellen Kean
53. Mary Ann Keeley
54. Robert Keeley
55. Henry Loraine
56. Catharine Lucette
57. Meyer Lutz
58. Alice Marriott
59. Edward Marshall
60. Henry Marston
61. Mrs. Henry Marston
62. Jenny Marston
63. Charles Mathews
64. Lizzie Mathews
65. Paul Meritt
66. Leigh Murray
67. Cicely Nott
68. Harry Pearson
69. Charles Pitt
70. R.C. Poynter
71. Lin Rayne
72. Alfred Rayner
73. Captain Horton Rhys
74. J.H. Rickards
75. Mrs. W. Robertson
76. Mr. W. Robertson book
77. Captain Disney Roebuck
78. James Rogers
79. Wybert Rousby
80. Clara St. Casse
81. Emily Sanders (Lady Don)
82. Rachel Sanger
83. Richard Shepherd
84. Henry Sinclair
85. Robert Soutar
86. Alfred Tapping
87. Marian Taylor
88. George Teague
89. Sarah Thorne
90. George Vining
91. W.F. Wallett
92. William Wellsted
93. Harry Widdicomb
94. Alfred and Leonora Wigan
95. Barney and Mrs. Williams
96. Montagu Williams
97. Arthur Wood
98. Anthony Younge
99. Sarah Allen costume design for Dick Whittington in Brighton in 1862
100. Louisa Swanborough in The Loves of Arcadia
101. William Sawyer
102. W.H. Ainsworth
103. Frederick Robson
104. Sam Cowell
105. Mrs. Alfred Mellon
106. Carlotta Addison
107. James Blakeley
108. Ada Blanche
109. Edith Blanche
110. H.N. Chart
111. Charles Kean Chute
112. Barbara Huntley
113. G.P. Huntley
114. Adele Leglere
115. George Leglere
116. Robert Loraine
117. Alma Murray
118. Russell Wallett
119. Russell Wallet as The Lady in Black

The 600 plus Biographical entries include actors, theatre managers, dancers, acrobats include: 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards, 6th Regiment of Foot, 11th Hussars, William Abery, J.B. Acey, Mr. Adams, Charles Adams, E.P. Addison, Fanny Addison, Mademoiselle Agnes, Miss Aitken, Ira Aldridge, Monsieur Alfred, Allano, Clark Allen, Frank Allen, Sarah Allen, George Allen, Allied Metropolitan Dramatic Company, Mr. Anderson, James Robertson Anderson, Professor John Henry Anderson the magician, Mr. Andrews, Mademoiselle Annette, Mr. Appleby, Mr. Arnold, Mr. Artaud, Mr. Arthur, Mr. Ashley, Charlotte Astour, Mademoiselle Auriol, Miss Barnes, William Barnes, Emma Barnett, Mr. Barrett, Anton Kratky Baschik, Walter Baynham, Mr. H. Beaumont, Mr. Beechley, Rose Behn, William Rowles Belford, George Belmore, Miss Bennett, James Bennett, Mr. T. Bennett, Mr. F. Beresford, Captain James Walker Bernard, Ellen Bertram, Adelaide Biddles, Clara Biddles, Charles Bishop, James Bisson, William Blakeley, Mr. W. Blanchard, Mr. C. Bland, Harcourt Bland, Miss M. Bland, Philip Bland, Harry Boleno, Mr. Bond, Mr. Borrani, Adelaide Bowering, J.B. Bowler, Mr. Brandon, Charles Brew, Brighton Garrick Club, Brighton Histrionics, Mr. Brindsley, Mr. Brogden, Mrs. Moreton Brookes, Master Brown, Mr. Brown, Charles Brown, Mr. Buchanan, W. Budden, Pauline Burette, Mr. Burns, Charles Burton, Mr. Butler, Mr. C. Butler, Charles Calvert, Mrs. Charles Calvert, Coleen Campbell, Mr. Carrol, Caroline Carson, Kate Carson, John Carter, Miss Cassen, Mademoiselle Cassimer, Miss Castleton, J.F. Cathcart, Mr. Caxton, Madame Celeste, Patty Chapman, Mr. Chapman, James Chappell, E.M. Charles, Henry Nye Chart, John Chart, Samuel Tolfrey Christie. Mdlle. Christine, James Chute, George Clair, Mr. Clark, Miss Cleveland, John Clifton, George Cobb, J.W. Collier, E. Collings, Mr. Colwell, Alfred Conduit, Miss Conway, William Cooke, Miss Copeland, William Cooper, Pat Corri, William Cracknell, Henry Thornton Craven, William Creswick, Penuel Cross, Annie Cushnie, Therese Cushnie, Bella Cuthbert, Mr. Dalby, Mdlle. D'Arnauld, Mr. Darnell, Mr. Davies, Eleanor Davis, Emma Davis, Miss Dawkins, H.R. Day, H.R. Day, Miss Decamp, Miss Decker, the Delevanti Family, Madame Delevanti, Monsieur Delevanti, George Delevanti, Henri Delevanti, Monsieur Desarais, Dr. Harry Deval, Frederick Dewar, Arthur Dillon, Charles Dillon, Mrs. Charles Dillon, Julius de Gorreguer Dolmage, William Gerard Don, Lady Don, Sir William Don, Georgiana Doyle, William Driver, James John Dudgeon, Maud Dudley, Mr. Duval, Margaret Eburne, Walter Edwin, William Ellerton, Agnes Elsworthy, James English, William English, George Everett, Frederick Everill (Fred Everill), Helen Faucit, Clara Fisher, Flexmore, Thomas Forder, Mr. Francis, L. Fredericks, Thomas Fry, Elliot Galer, Helen Gilbert, Henry Pomeroy Gilbert, J.W. Giles, Edmund Glover, Julia Glover, Frederick Fitzclarence Goddard, T. Godden, Mrs. Golding, Walter Gordon, Louise Grayham, Mr. Greatrex, E.J. Green, D.H. Greenin, E.V. Gregory, Mrs. Gregory, Alfred Campbell Blair Hall, Frank Hall, G.J. Hall, J.W. Handley, Monsieur Hanlon, Philip Hannan, James Hannington, Mr. Harald, James Harwood, Flora Hastings, Florence Haydon, Maud Haydon, Frank Haywell, Captain William Augustus Trydell Helden, Edith Heraud, Newton Treen Hicks, Harry Hilton, Edwin Holmes, John Holmes, Mrs. Holmes, George Honey, Joshua Horst, John Horst, Miss E. Howard, Mary Hudson, Mr. H. Huggins, Miss Hughes, Frank Huntley, Brothers Hutchinson, George Hutchinson, Thomas Hutchinson, Mr. W. Huzzard, Charles Ingledew, Rebecca Isaacs, Charles Jackman, William Henry Jacob, Esther Jacobs, Mr. H. James, Henry Johnson, Eliza Johnstone, J.B. Johnstone, Master Jones, Miss Jones, Josiah Jones, Ferdinand Jonghmans, Louis Antoine Jullien, Charles Kean, Ellen Kean, Robert Keeley, Mary Ann Keeley, Herr Kinsonu, William Lane, Mr. Laporte, Mr. Lavine, Emmy Le Blonde, Clara Lee, Marion Lees, James Henry Leffler, J.T. Leggett, Louis Leglere, Mr. W. Lewis, Jerome Lionel, Mr. Liver, Miss Lloyd, Robert Lockwood, Henry Loraine, Emily Lovegrove, Catherine Lucette, George Lupino. W. Meyer Lutz, Thomas Eaton Lyon, William Macarte, Ella Macarthy, Captain Michael McCreagh, Miss McKenzie, Mr. McKenzie, Caroline Macready, Mrs. Macready, Mrs. Marchant, Mr. Marchant, F. Marchant, Adele Marie, Alice Marriott, Edward Marshall, Henry Marston, Mrs. Henry Marston, Jenny Marston, Richard Marston, Thomas Martin, Fanny Maskell, George Maskell, William Masterman, Charles Mathews, Lizzie Mathews, John Mathewson, Tom Matthews, Mr. Maurice, Miss Mavis, Robert Melbourne, Henry Mellon, George Melville, Paul Meritt, John Milano, G. Miller, Mr. Miranda, John Montague, Alfred Moppett, Clara Morgan, Fanny Morgan, Mr. R. Morris, T.S. Morris, Charles Mortimer, Mrs. Charles Mortimer, Mark Moss, Charles Mulford, Edward Murray, Leigh Murray, Captain George Alexander Muttlebury, Emma Nason, Miss Nelson, Emma Neville, John Neville, Josephine Neville, John Nias, James Nicks, Richard Norman, Cicely Nott, J. Nunn, Charles Hannay Oswin, George Owen, William Ozmond, Sir William Palliser, James Pamplin, John Spurrier Parmiter, Harry Pearson, E. Peele, Madeline Percy, Frederick Pern, Mr. Phelps, Thomas Phillips, Charles Pitt, Mrs. Charles Pitt, John Pollock, Mrs. Pollock, Mr. Poole, Miss E. Portman, Mr. Powell, R.C. Poynter, Monsieur Prescini, John Pritchard, David Purvis, Charles Raigh, Charlotte Rawlings, Milton Rainford, Miss Rainford, Mrs. Rainford, Lin Rayne, Alfred Rayner, John Reed, Fanny Reeves, Captain Charles Horton Rhys, Emile Richarde, Fred Richardson, Mrs. Rickards, J.H. Rickards, Thomas Ridgway, Henry Rivers, Charles Robberds, Fanny Robertson, William Robertson, Mrs. W. Robertson, John Robinson, Greatrex Roby, James Rogers, Captain Disney Roebuck, Mr. Rorke, J.B. Rosier, Mdlle. Rosina, Georgina Ross, Louisa Ross, Wybert Rousby, Edwin Russ, William Russ, Henry Russell, Felix Russelle, Clara St. Casse, Mr. Salmon, Emily Sanders, Alfred Sanger, Emma Sanger, Rachel Sanger, Mr. Saunders, Mademoiselle Schmidt, Mr. Sedgwick, Mrs. Selwyn, W.T. Selwyn, Richard Shepherd, Sidney Sherry, Mr. Short, Louise Sidney, Rose Sidney, William Barrow Simonds, Hector Simpson, Mrs. J.W. Simpson, Henry Sinclair, John Sinnick, Mr. Skinner, Robert Soutar, Charles Stanton, Mrs. Charles Stanton, Mr. Staunton, George Steele, J.B. Steele, Robin Steer, Leopold Stern, Nelson Steyne, Oliver Summers, Ellen Suter, Charles Swan, George Tanner, Alfred Tapping, Marian Taylor, George Teague, Ellen Thirlwall, Mr. Thomas, Marguerite Thorne, Richard Thorne, Sarah Thorne, W.S. Thorne, Roberts Tindell, Charles Verner, Webster Vernon, Charles Vincent, Emily Vining, George Vining, Mr. and Mrs. Vokes, John Vollaire, Horace Waldon, W.F. Wallett, W.H. Walters, Walter Ward, Mr. Warde, John Warlow, Captain William Henry Warren, John Watkins, Eliza Weekes, William Wellsted, Captain Astell Thomas Welsh, Clara Weston, William Weston Wheeler, Harry Widdicomb, Alfred Wigan, Mrs. Alfred Wigan, Barney Williams, Mrs. Barney Williams, John Mahon Williams, Montagu Williams, Mr. W. C. Williams, Edward Wilson, Joseph Wilson, Rose Wilton, Mr. J.H. Wolfenden, Mrs. Wolfenden, Arthur Wood, Mrs, Woollidge, Mr. Woollidge, Hugh Wyeth, George Yarnold, Samuel Youlden, Sir George Samuel Young, Watkins, Anthony Younge, and many more.

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Jennifer Carnell received her Ph.D for her research on Braddon from the University of London. She is the author of The Literary Lives of Mary Elizabeth Braddon, James Townsend Saward Criminal Barrister and has edited a number of novels by Braddon.

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