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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Lancashire => Topic started by: Dalmatian on Thursday 14 January 10 14:35 GMT (UK)
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I am researching my grandmother´s music hall career 1909 - 1916.She was a Manchester girl and performed with a song and dance troupe called Hayley´s ( or Halley´s ) Juveniles- photo of grandma attatched.During my research I found a couple of references to Gracie Fields early career , firstly that she started with the same troupe and secondly that she started with a Blackpool troupe.
Has anyone ever heard of Haley´s Juveniles , were they based in Blackpool and did Gracie ever work with them?
Any information would be gratefully recieved
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Sorry can't help with your request :(
But your photo, if you put it into the restoration forum they will do a magnificent job at repairing and cleaning it, they will even colour it if you want.
I would have a go but none of my digital/paint software works now I have upgraded to windows7 :'(
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I googled Haley's Juveniles and there are two postcards of the troupe on eBay at the moment.
One of them is signed by Mrs Haley and dated 1917. Your grandmother could be on it maybe? Don't know what Gracie Fields looked like as a girl though, so cannot tell if she is one of them!
:) Barbara
edit: sorry make that three postcards - another dated 1908, produced by a theatrical printer in Leeds
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Thanks for all your help so far ,the postcards were great especially the one signed by Mrs H Hayley, although Grandma wasn´t on either of them.I have been e mailing Rochdale library and they tell me that Gracie worked for ¨Hayley´s Garden of Girls ¨run by a Mrs Haley.
I´m sure that there must be a connection between the Garden of Girls and the Juveniles - does this ring a bell with anyone?
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Hi there,
My Great Grandmother was Priscilla Haley who was the Madame Haley of Haley's Juveniles. Her travelling troup of 50 child entertainers appeared at the opening of the London Palladium in 1910 and toured the UK and Europe not having a week off in 17 years! Gracie Fields got her very first experience with the Juveniles after approaching Priscilla at a theatre in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in 1911 and she never forgot her "old boss". Gracie joined the troupe 7 weeks later but eventually left to join Cherburn's Young Stars. She returned to Birmingham (which was Priscilla's home following retirement) to see Priscilla in 1952 (covered in the press) which turned out to be timely as Madame Haley died a week later (again covered in the Entertainment Press). Priscilla worked in show business for 30 years.
I'm afraid I cant give any specifics on members of the troupe as photos that i have are still a mystery! I also have a postcard that is quite faded.
If I can help further please drop me a line. I'd love to find out more about my great gran.
All the best,
Matt
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thanks for that Matt , I have very little info on the troupe other than knowing that my grandma was part of it.I am collecting press reviews for some of the shows that they featured in so once they are all together I will forward them to you.
Sue
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That would be fantastic Sue thankyou. If you find anything about Priscilla during your search I'd be forever grateful!! ;)
Cheers,
Matt
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Hi Matt
Have attatched the pictures that I have found of the troupe.The one thing that puzzled me was that one of the photos was signed ¨Mrs H Haley ¨ but your grandma¨s name was Priscilla.Did another member of the family take over the running of the troupe from Priscilla?
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Hi Sue,
Great to see pics thankyou. I couldn't figure the Mrs H Haley out myself. Then about 5 mins ago I had an idea!!!!!!!! Priscilla was originally Hardaker but married Herbert Haley........Mrs Herbert Haley?.... possible?.......didn't the good wife assume the formality of her husband's name?
Matt
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Youré right Matt , they did - mystery solved.
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Hello Matt ,
I was thinking that now I have the names of both the Hayleys I would like to do a bit more research into the troupe as a whole rather than just my Grandma´s part in it.I wondered if you would mind letting me have any info that you have got on Herbert and Priscilla , dates and places of birth etc , so that I can have something to build on and I will keep you posted with the results.
Thanks
Sue
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My grandmother, Edna May Beckett was a member of Haley's Juveniles circa 1920's, possibly earlier. It was a dance troupe and she told me that she did acrobatic dancing, because she was small she ended up on the top of a human pyramid. Even into her 70's she was very supple and could touch her toes. Unfortunately, two photographs of her on the stage was lost or taken by an unscrupulous relative! I do remember her in a short black tunic with ribbons in her hair and also a picture of her dressed as a Dutch girl. She was highly chaperoned and no 'back stage johnies' allowed. Her mother was a theatrical landlady on Beverley Road in Hull and I am hoping to do a bit more research this summer. Was it Penelope,Patience, Prudence Haley? For a long time I believed the troupe was named after the comet!I believed Miss/Mrs?Haley died in the 50's -will look for further details sent to me. It was a surprise finding anything on the net as I have looked on and off for ages and I have even contacted various historical associations re: Music Hall and Variety. Haley's Juveniles performed at the Alahmbra in Bradford I believe?
She gave up her stage career later - probably when she met my grandfather as she was a cashier when she got married.
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Hello Sherba
Its great to hear from someone who has actually heard of Hayley´s Juveniles , the British Music Hall Society hadn´t ( although the Palladium archivist had ) My grandma was with them from around 1909 to 1913 although ahe didn´t leave the stage until 1916 .She may have overlapped with your grandma.I have done a bit of research on Priscilla Hayley but still have a lot more to do.I have my grandmas´s engagement book and have been trying to follow the troupe around the country and put their travels into narrative form.It isn´t finished yet but you are more than welcome to see what I have done so far along with photos and newspaper reports.You can get in touch with me on * and I will send you what I have.My grandma also told me that the girls were very closely chaperoned although the account in Gracie Filelds autobiography of her time with H´s Js tells a different story .I would love to hear any stories that you have.
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you might be interested in this item that is listed on Ebay, item number 250864515497, I have no link to the dance troupe it was just in with some other stuff I bought and while I was doing some research to list it I found this board
Phil
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The Forum would not let me reply to your message
The photo is up for auction.
You can open a temporary Ebay account to bid on something and do not have to have a Paypal account.
If you win it I will send you an invoice and you can pay by sterling cheque or Iban
Rgds Phil
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Hello, my grandmother was a member of Haley's Juveniles between the wars. I think she was about 14 when she joined so that would be around 1923 for a few years until she suffered an injury which curtailed her career. Her name was Mary Annie Cambridge from Dudley and I've heard she was on stage at the London Palladium. I'd love to hear about anything any of you find out.
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Hello, my grandmother was a member of Haley's Juveniles between the wars. I think she was about 14 when she joined so that would be around 1923 for a few years until she suffered an injury which curtailed her career. Her name was Mary Annie Cambridge from Dudley and I've heard she was on stage at the London Palladium. I'd love to hear about anything any of you find out.
Hi Levocalady
Try this site - Do a free search http://www.rootschat.com/links/0isb/
MancsMan
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Matt - Lostincloud
My mother was also Priscilla Hardaker, named after her aunt who became Madam Haley. Mother was born in 1899 and when very young toured with her aunt's troupe.
Great aunt Priscilla used to stay with us in the 1940's when we lived in Bradford, together with a daughter whose name I don't remember - I was very young at the time.
I don't have a copy, but do remember mother being proud of a 'photo of aunt Priscilla seated, with Gracie leaning over her shoulder, published alongside a feature in a local newspaper when Gracie visited her old mentor.
There is also a family link to Pontefract: my grandfather was transferred there by the Pearl Insurance Company from (I think) Grimsby.
I will by happy to share family snippets/memories with you.
M.A.S.
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I am 49 years old. My grandma had Gracie Fields records playing all of the time, so maybe that is the reason that I have them on my ipod, mostly downloaded from itunes. My grandmas favorite was Grandmas feather bed. I would pay you in arms and legs if I could get a copy of it. Any chance anyone knows where I can get it from?
Gracie is a favorite of mine too.
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Priscilla Haley (nee Hardaker) was my mother's Great Aunt and I grew up hearing about the the connection to "our Gracie" and how her uncle's we're involved in the troupe. I did find Madam Haley and her daughter Marion each with one of said uncle's in separate digs in the London 1911 Census. I know very little about the details of the troupe but I am fascinated by it. I do know that Priscilla's father was known for playing the piano and often went around the rural Lincolnshire community to play the rivalries and at one point seems to have managed the Athens tea shop in York and was also a baker.
I do think it might be worth collecting together all the names of those in Haleys Juveniles to keep it's memory alive - I find it annoying that a company that ran for 17 years with no break seems to be forgotten by all but a few and the Palladium.
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Now, knock me over with a feather! My half-great, great aunt, May Ludgate, was one of Haley's Juveniles, and indeed is in the second photo that was posted at the top of this thread - I've a copy of that very postcard that she sent her father that year! She went on to be part of the original Bluebell Girls, so goes family lore, and was their seamstress until children meant that she couldn't travel. Delighted to find out about Gracie Fields!
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Jevonthegm, August 2014, posted Priscilla's (nee Hardaker) father was known for playing the piano, managed a teashop in York and might have been a baker. This is my grandfather and I have always understood he was a "superintendent" for Pearl Assurance and in this role was moved from Lincolnshire to Pontefract.
A mystery!
Cleome
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This is a photo I've recently found when my nan was in the troupe in the 1920s (she's the 2nd from right: Mary Annie Cambridge).
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Were they all females in Hayleys Juveniles?
I have a note that a relation of mine, male, joined them when young.
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My great grand aunt Lily O'Gara also performed in Haley's juveniles. I have had some success finding records of her time with the troupe through the University of Sheffield's Archives, they have a collection of Argyle Thearte of Varieties Posters. My great grandmother also performed with her when they were young and her husband, my great grandfather with Archie Leach. My pop has his fathers autograph book that has both Gracie Field and Cary Grants signatures.
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But wasn't Archie Leach the real name of Cary Grant (born Bristol 1904)?
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yes that is correct. I have a photo with my grandfathers uncle Leslie Brooks with Archie Leach/Cary Grant in the troupe