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Some Special Interests => Occupation Interests => Topic started by: Nanna52 on Thursday 10 July 14 13:09 BST (UK)
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I am trying to find more information about the career of my cousin Edwin Beverley and his wife Agnes Gagan.
They were born Edwin William Barratt Vincent and Agnes Geoghagan and performed from around 1910 until his death in 1940. I am not sure if she continued to perform after his death.
I am interested in how well known they were. I have found snippets about them, but am unable to piece together a consistent history of their roles and wonder how they, and others, managed to live.
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Hi - I suppose you've seen the entries coming up when you Google him - his narrow escape from a
gas explosion & various refs to his stage work - also photo for sale?
Everlea.
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Hi
and wonder how they, and others, managed to live
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Possibly in much the same way as the not so well known actors of today. They probably took on casual work in between acting roles
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Thank you both for your thoughts. Yes everlea I had found those references, found the photo a week after it sold, which started me wondering if he was well known or if those cards were a form of advertising.
I did find a reference to him producing and writing later in life, but cannot find any other reference to what he wrote.
I guess I will never know as I have only found one daughter who died before he did. So frustrating.
Yes CaroleW I guess there was a lot of casual work in between roles.
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Seems to be quite a lot to be found about both of them on the British Newspaper Archives website (subscription). Only had a quick look but it seems he may have worked in management as well as acting. Also worth checking The Stage newspaper's archives online (also subscription). When I was researching a performer myself, what I did was to note down briefly all the references to their work I could find in chronological order, to get a outline of the career. Then there are books and online sources to help put it into context.
Drosybont
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Thanks Drosybont, I have looked at both those sites and have put them on my list to pay for and will do that in the next couple of months as finances allow. My greatest frustration is that there does not seem to be an obituary for him and I don't understand the strength of the stage/ theatre system in the early 1900's.
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I'm not a theatre history specialist but I have worked in theatre management and I think I can help a bit. Looking more closely at what I can see in the newspapers, they seem to me to have had good careers and to have been working regularly enough to do OK financially.
Edwin is acting in repertory in classical plays in 1905, then in 1908 and from 1910 to 1914 in Shakespearian repertory companies. These were actor-manager companies, ie the person running the company also acted, and they visited different towns each week or sometimes stayed in the same town for a few weeks at a time. In 1908 he was with Mr Allan Wilkie's company and from late 1910 to early 1914 Mr Alexander Marsh's company.
To give audiences plenty of choice this kind of company presented a number of plays each week, eg in Gloucester in February 1911 in one week 'Othello' on Monday, 'Macbeth' on Tuesday, 'Twelfth Night' on Wednesday, 'Merry Wives of Windsor' on Thursday, 'As You Like It' on Friday, 'Julius Caesar' on Saturday at the matinee and a double bill of 'David Garrick' and 'The Corsican Brothers' on Saturday night! Rehearsal time would be very limited so it relied on experienced actors knowing the plays already, but it was regular work which certainly would have developed and maintained their skills.
After the outbreak of WW1, in late 1914 he was in regional performances of a 'scriptural drama', previously staged by manager Mr Herbert Tree in London. Mr Alfred Denville, the company manager, gave speeches during the interval, recruiting for the army and asking for support for Belgian refugees. In 1916 he and Agnes were in Mr John Carlyle's company as a principal actors in 'Brave Women Who Wait', a play with a wartime theme. After that he served in the war himself, quite eventfully apparently from a newspaper reference later on: 'When taken prisoner, it was wrongly reported that Mr Beverley had been killed, and a theatrical paper published an obituary notice . . . '
He next shows up in Denville's Stock Company in Burnley between May and August 1921 and from April 1922 to March 1923, again with Agnes. Alfred Denville and his companies were well-known. They presented 'weekly rep', performing one play each week while rehearsing another for the following week. Audiences and local critics would get to know the actors and enjoy seeing them taking on different parts. The plays were melodramas, romantic comedies, historical romances, that sort of thing, and for actors it was steady work.
One week the local paper gave brief sketches of the company members: 'Mr Edwin Beverley. Mr Denville's producer: his third season since being demobbed, and ninth engagement, ex Shakespearian actor and author of several pieces' and 'Miss Agnes Gagan (really Mrs Beverley), been with F.R.Benson Companies and Allan Wilkie's Shakespearian Company; last in Burnley with "The Sign of the Cross" about two years ago, and specialises in character studies.'
In late 1923 and late 1929 he and Agnes appeared with Mr Edward Dunstan's Shakespeare Company, which included a lot of Denville actors, and in 1933 they appeared in 'Brown Sugar' with the Denville Players. In 1935 and 1936 he did seasons with Tonbridge Repertory Players, a weekly rep presenting detective dramas and contemporary plays, more steady work. After that there are just a couple of references to him in 'The Frog' presented by Mr Prince Littler in Chatham, a play which had completed two years in London.
I haven't found much about Agnes when she's not working with Edwin, but what there is indicates that she had a good career too. In 1917 she was in a Shakespeare company managed by Mr Leon Salberg at the Alexandra in Birmingham. In 1919 she toured in Mr William Maclaren's Company in 'The Sign of the Cross', visiting Burnley and Derby. In 1926 and 1927 she toured in the Edward Dunstan Company, in Shakespeare plays and classical and historical dramas.
To find out more, try googling the company managers - they worked for some well-known names. It seems likely that The Stage would have obituaries for them - even if only the premature one!
Drosybont
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Drosybont you are absolutely fantastic. Thank you for explaining how the theatre system worked. It explains a lot to me about them.
Edwin died in 1940, but Agnes lived to the 1960's and seemed to spend a bit of time in Canada with family and travelling. It is so interesting finding out the history behind people and their work.
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Hi. I was just doing some background research on the Alexander Marsh repertory company, with respect to my Grandmother's autograph album, when I came across your enquiry about Edwin and Agnes. In her album, there are a number of autographs from members of the Alexander Marsh Co. You may be interested to see the attachment (page 5) that actually shows the autographs of 'your' Edwin and Agnes. I've also attached another entry (page 6) showing an attractive drawing and reference to Alexander Marsh Co. and, importantly, the year 1913. I have yet to find out if my Grandmother had a role with the company or whether she was just a keen theatre goer?
MartinW88
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MartinW88 thank you so much for that. It is marvellous to see their autographs. Do you think the sketch is of your Grandmother?
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I'm pleased you enjoyed the autographs. My Grandmother was a very lovely lady, and I have some photo's of her when she was younger, but she doesn't bear much semblance to the 'beauty' in the sketch.
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Just a note. Up until I last saw him 18 months ago Alfred Denville's son or maybe it's his grandson was alive and well and living in Surrey.
There is a home for retired actors called Denville Hall. That could be an avenue to explore.
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Oh how rude of me Beeonthebay, I failed to respond to your post three years ago. I do apologise. From my understanding after Edwin died Agnes seemed to do some travelling and settled in London.
I found one obituary in the recent FindMyPast free days for the centenary of the Amistace and it said that he was providing entertainment for the troops as well as fighting during WW1.
I will look into Denville Hall to see if there is anything online.