Florence Collingbourne Explained

Florence Eliza Collingbourne (January 1880  - 8 July 1946) was a British actress, singer and stage beauty known for her appearances in Edwardian musical comedies.[1] [2] One of George Edwardes' Gaiety Girls, she took over the title role in San Toy[3] and originated the role of Nancy Staunton in The Toreador.

Life and career

Collingbourne was born in Camberwell in London in 1880,[4] the daughter of Maria Eleanor née Witham (1858–1888) and Henry Ashdown Collingbourne (1859-), a printer's labourer.[5] [6] Her mother died when she was 8 years old, following which she was raised by her aunt and uncle.[7] She was living alone in Camberwell in 1901.[8]

Her stage appearances include a series of Edwardian musical comedies produced by George Edwardes, such as A Greek Slave at Daly's Theatre (1898)[9] and Gladys Stourton in A Gaiety Girl at the Gaiety Theatre (1899).[10] She originated the small role of Yung Shi (and later took over the title role) in San Toy at Daly's (1899–1900),[3] Girl in The Wicked Uncle at the Gaiety (1900)[11] and Nancy Staunton in The Toreador at the Gaiety (1901–1902).[12] [13]

She left the production to marry Laurence Margetson (1874–1928), a hosiery manufacturer,[14] with whom she had three children: William Laurence Margetson (1902–1992); Colleen Mary Margetson (1908–1995), and the novelist and writer Stella Margetson (1912–1992).[15] [16] After her marriage she retired from acting.[7] In 1906 she briefly came out of retirement to appear in a farewell benefit for Emily Soldene at the Palace Theatre, London with Seymour Hicks and Rutland Barrington among others where she sang 'L'Ete' by Madame Chaminade.[17] In her later years she lived at The Holdynge, Aldwick Avenue in Bognor Regis in Sussex.

Collingbourne died aged 66 at the District Hospital in Dorking in Surrey in 1946. In her will she left £27,306 7s 9d to her children.[18]

Sources

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1901/07/07/101076656.pdf "London Theatrical Topics".
  2. Tracy C. Davis and Peter Holland (eds), The Performing Century: Nineteenth-Century Theatre's History, Palgrave MacMillan (2009) - Google Books p. 89
  3. Wearing (1890s), p. 427
  4. https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/8912/ONS_B18802AZ-0061?pid=38666009&backurl=https://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv%3D1%26dbid%3D8912%26h%3D38666009%26tid%3D%26pid%3D%26usePUB%3Dtrue%26_phsrc%3Ddjv3312%26_phstart%3DsuccessSource&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=djv3312&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&_ga=2.125041354.1335830168.1588585387-1197399642.1515349816 England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915 for Florence Eliza Collingbourne: 1880, Q1-Jan-Feb-Mar
  5. https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/7572/LNDRG11_670_673-0712?pid=21096019&backurl=https://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv%3D1%26dbid%3D7572%26h%3D21096019%26tid%3D%26pid%3D%26usePUB%3Dtrue%26_phsrc%3Ddjv3313%26_phstart%3DsuccessSource&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=djv3313&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&_ga=2.33649377.1335830168.1588585387-1197399642.1515349816 1881 England Census for Florence Collingbourn: London, Camberwell
  6. https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/1558/31280_197806-00035?pid=4214953&backurl=https://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv%3D1%26dbid%3D1558%26h%3D4214953%26tid%3D%26pid%3D%26usePUB%3Dtrue%26_phsrc%3Ddjv3310%26_phstart%3DsuccessSource&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=djv3310&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&_ga=2.104075968.1335830168.1588585387-1197399642.1515349816 London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1917 for Florence Eliza Collingbourne: Southwark, St Giles, Camberwell, 1879-1897
  7. https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp135093/florence-eliza-collingbourne Brief biography of Florence Collingbourne
  8. https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/7814/LNDRG13_497_498-0259/3739490?backurl=https://www.ancestry.co.uk/family-tree/person/tree/21478342/person/20442715987/facts/citation/74565774779/edit/record 1901 England Census for Florence Collingbourne: London, Camberwell
  9. http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1324530/a-greek-slave-photograph-ellis-alfred/ Photograph of Collingbourne in A Greek Slave
  10. 'Miss Florence Collingbourne in A Gaiety Girl (1899) - The Sketch, 9 August 1899, p. 115
  11. Wearing (1900s), p. 38
  12. https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp135093/florence-eliza-collingbourne Photograph of Collingbourne in The Toreador
  13. Thomas S. Hischak, The Mikado to Matilda: British Musicals on the New York Stage, Rowman & Littlefield (2020) - Google Books p. 276
  14. https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/8913/ONS_M19024AZ-0368?pid=5948776&backurl=https://search.ancestry.co.uk/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv%3D1%26dbid%3D8913%26h%3D5948776%26tid%3D%26pid%3D%26usePUB%3Dtrue%26_phsrc%3Ddjv3315%26_phstart%3DsuccessSource&treeid=&personid=&hintid=&usePUB=true&_phsrc=djv3315&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&_ga=2.95566940.1335830168.1588585387-1197399642.1515349816 England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915 for Florence Collingbourne: 1902, Q2-Apr-May-Jun
  15. http://www.stagebeauty.net/th-frames.html?http&&&www.stagebeauty.net/reeve/reeve-a2.html Ada Reeve (1876-1966) - Stage Beauty website
  16. https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/2352/rg14_00600_0483_03/1637385 1911 England Census for Florence Margetson: London, Hampstead
  17. Programme for 'The Emily Soldene Farewell Matinee' at the Palace Theatre, London, 13 November 1906
  18. https://www.ancestry.co.uk/interactive/1904/32858_635001_2105-00286/19456623?backurl=https://www.ancestry.co.uk/family-tree/person/tree/21478342/person/20442715987/facts/citation/74565778887/edit/record England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995 for Florence Margetson: 1946

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