George Charleton Barron (c. 1846–1891) of
Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...
, England, was a
Gateshead
Gateshead () is a town in the Gateshead Metropolitan Borough of Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank. The town's attractions include the twenty metre tall Angel of the North sculpture on the town's southern outskirts, ...
-born
actor
An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...
,
mimic
In evolutionary biology, mimicry is an evolved resemblance between an organism and another object, often an organism of another species. Mimicry may evolve between different species, or between individuals of the same species. In the simples ...
,
elocutionist and general
entertainer
An entertainer is someone who provides entertainment in various different forms.
Types of entertainers
* Acrobat
* Actor
* Archimime
* Barker (occupation), Barker
* Beatboxer
* Benshi
* Bouffon
* Cheerleader
* Circus arts, Circus perform ...
.
Early life
George Charleton Barron was born in Gateshead about 1846. He started work as a
clerk
A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts record keeping as well as general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include Records managem ...
, working on the
Quayside
The Quayside is an area along the banks (quay) of the River Tyne in Newcastle upon Tyne (the north bank) and Gateshead (south bank) in Tyne and Wear, North East England, United Kingdom.
History
The area was once an industrial area and busy c ...
, Newcastle upon Tyne, and worked for a time with his relative
Ralph Blackett,
moving on to become a
commercial traveller.
He was like so many, young and gifted, and yearning for a life on the stage, so he left the area. Unfortunately, the career as an actor was brief; he returned to Newcastle, where he played
drama
Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
tic roles which, aided by his ability, made him a great favourite. He was much sought after by his wide circle of friends for social gatherings and could speak both
Scottish
Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
*Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland
*Scottish English
*Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
and Tyneside
dialects
A dialect is a variety of language spoken by a particular group of people. This may include dominant and standardized varieties as well as vernacular, unwritten, or non-standardized varieties, such as those used in developing countries or iso ...
.
Early death
In his prime he was struck down with an
abscess
An abscess is a collection of pus that has built up within the tissue of the body, usually caused by bacterial infection. Signs and symptoms of abscesses include redness, pain, warmth, and swelling. The swelling may feel fluid-filled when pre ...
on the head.
Despite a seemingly successful operation, several days later he suffered a relapse and died shortly after.
George Charleton Barron died 16 June 1891 at
North Shields
North Shields ( ) is a town in the borough of North Tyneside in Tyne and Wear, England. It is north-east of Newcastle upon Tyne and borders nearby Wallsend and Tynemouth. The population of North Shields at the 2021–2022 United Kingdom cens ...
at the age of only 44 or 45. At the service, the
Rev. H. Ian William, the Congregational minister, said: "His life was marked by many fine traits, but most noticeable was his bubbling cheerfulness — an animated sunbeam, which brightened everybody and every place".
Works
He had endless stories, but most had been written by others. The only piece which he seems to have written himself was the Tale of "Bill Smith at the
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium), marking the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The French Imperial Army (1804–1815), Frenc ...
"
[ telling how Bill and a group of ]Geordies
Geordie ( ), sometimes known in linguistics as Tyneside English or Newcastle English, is an English dialect and accent spoken in the Tyneside area of North East England. It developed as a variety of the old Northumbrian dialect and became espe ...
won the day. It is a typical story which illustrates the prejudices of human nature in general. The story was taken from an old American story.
See also
Geordie dialect words
Geordie ( ), sometimes known in linguistics as Tyneside English or Newcastle English, is an English dialect and accent spoken in the Tyneside area of North East England. It developed as a variety of the old Northumbrian dialect and became espec ...
References
External links
Allan’s Illustrated Edition of Tyneside songs and readings
Preston Cemetery
1840s births
1891 deaths
English male poets
People from Gateshead
Actors from Gateshead
English entertainers
Geordie songwriters
19th-century English musicians
{{England-poet-stub