Harriet Vernon (9 October 1858–11 July 1923) was an English actress and singer of the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...

who appeared regularly in

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was most popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850, through the World War I, Great War. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as Varie ...

Victorian burlesque Victorian burlesque, sometimes known as travesty or extravaganza, is a genre of theatrical entertainment that was popular in Victorian England and in the New York theatre of the mid-19th century. It is a form of parody in which a well-known oper ...

and

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...

in the 1880s and 1890s. In a career that spanned five decades, her final appearances were in 1923. Vernon also toured internationally, appearing in New York, Johannesburg and Berlin."Music Hall comedian Harriet Vernon died almost 90-years ago and her South Yorkshire grave has been unmarked – until now"
''

Sheffield Star ''The Star'', often known as the ''Sheffield Star'', is a daily newspaper published in Sheffield, England, from Monday to Saturday each week. Originally a broadsheet, the newspaper became a tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid in 1993. ''The Sta ...

'', 21 May 2012

Life and career

Born in

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, which today also gives its name to the (much larger) London Borough of Lambeth. Lambeth itself was an ancient parish in the county of Surrey. It is situated 1 mile (1.6 km) south of Charin ...

in London in 1858 as Harriet Maria Whitehouse, the daughter of George Hickman Whitehouse (1837–1908), a printer, and Caroline (''née'' Newport, 1840–1887), she was one of the leading

stars of the 1880s and 1890s, also performing regularly as the

principal boy In pantomime, a principal boy role is the young male protagonist of the play, traditionally played by a young actress in boy's clothes. The earliest example is Miss Ellington who in 1852 appeared in ''The Good Woman in the Wood'' by James Planc ...

at the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and listed building, Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) an ...

. In 1888 she appeared as

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...

in ''

Babes in the Wood Babes in the Wood is a traditional English children's tale, as well as a popular pantomime subject. It has also been the name of some other unrelated works. The expression has passed into common language, referring to inexperienced innocents ent ...

'' at Drury Lane with

Sybil Grey Ellen Sophia Taylor (3 January 1860 – 20 August 1939), known professionally as Sybil Grey, was a British singer and actress during the Victorian era best known for creating a series of minor roles in productions by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Comp ...

, Harry Payne and

Dan Leno George Wild Galvin (20 December 1860 – 31 October 1904), better known by the stage name Dan Leno, was a leading English music hall comedian and musical theatre actor during the late Victorian era. He was best known, aside from his music hall a ...

as the Dame. Her first professional engagement was as Harriet Vernon in January 1875 at The Star Music Hall in

Bermondsey Bermondsey ( ) is a district in southeast London, part of the London Borough of Southwark, England, southeast of Charing Cross. To the west of Bermondsey lies Southwark, to the east Rotherhithe and Deptford, to the south Walworth and Peckham, ...

. On 28 February 1875 in

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

in London, aged 16, she married William Thomas Gillett (1853–1933), an optician. Her children were Edward George Gillett (1876–1953), Ada Mary Ann Gillett (1879–), who followed her mother into burlesque as Ada Vernon, and William Whitehouse Gillett (1881–1933). In 1885 at the Prince's Theatre in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

and the

Novelty Theatre The Novelty Theatre (later renamed the Great Queen Street Theatre from 1900 to 1907, and the Kingsway Theatre from 1907 to 1941) was a London theatre. It opened in 1882 at No 8 Great Queen Street. The theatre was accessed from Little Queen Str ...

in London, Vernon played Cammpi in ''The Japs; or, The Doomed Daimio'', a

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

by Harry Paulton and Mostyn Teddea, alongside

Lionel Brough Lionel "Lal" Brough (10 March 1836 – 8 November 1909) was a British actor and comedian. After beginning a journalistic career and performing as an amateur, he became a professional actor, performing mostly in Liverpool during the mid-1860s. H ...

Willie Edouin Willie Edouin (1 January 1846Edouin's ''New York Times'' obituary says 1841 – 14 April 1908) was an English comedian, actor, dancer, singer, writer, director and theatre manager. After performing as a child in England, Australia and elsewher ...

and Alice Atherton. In July 1886, she played Sir Thomas Wyatt in the burlesque ''Herne the Hunted'' at

Toole's Theatre Toole's Theatre was a 19th-century West End theatre, West End building in William IV Street, near Charing Cross, in the City of Westminster. A succession of auditoria had occupied the site since 1832, serving a variety of functions, including ...

in London. In 1887, she was divorced from her husband on the grounds of her adultery with the actor and playwright Mark Quinton (born Joseph Mark Keogh, 1860–1891). Her husband gained custody of the children while Keogh and Vernon went on to marry. In 1889, she was declared a bankrupt. In 1890, she appeared for two months at the Concordia in Berlin, Germany. She played the title role in the pantomime ''Abdallah and the Forty Thieves'' with

Walter Passmore Walter Henry Passmore (10 May 1867 – 29 August 1946) was an English singer and actor best known as the first successor to George Grossmith in the comic baritone roles in Gilbert and Sullivan operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company. Passm ...

at the Theatre Royal,

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

, in 1891, and in 1892 she went on a national tour of the UK. In 1893, 1895 and 1896 she appeared in New York, while in 1896 and 1903 she toured South Africa. On 5 November 1898 Vernon married the actor Albert Marks (1861–) in

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also ) is an area in London, England, and is located in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. Oxford Street forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropo ...

, London"Marriage of Harriet Vernon and Albert Marks"
England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837–1915 via Ancestry.com but was divorced from him in 1906 following her adultery with the actor Leslie Race. In 1907, she was again declared a bankrupt. Vernon died in 1923 of bronchial pneumonia at the

Doncaster Royal Infirmary Doncaster Royal Infirmary is a district general hospital of 800 beds, located in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It is managed by Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. History Early history Doncaster Royal Infirm ...

having been booked to appear in the touring show '‘Veterans of Variety’' at the Grand Theatre there. She was buried in an

unmarked grave An unmarked grave is one that lacks a marker, headstone, or nameplate indicating that a body is buried there. It may also include burials that previously had identification but which are no longer identifiable due to weather damage, neglect, dist ...

at Hyde Park Cemetery. A headstone was finally put on her grave with the support of her descendants in 2012.

References

External links

"Portraits of Harriet Vernon"

National Portrait Gallery, London The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London that houses a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. When it opened in 1856, it was arguably the first national public gallery in the world th ...

website {{DEFAULTSORT:Vernon, Harriet 1858 births 1923 deaths British music hall performers English vaudeville performers Actors from the London Borough of Lambeth Musicians from London Actresses from London 19th-century English actresses 20th-century English actresses Deaths from bronchopneumonia English stage actresses People from Lambeth