Janette Mary Fernie Ranken (married name Thesiger) (16 December 1877 – 21 May 1970) was an English actress who worked under the name of Juliet Hardinge. She was the wife of actor

Ernest Thesiger Ernest Frederic Graham Thesiger (15 January 1879 – 14 January 1961) was an English stage and film actor. He is noted for his performance as Doctor Septimus Pretorius in James Whale's film ''Bride of Frankenstein'' (1935). Early life Ernes ...

and sister of the painter William Bruce Ellis Ranken.

Biography

Janette Mary Fernie Ranken was born in 1877, in a prosperous Edinburgh family, the daughter of Robert Burt Ranken (1840-1902) and Mary Witherington Dunlop. The painter William Bruce Ellis Ranken was her brother. Ranken attended

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

where she met Margaret Jourdain. They moved to London and lived together. But

, who knew Ranken through her brother William, proposed a white marriage to Ranken, and she accepted. She left Jourdain and on 30 May 1917 Janette Ranken married Ernest Thesiger.

Hilary Spurling Susan Hilary Spurling ( Forrest; born 25 December 1940) is a British writer, known for her work as a journalist and biographer. Early life and education Born in Stockport, Cheshire, to circuit judge Gilbert Alexander Forrest (1912–1977) and t ...

, biographer of

Ivy Compton-Burnett Dame Ivy Compton-Burnett, (; 5 June 188427 August 1969) was an English novelist, published in the original editions as I. Compton-Burnett. She was awarded the 1955 James Tait Black Memorial Prize for her novel ''Mother and Son''. Her works co ...

, who was friend of Ernest Thesiger through Jourdain, suggests that Thesiger and Janette wed largely out of their mutual adoration of William, who shaved his head when he learned of the engagement. Ernest Thesiger does not mention Janette in his memoir, ''Practically True'', even if they had a public life together, and Richard Thesiger, Ernest's nephew, said to Spurling that Janette Thesiger told him the marriage had never been consummated. Janette Ranken and Ernest Thesiger

In the 1920s, Ranken was President of the West London Branch of the

Theosophical Society The Theosophical Society is the organizational body of Theosophy, an esoteric new religious movement. It was founded in New York City, U.S.A. in 1875. Among its founders were Helena Blavatsky, a Russian mystic and the principal thinker of the ...

. She was also Editor of the magazine ''Theosophy in the British Isles''. She gave lectures like "The Web of Life" and "Some Problems of the Present". She was a member of the

Society for Psychical Research The Society for Psychical Research (SPR) is a nonprofit organisation in the United Kingdom. Its stated purpose is to understand events and abilities commonly described as psychic or paranormal. It describes itself as the "first society to condu ...

. At her brother's death in 1941, Janette Ranken gifted over 200 works to be distributed amongst English public galleries and museums. She died on 21 May 1970.

Career

*1903, "The Vikings", Imperial Theatre, London (Extra) *1903, "Snowdrop and the Seven Little Men", Court Theatre, London (Queen) *1904, "The Libation Bearers", Royal Shakespeare Company (Spirit) *1904, "The Tempest", Royal Shakespeare Company (Chorus) *1904, "The Knight of the Burning Pestle", Royalty Theatre, London (Pompiona) *1906, "Sunday", Lyceum Thatre, Newport (Nun) *1908, "The Importance of Being Earnest", Scala Theatre, London (with Ernest Thesiger) *1908, "Faust", His Majesty’s Theatre, London (Magda) *1908, "The Beloved Vagabond", Royal Theatre, Dublin (Lady Rushworth) *1908, "The Bacchae", Court Theatre, London (Chorus) *1909, "The High Bid", His Majesty’s Theatre, London (English Tourist) *1909, "The Dancing Girl", His Majesty’s Theatre, London (Lady Brislington) *1909, "Romeo and Juliet", Court Theatre, London (Chorus) *1910, Dramatic reading of "Richard III", British Empire Shakespeare Society, Botanic Theatre, University College, London (Chorus) *1910, Dramatic reading of "Richard III", British Empire Shakespeare Society, Victoria Hall, London *1925, Peach Ball, Claridge’s, in aid of

Ellen Terry Dame Alice Ellen Terry (27 February 184721 July 1928) was a leading English actress of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born into a family of actors, Terry began performing as a child, acting in Shakespeare plays in London, and toured ...

Homes for Blind Children (with Ernest Thesiger)

Gallery

File:Janette Ranken, 1912. Photo by Baron Adolph de Meyer.jpg, Janette Ranken, 1912, by Baron Adolph de Meyer File:Janette Mary Fernie Ranken.jpg, Janette Mary Fernie Ranken as Juliet Hardinge

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thesiger, Janette Ranken 1877 births 1970 deaths Janette