Miriam Kate Williams (6 May 1874 – 8 August 1946) sometimes called Kate Roberts and better known by her

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

Vulcana, was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

strongwoman A strongwoman is a woman who performs feats of strength in a show or circus, or a woman who competes in strength athletics. Traditionally, strongwomen have had a special appeal, as women involved in demonstrated feats of strength were exceptions ...

. With

strongman Strongman is a competitive strength sport which tests athletes' physical strength and endurance through a variety of heavy lifts and events. Strongman competitions are known for their intensity, pushing athletes to their physical and mental limit ...

William Hedley Roberts, better known as Atlas, she toured

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 ...

s in Britain, Europe, and Australia. The couple performed as The Atlas and Vulcana Group of Society Athletes.

Early life

Kate Williams was born to Irish parents in

Abergavenny Abergavenny (; , , archaically , ) is a market town and Community (Wales), community in Monmouthshire, Wales. Abergavenny is promoted as a "Gateway to Wales"; it is approximately from the England–Wales border, border with England and is loca ...

Monmouthshire Monmouthshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South East Wales, south east of Wales. It borders Powys to the north; the English counties of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the north and east; the Severn Estuary to the s ...

; her father was a local preacher. Kate worked at a tannery in Abergavenny as a young woman. She met William Roberts at the local women's gymnasium he ran in 1890, when she was fifteen. They fell in love; in spite of Roberts already having a wife and family, they left town together and were never parted for the rest of their lives.

Performing career

Williams's first professional appearance was as a replacement act at a fete hosted by Roberts in

Pontypool Pontypool ( ) is a town and the administrative centre of the county borough of Torfaen, within the Historic counties of Wales, historic boundaries of Monmouthshire (historic), Monmouthshire in South Wales. , it has a population of 29,062. Locat ...

, Wales. They began to be billed together as Atlas and Vulcana from the time of their first appearances in London in 1892. In 1903, Vulcana and Atlas were engaged by

Harry Rickards Harry Rickards (4 December 1843 – 13 October 1911), born Henry Benjamin Leete, was an English-born baritone, comedian and theatre owner, most active in vaudeville and stage, first in his native England and then Australia after emigrating in 18 ...

and toured

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. Atlas, a true showman of his times, greatly exaggerated his own and Vulcana's lifting capacities, and most of his published boasts have been dismissed. On more than one occasion, he was challenged to his face and shown to be using weights lighter than he claimed. At these times, Vulcana's reputation suffered alongside his, although her authenticated accomplishments were genuinely remarkable for a woman of her era.

Authenticated feats of strength

Vulcana reached the height of her popularity in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, impressing the Halterophile Club de France with her feats of strength, which earned her a medal from the "Father of French Bodybuilding", Professor

Edmond Desbonnet Edmond Desbonnet (1867–1953) was a French academic and photographer who championed physical culture. He made physical education fashionable in ''Belle Époque The Belle Époque () or La Belle Époque () was a period of French and Europ ...

and a picture on the cover of ''

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''. She was honored with over one hundred medals throughout her career. Her best-authenticated feats were

bent press A bent press is a type of weight training exercise, wherein a weight is brought from shoulder-level to overhead one-handed using the muscles of the back, legs, and arm. A very large amount of weight can be lifted this way, compared to other types ...

with her right hand of at least 124½ lb (56.5 kg), with some authorities accepting a press of 145 lb (66 kg), and an overhead lift with a 56 lb (25 kg) weight in each hand. She freed a wagon stuck in

Maiden Lane, Covent Garden Maiden Lane is a street in Covent Garden, London, that runs from Bedford Street in the west to Southampton Street, London, Southampton Street in the east. The painter J. M. W. Turner was born on this street in 1775. History The street is based ...

, London in October 1901 by lifting it before astonished witnesses. Authorities believe Vulcana reached the peak of her strength in about 1910. On 29 May 1913 at Haggar's Theatre in

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, she lifted a challenge bell that rival strongwoman Athelda (Frances Rheinlander) failed to raiseInto the Limelight: Women in the Music Hall
''intothelimelight.org'', accessed 12 November 2021 after twenty-five minutes of trying.

Authenticated feats of heroism

A woman publicly displaying strength was sufficient to generate ''

succès de scandale ''Succès de scandale'' ( French for "success from scandal") is a term for any artistic work whose success is attributed, in whole or in part, to public controversy surrounding the work. In some cases the controversy causes audiences to seek o ...

'', as

publicity stunt In marketing, a publicity stunt is a planned event designed to attract the public's attention to the event's organizers or their cause. Publicity stunts can be professionally organized, or set up by amateurs. Such events are frequently utiliz ...

s were then called, and Vulcana was no stranger to the art of aggrandizing tales of her exploits. However, some of the stories about her are based on genuine incidents of heroism on her part: *In 1888, at the age of thirteen, she stopped a runaway horse 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 ...

. *She rescued two children from drowning in the

River Usk The River Usk (; ) rises on the northern slopes of the Black Mountain (''y Mynydd Du''), Wales, in the westernmost part of the Brecon Beacons National Park. Initially forming the boundary between Carmarthenshire and Powys, it flows north int ...

in July 1901, for which she received an award in gratitude. *In 1910, Vulcana was the first to alert the police of the disappearance of her friend, Cora Crippen, who performed as Belle Ellmore, ultimately leading to the investigation, prosecution and execution of Cora's husband, Dr. Hawley Crippen. *On 4 June 1921 the Garrick Theatre in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

caught fire on an evening of the Society Athletes' performance. Vulcana risked her life to save another act's horses, and came away with serious burns on her head. For this she won commendations and an award.

Reported feats

*In 1902, '' Punch'' reported that Vulcana had knocked out a pickpocket who was attempting to steal her purse.

Retirement

Vulcana and Atlas moved permanently to London in the 1920s, and retired from performance in 1932. Vulcana was hit by a car in London in 1939, and was conscious when she heard her own death pronounced. She suffered brain damage, but partially recovered, and briefly outlived Atlas and her youngest daughter, both of whom also died in 1946.

Family

Vulcana and Atlas never married one another, and they billed themselves as brother and sister throughout their careers. They did however have six children together, William, Hedley, Augustus, Arthur, Nora, and Mona (1900 – 1946). No scandal resulted, as their secret was not discovered during their lifetimes. Vulcana did not want her children left with relatives or in orphanages, and insisted on raising them herself. Thus, all of her children performed with the Society Athletes as soon as they were old enough. Nora Roberts would go on to appear in the film ''

Things to Come ''Things to Come'' is a 1936 British science fiction film produced by Alexander Korda, directed by William Cameron Menzies, and written by H. G. Wells. It is a loose adaptation of Wells' book '' The Shape of Things to Come''. The film stars Ra ...

'' (1936).

Legacy

The Vulcana Women's Circus, based in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

, Australia, is named after her.

References

External links

Vulcana and Atlas
Radio interview with Jane Hunt, a great-granddaughter of Vulcana's. BBC 4's ''

Home Truths ''Home Truths'' is a weekly BBC Radio 4 programme which began on 11 April 1998 and was usually hosted by the DJ John Peel until his death in October 2004. In the Saturday 910am slot, it gradually became one of Radio 4's most successful program ...

'', 30 August 2004. *. Vulcana's granddaughters' research as of 2000.
Photo of Vulcana
at the National Library of Wales
Morley, West Yorkshire Community Archive
has photo of Atlas and Vulcana from 4 December 1911, with comments {{Physical culture 1874 births 1946 deaths British music hall performers People associated with physical culture Strongwomen Welsh strength athletes Sportspeople from Abergavenny Welsh female bodybuilders Welsh people of Irish descent Circus strongmen and strongwomen