Variety Artist

Daft Bat

Daft Bat

Administrator. Chief cook & bottle washer!
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Ivy Evelyn ASHTON was born in Bethnal Green on 12th November 1902. She married Douglas PIPER in 1921 but was widowed in 1934.

The 1939 Register has her as a Variety Artist living in Delaware Mansions, Maida Vale, London and she died in 1971.

I have had a rummage for anything about her as a Variety Artist but am coming up empty handed.

If anyone can find anything out about her career, I would be very grateful. :)

Thank you.
 
Well, there's variety and there's variety and whether you would call this a career.......:eek:
I'm pretty certain that this refers to Ivy as one of the others mentioned, Joan Routledge, was living with her on the 1939 register :D
Daily Mirror 19th March 1937
CAFE CARESSES: £l00 FINE ON OWNER
"Among the most despicable offences known to the law, I think, is that of the exploitation of immorality, especially by women younger than yourself." The Lord Mayor (Sir George Broadbridge) said this at the Mansion House in imposing a fine of £l00 on Mrs Irvine Piper, aged 34, proprietress of the Orange Tree Cafe, Hart-street, E.C., for permitting disorderly conduct at the cafe. Miss Babs Raymond, aged 31 and Mrs Jean Haughton, aged 30, were each fined £2 for aiding and abetting. Miss Joan Routledge, aged 24 was told to see the probation officer and appear in court next week. Detective Macgregor told how on one visit to the café, Babs put her arm round his waist and kissed him. In 1927 Mrs. Piper was fined £20 with £20 costs in respect of summonses for disorderly conduct at a cafe.

Have to dash but will have another rummage later.
 
I think you have access to the papers Jan? If so, there is a wonderful report of the whole case in the Daily Mirror of the 16th March 1937. If you can’t access it, let me know ;)
 
AnnB said:
I think you have access to the papers Jan? If so, there is a wonderful report of the whole case in the Daily Mirror of the 16th March 1937. If you can’t access it, let me know ;)
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Brilliant! I will have a read tomorrow when I am back on the laptop. :D
 
I have had a good read and also found several reports of a similar event in 1927 that was alluded to. :eek:

There is an extremely helpful book for discovering the pitfalls of family history research by Kate Broad and Toni Neobard called "Granny was a Brothel Keeper". I wonder if this is where they got the idea from for the title... :reading: :nailbiting: :sceptical:
 
Daft Bat said:
I have had a good read and also found several reports of a similar event in 1927 that was alluded to. :eek:

There is an extremely helpful book for discovering the pitfalls of family history research by Kate Broad and Toni Neobard called "Granny was a Brothel Keeper". I wonder if this is where they got the idea from for the title... :reading: :nailbiting: :sceptical:
Click to expand...
A good example of perhaps not taking everything entered in the 'official' records as gospel :D However, I think she may have had some connection to the theatre (let's give her the benefit of the doubt:rolleyes:) as there is this article
which mentions Babs Raymond as being past of a dancing troupe - who know if Ivy might not have been one of them?
Staffordshire Sentinel 13th November 1917
The Eight Nadrenes, smart young ladies, besides giving much assistance to the principals, dance neatly and daintily. One of the ladies, Miss Babs Raymonde, executes some clever toe dancing. The chorus is exceptionally well balanced, while To-To and Fru Fru (Cabaret Girls), which parts fall to the lot of Miss Elsie Mason and Miss Nellie Merwyn, add to the excellence of the performance.

Having said that, she was in trouble again in 1941.
West London Observer 21st February 1941
A landmine alarm was stated at the Marylebone Police Court to have caused a Paddington licensee to spoil 22 years' unblemished record in the trade by entertaining customers in his house after 10 p.m. The licensee, Thomas Arthur James, of the Shirland Hotel, Shirland Road, Paddington, pleaded guilty to selling intoxicating drinks after time, and he was fined £5 with £5 costs. Mr A. A. Romain, the solicitor defending, said that at the time there was a heavy raid in progress, and just before 10 p.m. a senior air-raid warden came to the licensee and strongly advised him to keep all his customers on the premises because a landmine had been seen floating towards the district. While the customers were taking shelter until the peril had passed it was not to be wondered at, said the solicitor, that a little stimulant was felt to be desirable both by the customers and the licensee. It was an unfortunate incident in the licensee's long and unblemished record, which would never have occurred in normal times. Eight of the customers pleaded guilty to consuming the liquor, and were bound over. The consumers bound over were Mrs Julie Day, of Delaware Mansions, Maida Vale; Miss Madge McGregor, of Delaware Mansions; Miss Ivy Piper, of Delaware Mansions; Mr and Mrs Herbert Eversden, of Denmark Road, Kilburn; Mr Frank Henry White, of Elvathan Mews. Paddington; and Mr and Mrs William Jack Felstead, of Delaware Mansions.

Delaware Mansions seem to be very sought after properties nowadays, probably because they are opposite the BBC Maida Vale Studios :)
 
Ive found lots of details about performances from a resource called The Stage Archive. i think it is easiest accessed on Find My Past . little snippets about shows, advertising of performances etc. I should also mention that you most often need to know their stage name eg Finch and Carr and they often change them.
 
robyn ford said:
Ive found lots of details about performances from a resource called The Stage Archive. i think it is easiest accessed on Find My Past . little snippets about shows, advertising of performances etc. I should also mention that you most often need to know their stage name eg Finch and Carr and they often change them.
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Thank you for this @robyn ford :) I was researching a tree for a friend and will pass on this information - especially as Find My past is available at our local Libraries for free! She will be able to have a rummage and see the details herself. :D

Thanks again,
 
Bay Horse said:
Keep your eyes on eBay too. I've just taken delivery of a very old theatre programme that had one of our ancestors listed (post-war)... it wasn't expensive and is a lovely thing to have.
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I find lots of great stuff on ebay. If you have unusual surnames or small villages in your family history it is well worth using them as a search term.
My best find was a lovely watercolour of my great grandad's watermill in Sussex. It was only a tenner!
 
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