Jessie Bateman (1877-1940)

Jessie Bateman (1877-1940)

Jessie Eliza Bateman was born on the 2nd of August 1877, and first appeared on stage as child dancer in a series of ballets at the Alhambra when she was ten years old. Her first dramatic role was as 'Cobweb' in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at The Globe Theatre on 12th December 1889, when she was not yet into her teens. The following year she appeared in "The Rose and the King" at The Prince of Wales theatre and subsequently as a child in "Ivanhoe" at The Royal English Opera House from January 1891.

She then joined F.R. Benson's touring Shakespearean company with which she would remain for the next five years, perfecting her craft and playing her first adult roles. Included a mongst these were 'Puck' in "A Midsummer Night's Dream", 'Robin' in "The Merry Wives of Windsor", 'Lucius' in "Julius Caesar" and towards the end of this period the more central roles of 'Tatiana' in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and 'Celia' in "As You Like It".

In 1894, only just turned seventeen, Jessie was married for the first time to George Augustus Ashfordby-Trenchard. Descended from the landed gentry, George had started upon a military career as a Second Lieutenant in the Lancashire Artillery but had subsequently resigned his commission to pursue a career on the stage (using the stagename of 'George Hippisley' - the surname being taken from his maternal line).

Jessie left Benson in 1896, whereupon she returned to London where she appeared in "The Guinea Stamp" and "Mr Martin" at The Comedy Theatre from April of that year. By now recognised as a competent actress with a growing reputation, she was next engaged by the great theatrical impressario George Edwardes to play leading roles in his touring company which was embarking for South Africa. On that tour she added to the diversity of her repertoire performing in such plays as Barrie's comedy "The Little Minister", the serio-drama "Secret Service" and the romantic drama "Under the Red Robe". She returned to England only breifly before being engaged for a tour of the US by the English Actor/Manager H. Reeves-Smith in his sucessful play "A Brace of Partridges". Her first US appearance was in the role of 'Peggy Stubbs' in that play opening at Hoyt's Theatre in New York on 7th September 1898.

Returning to England in December, Jessie at first remained with Reeves-Smith to appear with him as 'Connie' in "A Little Ray of Sunshine" at The Royalty. She next joined distinguished actor Charles Hawtrey at The Avenue to appear as 'Minnie Templar' in "A Message from Mars", continuing in that role in an American tour and subsequently back in England at The Prince of Wales Theatre. Meanwhile, following the outbreak of the Boer War in 1899, Jessie's husband had heeded the call to duty and resumed his military career, obtaining a commission with the 5th Royal Irish Regiment when it sailed for active duty in South Africa. There he died of enteric at Elandsfontein in March 1902.

Despite this tragedy in her personal life, Jessie's stage career continued to blossom and in the ensuing years she was rarely absent from the London stage, being seen in many top roles - including: 'Fanny' in "The Clandestine Marriage", 'Fairy Rosebud' in "The Fairy's Dilemma", 'Nell' in "Everybody's Secret", 'Imogen' in "The Cabinet Minister", and 'Acacia Dean' in "Lucky Miss Dean" to name but a few.

In 1906 Jessie joined Gerald du Maurier at The Comedy Theatre to play in her most prominent role to date - that of 'Gwendoline Conran' in "Raffles", with du Maurier himself in the title role. The play, based on the novel about a gentleman theif, opened in May 1906 and ran for a magnificent 351 performances. When that run ended the following year, Jessie sailed for Brazil where she married her second husband, Wilfred G. Chancellor, and was not seen on the English stage again for a further two years.

Return to the stage she did however, reappearing as 'Madame de Tessenari' in "The Merry Devil" at The Playhouse in June 1909, and subsequently as 'Lady Diana Sartorys' in "The Whip" at The Drury Lane in which her major co-star was a horse! The latter vehicle cast Jessie as the granddaughter of the Marquis of Beverley, the owner of a stable of racehorses. Lady Diana was a keen sportswoman who loved to ride her grandfather’s horses, including 'The Whip' who was a favourite for the 2000 Guineas. The rather thin plot was a tale of aristocratic skulduggery surrounding an attempt to 'nobble' the horse before the race. What the plotted lacked however, the play made up for in spectacle, with the horse playing a major part in the action. The Sketch published a feature about Jessie and the horse, pointing out that Jessie could be seen practicing the "up-to-date method of riding", ie. sitting astride the horse.

Although the number of roles in which she appeared would become somewhat less plentiful in subsequent years than in the earlier part of her career, Jessie would continue as a prominent theatrical performer for over a further twenty years. During that time she embarked on one more foreign tour, what must have been a rather poignant tour of South Africa (where her first husband had died) in May 1925. In 1932 she made her only screen appearance, as 'Mrs. Wayne' in the short film "Account Rendered". Her last major stage appearance was as 'Lady Spendlove' in "Spendlove Hall" at the Queen's Theatre in May 1933.

Jessie Bateman passed away on 14th November, 1940.

Movie Credits (source www.imdb.com)
1932 - Account Rendered [Mrs. Wayne]