Vesta Tilley (1864-1952)

Vesta Tilley (1864-1952)

Vesta Tilley was born Matilda Alice Powles at Commandery Street Worcester on May 14th 1864. She was the second of thirteen children born to William Henry Powles and his wife Matilda (nee Broughton). Her father led a varied life, being at various times a factory worker, comic singer and music hall manager (using the stage name Harry Ball), as well as acting as Tilley's manager.

Probably through her fathers influence, little Matilda became a child performer, first appearing on stage at the tender age of four, singing and dancing at the St Georges Hall in Nottingham - then under the management of George Hooper and where her father was chairman. She was billed as the "The Great Little Tilley" from her family nickname (diminutive for Matilda). In the ensuing years she continued to appear on stage in conjunction with her father, making something of a hit in 1870, at the age of nine, when she dressed in male attire to sing a parody of the well known music hall tenor Sim Reeves. Following on from that success her father quickly developed her music-hall act into a series of male impersonations, which she would deliver wearing immaculately tailored costumes. About this time also, her stage name was changed to 'Vesta Tilley' which she would continue to use for the remainder of her career. ‘Vesta’, as well as being an original first name, had popular appeal to audiences as the trade-mark of the best-known brand of safety-matches of the time ‘Swan Vesta’. It also implied chastity as the name of the Roman Goddess of the Hearth whose temple was tended by six virgins.

After building a reputation in the provinces, she made her London debut at the age of thirteen singing at the Royal Holborn and at Lusby's Mile End on the same evening on March 25th 1878. In the course of a few weeks she appeared at many of the leading halls and quickly established herself as one of the capital's most popular music hall performers, as well as her family's principal bread winner. Her performances in the nations capital would soon win her the appellation of "The London Idol" and "The 'Matchless' Tilley". Her father continued to control all aspects of her career until his untimely death in 1889, when Tilley was aged 24. By that time she had appeared at virtually all of the leading music halls both in London and in the provinces, as well as in many 'legitimate' theatres. By this time also the basis of her act had matured into that of the upper class fop, mocking the manners of the rich to the merriment of her mainly working class audiences.

In that same year year she was engaged by the De Frece Agency to play Principal Boy in Pantomime at the Gaiety Theatre in Liverpool. By now she had matured into a desireable young woman with many romantic admirers, and soon to emerge as the leaders amongst these were the scions of the principal rival theatrical clans in that city, the Stoll's and the de Frece's. Twenty-three year old Oswald Stoll had inherited his fathers business empire following his death some years earlier, whilst nineteen year old Walter de Frece, whose father did not wish for his son to follow him into music hall management, was apprenticed to a prominent Liverpool architect. Both suitors were Tilley's junior, unusual at the time, as she was by now twenty-five years of age. But young Walter was so smitten that he broke his apprenticeship with the architect to follow her to London where he took a job with the the firm of Richard Warner and Co., one of the countries leading theatrical agents of that time.

Although she had not taken him seriously at first, Tilley came to favour the outgoing de Frece to the shy and intense Stoll and it was to the former that she soon became engaged. The couple being married at Brixton Register Office on August 16th, 1890, and honeymooning in Brighton. Stoll meanwhile, had been so heartbroken by news of their engagement that he acted to distance himself from events by transferring lock, stock and barrel to Cardiff where he took command of the Levino Music Hall (changing its name to the Cardiff Empire). It was very nearly a disaster for him, the crowds did not come despite Stoll placing posters all over Cardiff. But Tilley heard of his plight and volunteered to appear there for one week at very low wages, and her drawing power saved Stoll's career and reputation.

Although the music halls continued to be her main venues, she also often appeared in the 'legitimate' theatres as well, being popular as principal 'boy' in pantomimes (her favourite character being Dick Whittington) and in 1892 successfully appearing as 'Cartouche' in "Cartouche and Co." at the Theatre Royal Birmingham, a part which had been especially written for her by H. Chance Newton. In 1894, Tilley embarked on her first tour of the USA, first appearing at Tony Pastor's music hall in New York. She became almost as popular across the Atlantic as she was on home soil and would return to the US on subsequent tours playing in New York and Chicago. This included a tour with Fred Karno's famous 'Mumming Birds' troupe which included Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel (Chaplin's understudy).

In 1912, as her career continued to flourish now under her husband's management, she appeared in her first Royal Variety Performance. Her husband's career in itself was proving no less successful. First he broke away from Warner's Agency to found a theatrical agency of his own, then created his own music hall empire by seizing control of several 'legitimate' theatres which had fallen on hard times and converting them into music halls (most of which he renamed 'Hippodromes') with considerable success. Controlling this circuit as Director of a syndicate known as "The South of England Hippodromes Ltd", placed venues across the South of England under his command, including at Boscombe, Camberwell, Colchester, Margate, Portsmouth, Southampton, Wolverhampton and numerous others under his command. Next he had turned his attention to the North and added venues at Manchester, Liverpool, Birkenhead, Blackburn and Oldham. In 1910 he reorganised his empire under the Variety Theatres Controlling Company, and by 1914 it had reached its zenith of eighteen properties including venues in Glasgow and Edinburgh. Particularly successful amongst these was the Oldham Palace which was able to draw many famous acts. Gracie Fields made her one and only appearance in pantomime there in 1915 and Tilley herself performed there on many occasions.

Following the outbreak of the First World War, Tilley and Walter lent their considerable talents and influence to recruiting men for the armed forces. Tilley dressed as a soldier and sang many patriotic songs that her husband had written for her, including "Jolly Good Luck to the Girl Who Loves a Soldier," "The Army of Today's All Right," and "Six Days' Leave." She also toured hospitals and sold War Bonds. For her efforts, she earned yet another popular appelation, as "England's Greatest Recruiting Sergeant".

Following the war, Tilley returned to the music hall circuit for a time where she continued to be much in demand even though times were changing and many of the halls were now being converted to cinemas. In 1919 Walter was knighted for his services to British entertainment and in particular to the war effort, whereupon the couple became Lord and Lady de Frece. Recognising that times were changing, Walter then immediately resigned his position as managing director of the Variety Theatres Controlling Company to pursue a career politics. The following year Tilley retired from the stage, timing her farewell tour to coincide with her husband's election campaign. At the time she bookings for the next six years but all agreed to release her. Tilleys last stage appearance in London was made at the Coliseum on June 5th, 1920, where she was rapturously received by her many admirers. She was later presented by Ellen Terry with a set of books that contained the signatures of over a million fans.

The couple had by now acquired a considerable fortune and owned numerous properties besides their main residence at Portland Place in London. Walter subsequently became an MP for the first time in 1924 when he stood and was elected as Conservative Member for Ashton in Lancashire, later being elected as MP for Blackpool. When Tilley's health became a concern the couple began to spend most of their time at a palatial mansion they had purchased in Monte Carlo. During this period Walter would attend Parliament at best only twice a year, on Budget day and during Royal Ascot. His reputation as a conscientious constituency member, it has since emerged, was based solely on his practice of signing blank sheets of Parliamentary notepaper so that his secretary could fill in the rest.

She published her memoirs "Recollections of Vesta Tilley" in 1934. After Walter's death in 1935, Tilley returned to London, still an affluent woman. She spent much of her later years living at a hotel in Weybridge in Surrey with her close friend Mabel Love, and at a holiday flat she purchased in Hove, before her death in London on September 16th 1952 at the age of 88.

In spite of her rise to prominence as a rich and titled woman, it is said that she never forgot her humble origins. Her early family life must have seen much of the hardships that were commonly faced by the working classes of her day. Success in the music halls was both her road to riches and her escape from the everyday rigours of working class life. She became one of the countries most popular entertainers and one of the most highly paid on the music hall circuit, a position she worked very hard to acheive. During her extended career as a male impersonator she parodied the male dominance of society at the time and in so doing became a successful woman in what was still very much a mans world. She played soldiers, sailors, policemen and other such male societal roles - but none more successfully as her portrayals of young aristocratic men in sporting clothes with boaters and stiff collars, or complete evening dress with full white tie and tails and of course the quintessential top hat, gloves and cane.

She enjoyed boyish good looks which helped her to complete her counterfeits and her songs were delivered with a bright clear voice and perfect elocution. Her garb equal to the very best that Saville Row might offer. She was a keen motorist and travelled wherever possible between engagements by autmobile rahter than by train (even though the automobiles of the time offered little comfort on long journeys). She sang many patriotic songs which helped to endear her to her audiences as well as those poking fun at the rich and famous. Her repertoire included the famous "Burlington Bertie" which was originally written by William Hargreaves for his wife Ella Sheilds and is often performed to this day.

During the latter part of her stage career she made a number of disc and cylinder recordings of songs from her extensive repertoire, including "Following in Father's Footsteps," "Algy, the Piccadilly Johnny with the Little Glass Eye" and "Jolly Good Luck to the Girl Who Loves a Soldier." She made a single cinematic appearance as Vesta Beaumont in the 1916 film "The Girl Who Loves a Soldier."

A few years after her death, Vasta Tilley was immortalised on film in the 1957 movie "After the Ball" which followed her life story and in which she was played by Patricia Kirkwood and her husband by Laurence Harvey. Since then numerous stage acts have celebrated portions of her life and/or career.

Movie Credits (source www.imdb.com)
1916 - The Girl Who Loves a Soldier [Vesta Beaumont]

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