Florence Collingbourne

Florence Eliza Collingbourne (January 1880 – 8 July 1946) was a British actress, singer and stage beauty known for her appearances in Edwardian musical comedies.[1][2] One of George Edwardes' Gaiety Girls,[3] she took over the title role in San Toy[4] and originated the role of Nancy Staunton in The Toreador.[5]

Florence Collingbourne in the title role in San Toy (1901)

Life and career

Collingbourne was born in Camberwell in London in 1880,[6] the daughter of Maria Eleanor née Witham (1858–1888) and Henry Ashdown Collingbourne (1859-), a printer's labourer.[7][8] Her mother died when she was 8 years old, following which she was raised by her aunt and uncle.[9] She was living alone in Camberwell in 1901.[10]

Her stage appearances include a series of Edwardian musical comedies produced by George Edwardes, such as A Greek Slave at Daly's Theatre (1898)[11] and Gladys Stourton in A Gaiety Girl at the Gaiety Theatre (1899).[3] She originated the small role of Yung Shi (and later took over the title role) in San Toy at Daly's (1899–1900),[4] Girl in The Wicked Uncle at the Gaiety (1900)[12] and Nancy Staunton in The Toreador at the Gaiety (1901–1902).[13][5]

She left the production to marry Laurence Margetson (1874–1928), a hosiery manufacturer,[14] with whom she had three children: William Laurence Margetson (1902–1992); Colleen Mary Margetson (1908–1995), and the novelist and writer Stella Margetson (1912–1992).[15][16] After her marriage she retired from acting.[9] In 1906 she briefly came out of retirement to appear in a farewell benefit for Emily Soldene at the Palace Theatre, London with Seymour Hicks and Rutland Barrington among others where she sang 'L'Ete' by Madame Chaminade.[17] In her later years she lived at The Holdynge, Aldwick Avenue in Bognor Regis in Sussex.[18]

Collingbourne died aged 66 at the District Hospital in Dorking in Surrey in 1946. In her will she left £27,306 7s 9d to her children.[18]

References
  1. "London Theatrical Topics". The New York Times, 7/7/1901.
  2. Tracy C. Davis and Peter Holland (eds), The Performing Century: Nineteenth-Century Theatre's History, Palgrave MacMillan (2009) - Google Books p. 89
  3. 'Miss Florence Collingbourne in A Gaiety Girl (1899) - The Sketch, 9 August 1899, p. 115
  4. Wearing (1890s), p. 427
  5. Thomas S. Hischak, The Mikado to Matilda: British Musicals on the New York Stage, Rowman & Littlefield (2020) - Google Books p. 276
  6. England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915 for Florence Eliza Collingbourne: 1880, Q1-Jan-Feb-Mar - Ancestry.com (subscription required)
  7. 1881 England Census for Florence Collingbourn: London, Camberwell - Ancestry.com (subscription required)
  8. London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1917 for Florence Eliza Collingbourne: Southwark, St Giles, Camberwell, 1879-1897 - Ancestry.com (subscription required)
  9. Brief biography of Florence Collingbourne - National Portrait Gallery, London
  10. 1901 England Census for Florence Collingbourne: London, Camberwell - Ancestry.com (subscription required)
  11. Photograph of Collingbourne in A Greek Slave (1898) - Victoria and Albert Museum
  12. Wearing (1900s), p. 38
  13. Photograph of Collingbourne in The Toreador - National Portrait Gallery, London
  14. England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1837-1915 for Florence Collingbourne: 1902, Q2-Apr-May-Jun - Ancestry.com (subscription required)
  15. Ada Reeve (1876-1966) - Stage Beauty website
  16. 1911 England Census for Florence Margetson: London, Hampstead - Ancestry.com (subscription required)
  17. Programme for 'The Emily Soldene Farewell Matinee' at the Palace Theatre, London, 13 November 1906
  18. England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995 for Florence Margetson: 1946 - Ancestry.com (subscription required)

Sources
  • Wearing, J. P. The London Stage 1890–1899: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel, Rowman & Littlefield (2013) ISBN 0-8108-9281-2
  • Wearing, J. P. The London Stage 1900–1909: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel, Rowman & Littlefield (2014) ISBN 0-8108-9293-6
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