Palace theatre Leicester

[Lwal]

I am searching for any information about my great grandfater, Clifford Finch Hatton or my great grandmother, actress Jeannie T D robinson (stage name Renee Glendower).

I believe Clifford was manager of the Palace Theatre Leicester from 1908 - 1911 (and possibly the cinema next door?).  He was estranged from my grandmother and (his daughter) so that is pretty much all we know about him. 

Jeannie was American and returned there a few years after my grandmother was born where she died. Why she returned is a mystery as she left her children behind.

 Any information to help piece together their movements during this time and perhaps where he /she went afterwards would be fantastic.

Thank you.

[dcbnwh]

You might know the following already:-

Clifford Finch Hatton
Birth 11 August 1871 in Hampton Middlesex
Death 25 December 1960 in Herne Bay / Canterbury Kent

1901 Census - Hartlepool, County Durham
Clifford F Hatton married Comedian born 1871 in Hampton, Middlesex
Ada F Hatton married Comedienne born 1873 Colchester, Essex

Two newspaper extracts:-

http://www.edinburgh-gazette.co.uk/issues/12015/pages/213/page.pdf

http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/28995/pages/10386/page.pdf

http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/33717/pages/3281/page.pdf

Photograph

http://www.stamps-auction.com/actress-miss-renee-glendower-old-real-photo-postcard-for-sale-61564

These would seem to be Jeanette. In both cases she is an actress but it gives her birth place as Scotland.

Name: Miss René Glendower
Gender:   Female
Age: 37
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1875
Date of Arrival: 11 Sep 1912
Vessel:   Royal George
Port of Arrival: Quebec
Port of Departure: Bristol, England

Border crossing from Canada
Name: Jean Finch Hatton
Arrival Date: Oct 1914
Port of Arrival: St Albans, Vermont, United States
Age: 37
Birth Date: abt 1877
Birth Country: Scotland
Gender:   Female
It says she is a widow and has a brother but details are difficult to read.

Regards,
David

[Lwal]

Thank you David

Interested to read about Ada as not aware of her until now!

Not sure the info regarding Renee Glendower / Jeannie T D Robinson tallies with what I have so far. My information is that she came over from America to Southampton with a daughter called Madge Chalmers, met Clifford, married and had two further children before leaving for America again where she died only a few years later.

I was aware of Clifford's death and dates.  Unfortunately Clifford's birth certificate has no mention of either parent so seem to be at a bit of a brick wall there.

My mother has spent some time researching this and I am stepping in to help so need to start trying to tie dates together as they obviously moved around a lot as travelling actors.

Thank you so much for your interesting information.

Lwal

[dcbnwh]

I have found some more on Renee Glendower but more confusion

1911 England Census
On Ancestry as Rence Glendower but publishing details not permitted on Rootschat
No sign of husband or children

1920 USA Census
As Hettie Renee Finch
(The image is clearly Finch Hatton)
A widow age 42, born in Scotland, in Minneapolis Ward 5, Hennepin, Minnesota

1930 USA Census
Back to Glendower again
Renee/Rence Glendower
A widow, born c1879 in Scotland, in Evanston, Cook, Illinois

I remember going to the Palace Theatre and the Floral Hall as a child and, by coincidence, lived in Glendower Close.

Regards,
David

[dcbnwh]

The 1911 and 1930 census records for Renee Glendower can be found on

https://www.familysearch.org/search/records/index#count=20&query=%2Bgivenname%3ARENEE~%20%2Bsurname%3AGLENDOWER

The 1920 record is on this link but the names are in the wrong order and should be Renee Finch Hettie, which is a transcription error for Renee Finch Hatton

https://www.familysearch.org/search/records/index#count=20&query=%2Bgivenname%3A%22Hettie%20Renee%22~%20%2Bsurname%3AFinch

If you would like more detail, please send me a personal message.

Regards,
David

[dcbnwh]

The Finch Hatton children are here in 1911:-

https://www.familysearch.org/search/records/index#count=20&query=%2Bgivenname%3Afinch~%20%2Bsurname%3Ahatton~%20%2Bany_place%3A%22richmond%2C%20surrey%22~%20%2Bany_year%3A1911-1911

[Lwal]

Hi David

Thank you for the additional information!

I think the Renee Glendower information may be leading us off track as this was my great grandmother's stage name so I am not sure it would have been used in the census records - but you never know!

Interesting to hear about the children being in Richmond in 1911 as that certainly seems to correlate with information we have.

Many thanks!

[dcbnwh]

It is difficult to be absolutely certain and, as I have found out, family stories often become confused.

Looking at the evidence:-

Renee Glendower in 1911 is an actress born in Glasgow in 1875

Rene Glendower who went to Canada in 1912 is an actress born in Scotland in 1875

Jean Finch Hatton who crossed from Canada to the USA in 1914 is an actress born in Scotland in 1877.
It gives her brother as David Currie who lives in Polmont, Glasgow.

Up to now, I am certain that this is the same person who uses either her stage name or real name.

The 1920 census for Renee Finch Hatton gives her birth place as Scotland. The chances of there being two people with identical records are very small.

In 1930 she uses her stage name and the chances of there being two people of that name and birth place are probably even smaller.

The only difference is that she has a brother called Currie and you have her maiden name as Robinson. Perhaps David Currie is a brother-in-law. Without her marriage details to Clifford, it will be difficult to know for certain.

If you would like any extracts from the images, please send me a personal message.

David

[dcbnwh]

I have found another border crossing in 1924:-

Renee Glendower left from Winnipeg, as did Jean Finch Hatton in 1914. Again, she is Scottish and of a similar age.

Her Destination is Minneapolis, Minnesota, where Renee Finch Hatton was living in 1920.

David