John Gard/Guard Finch (George Finch Leicester) was born in Barnstaple, Devon, 20th October 1844.
Fanny Dorothea Southbeer was born 21st December 1845, in Lambeth in London or Southwark, Surrey. Her birth seems to have been registered in early 1846 at St George, Southwark using the name Fanny Dorothy Southbeer. The 1881 British Census lists her birth place as Lambeth, Surrey. Her father was an author, John Southbeer.
Fanny Dorothy Southbeer's Family:
she was one of nine children (six survived)
John Southbeer
(aka John Beer, John S Johnstone, John B Johnstone)
b. 1806, Southwark
Father of Fanny Southbeer
On census listings, he calls himself
a comedian and a dramatic author |
Family of John and Eliza Southbeer:
1. Eliza Alice Southbeer (artist)
b. 1836, St George, Lambeth
d. 1899, St Saviour
2. Margaret Southbeer
b. 1838, St George, Lambeth
d. 1840 St George, Lambeth
3. John Southbeer (scenic painter)
b. 1840, St George, Lambeth
(artist in 1881, scene painter in 1891 and 1901)
(m1. Ellen / son John South Bee age 2 census 1871)
m2. 1880 Lambeth, Surrey Mary (b.1855)
Five children
4. Margaret Sarah Southbeer (actress)
b. 1844, St George, Lambeth
5. Fanny Dorothy Southbeer (actress)
b. 21 Dec 1845, St George, Lambeth
m. 1 Nov 1865 George Finch Leicester
Four children (William, Hellen, Eliza,
?)
d. 1943, Torquay, Devon
6. Emma Southbeer
b. 1848, St George, Lambeth
d. (1849 Brighton?) before 1851 census
7. William Southbeer
b. 1850, St George, Lambeth
d. 1852, St George, Lambeth
8. Clara Elizabeth Southbeer (actress)
b. 1853, St George, Lambeth
m. Robert John Earle (died 1885 in St Saviour)
children (Robert, Clara, Lily and Eliza)
d. 1902 Wandsworth
age 49
Daughter
Clara Elizabeth Earle or Eliza Earle was an actress and was on tour as a child in America 1904-5.
9. Walter Southbeer/Walter Johnstone (artist)
b. 1855, St George, Lambeth
d. 1924, Wandsworth. London
(In 1881 artist, 1891 sculptor, 1901 and 1911 scenic artist) m. 10 May 1875 (Birmingham) Maria Mary Ellen Barrier (Maria Barrier was born 6 Nov 1853 and died 1920 in Wandsworth, London.)
Nine children (inc John b 1875, Walter b. 1877, Philip b. 1885, Sydney, Alick b. 1892 and Winifred b. 1896)
Son Alick
Johnstone was responsible for the scenery for 50 years for major West End productions (from age thirty when he established his studio in 1922).
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Fanny's father was born in Southwark in 1806 and her mother Eliza was born in 1816 in St James and died in 1893 in St Saviour. They had nine children and Fanny was their fifth child.
In 1841, the Southbeer family were living at 6 Duke Street, Parish of St Georges in Southwark. The family is listed as John Southbeer/Southbier (comedian age 35), Eliza (wife age 25), Eliza (daughter age 5), John (son age 6 mnths).
In 1851, the family are listed on the census with the surname "Beer" as living at 5 Gibraltar Row, in St George the Martyr in Southwark. John Beer (comedian), Eliza (35), Eliza (15), John (10), Margaret (7), Fanny (5), William (1).
By the 1861 census the family have moved to 56 Eliots Row in St George. John is now called John S. Johnstone. He lists himself as a "Dramatic Author". Eliza is listed as "Author's Wife". John is an artist and age 20. Margaret is an actress and age 17. Fanny is also an artist age 15. Clara is 7 and Walter 5.
The 1871 census shows them living at 18 Lambeth Road - John B Johnstone, Eliza (55), Eliza (35), Clara (actress age 17) and Walter (artist age 15). They have two lodgers living with them.
By 1891, John Johnstone is 88 and Eliza is 77. Living with them, at 36 Lambeth Road in the borough of Southwark, is their daughter Eliza (artist, 55) and their younger daughter Clara Earle who was a widow (age 36) and her four children (Robert 13, Clara 11, Lily 9, and Eliza).
It is interesting that ten years later at the time of the 1901 census, Clara E. Earle (46) and her son Robert J. (23) and daughter Lilian (19) lived at 22 Vicarage Terrace next door to her nephew and his family - William and Eliza Finch and their children (21 Vicarage Terrace, Wandsworth). Clara and Lilian are both listed as "actress".
The whole family seem to have been in the theatre world - mostly as actors and actresses or as scenic artists. Fanny's nephew, Alick Johnstone, was a scenic artist in London. This is a painting by Laurence Irving (1970) from the Victoria and Albert Museum of Alick's studio, called Alick Johnstone's Scenic Studios.
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"Laurence Irving (1897-1988), grandson of the actor Henry Irving, trained at the Royal Academy and became an artist and set designer working in the theatre and for films. He would have known Alick Johnstone's scene painting studio very well. Johnstone established his studio in 1922 and for the next 50 years was responsible for the scenery for major West End productions.
Irving's painting emphasises the space and light required for the painting of scenery and shows two large backdrops stretched over the paint frames. It brings together two productions that actually took placed at different times. The two figures in the centre are Alick Johnstone (on the right) and the designer Charles Ricketts who is looking at the drop curtain on the left hand paint frame. This is the backdrop for the final scene of Shakespeare's Henry VIII which opened at the Empire Theatre in 1925. The right hand backdrop is for Laurence Housman's play, Victoria Regina, staged at the Lyric Theatre in 1937. It is being examined by its designer, the artist Rex Whistler (wearing the suit) with one of Alick Johnstone's assistants. In the foreground, stirring a bucket, is John Bryan, another assistant, who went on to become a successful film designer." |
(Above information on the Southbeer family researched and shared by Anthony Barrier of Alkham, Kent, England.)
In the 1911 census, Fanny's youngest brother is listed as Walter Johnstone (rather than Southbeer). Walter is 54 (born Southwark) and is a "scenic artist". He has been married to Maria Barrier (age 56 and born in Birmingham) for 36 years. Their three youngest children are living at home. Their son Sidney is a clerk minor (age 21). Their son Alick is also a scenic artist (age 18). Their daughter Winifred is at school (age 14). All three children listed were born in Battersea, Surrey. Their address is listed as 60 Bolingbroke Grove SW, Wandsworth. London (in the Parish of Battersea).
Fanny and George were both in the entertainment industry. John Finch was a comedian and an actor, and
used a professional stage name of George Finch Leicester and seems to have mostly called
himself George. Fanny was an actress.
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Fanny Leicester |
Fanny and George married 1st November 1865 in Oldham, Lancashire.
At the time of the 1881 British Census, Fanny and George lived with Fanny's parents (JB Johnstone age 78 and Eliza age 66) and their children at 36 Lambeth Road, St George, Southwark, Surrey. It lists Fanny (age 29) and George F. Leicester (34) as having three children at that time: William (age 13) and two younger sisters called Hellen (age 11) and Eliza (age 6). It says that William was born in Lambeth but Hellen was born in Lancashire and Eliza in Yorkshire.
By the time of the 1901 British Census, Fanny and George lived at 26 Reedsworth Street, Lambeth, London. George was fifty-five and Fanny was fifty-three. Fanny is listed as being an actress.
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This is from the 1911 census showing George F Leicester and Fanny Leicester.
It lists 40 as the number of years married, and 5 children born and 4 children still alive.
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At the time of the 1911 census, Fanny and George were staying as visitors at the home of Harry Wrigley of 100 King Street, Southport. They are listed as George F Leicester and Fanny Leicester. Fanny's age is incorrect - she was 65 rather than 62 - apparently lying about age on the census was very common. Their occupations are listed as Actor and Actress - Music Hall Artiste. It reveals that they had four children as well as one child who died.
George died in 1916, aged seventy-two, before any of his Aldous great grandchildren had been born.
Fanny lived a very long life and knew all seven of her Aldous great grandchildren. Fanny lived on Old Mill Road, Torquay, when she wrote a birthday note to her great grand-daughter Freda Aldous, who turned twenty-one in 1940.
Fanny died in 1943 in Torquay, Devon.
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