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  1. #1
    Starting to feel at home
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    Default Maudi Darrell, Vaudeville Actress, died 1910

    I am trying to find out more about Maudi Darrell an Edwardian actress. I know she married John Bullough in Mar Qtr of 1909 (24th March) at Paddington Register office, she was a 26 year old spinster and he was the son of a millionaire textile engineer, and a bachelor of 23 years of age. She died on 31 October 1910, after complications following an operation, and he went on to remarry a Elsie Cotton on 7th November 1911.

    What I would like to know is who her parents are, and what her "real" name was before she used her stage name of Maudi Darrell.

    Was Maudi Darrell the sister of a Gerald Spencer Morice born 8th July 1878 in Southwark, London?
    His parents were Hubert Tay Morice and Emily Mary Fleming. Emily Mary Fleming was born 15 Jul 1840 in Clerkenwell, London. I can find no marriage certificate for her marriage to Hubert Tay Morice in England and Wales, but Hubert Tay Morice was married to an Emily Mary Merryweather on 6th June 1865, had 2 children and then divorced in 1872, ( I have not been to Kew to get copies of divorce records).

    Some web sites report that a threatrical agent called Hugh Jay Didcott was Maudi Darrell's father others report that this was her agent. Could Hubert Tay Morice and Hugh Jay Didcott be the same man who changed his name? One web site says that Maudi Darrell was born on 10th February 1882.

    My interest in this follows several meetings with a lady born on 29 September 1928, in South Africa. Her father Gerald Spencer Morice named her after Maudi Darrell, and told her that she was a famous actress of her time who was his sister, is this true or did he name his daughter after his favourie star, and is actually no relation at all. I would like to either prove or disprove this link by finding a birth certificate for Maudi Darrell.

    Any helps or thoughts on this would be great, I think this 83 year old lady should order the marriage certificate of Maudi Darrell to see who the father is on the marriage certificate, but these details are not always accurate, and what about the mystry of the parents of Gerald Spencer Morice, her grandparents?

  2. #2
    Coromandel
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    Yes, the marriage certificate should give her father's name, so that would be the best bet.

    In the meantime, though, here are some other bits and pieces.

    https://
    footlightnotes.tripod.com/20090404home.html

    says that Maudi Darrell was the daughter of Hugh Jay Didcott (1836-1909) and Rose Fox. It quotes an obituary of 'Miss Rose Fox (Mrs H.J. Didcott)' from The Era of 1889, which says she had two children and was buried at Brighton.

    H.G. Hibbert's A playgoer's memories, online at
    https://www.
    archive.org/stream/cu31924026124622/cu31924026124622_djvu.txt
    mentions a Hubert Maurice who later called himself Hugh Jay Didcott:

    'That Florence St John ever sang in the streets of London is untrue. But she did, as Florence Leslie,
    sing operatic songs at the Oxford Music Hall, her reward being four pounds a week. A companion in the
    company, as Hubert Maurice — singing, for instance, a ballad called Never again thy Face to see, which
    a manager unkindly whistled as he paid the artist — was the omnipotent agent of later days, Hugh Jay
    Didcott
    , too poor to complete his evening dress with white kid gloves, so Florence, as she left the stage,
    would lend him hers to carry.'

  3. #3
    Coromandel
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    Charles Blake Cochran's The secrets of a showman (snippets available on Google Books) gives yet another name:
    'At one time Hugh J. Didcott was an absolute dictator. All the stars were under his control, and their increase of salary was entirely due to him. Under the name of Hubert Maurice — his real name was Josephs — he had been a ballad singer ...'

  4. #4
    Coromandel
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    Bohemian Days in Fleet Street, by 'a Journalist', mentioned 'a remarkable series of articles on " West End Usurers" ' in a publication called 'The World'.
    'When the victim was unlikely to resent attack or attempt reprisals, the onset was at times very warm indeed. Poor Hubert Jay Maurice was one of these latter. One never knew what the dapper gentleman's real name was — probably Moses. He had been known as Mr. Jay and as Mr. Maurice. And he ended his days as Mr. Didcot, a music-hall agent, having succeeded in giving his only daughter in marriage to the cadet of a noble house.'

    It goes on to say
    'The Didcot article appeared during Christmas week, and ended with the pregnant sentence : " Indeed, this young man's career has been so shameless that at this festive season of the year we will not ask our compositors to set it up in print." '

    From
    https://www.
    archive.org/stream/cu31924027173073/cu31924027173073_djvu.txt

  5. #5

    Default

    The Times, March 25, 1909
    Marriage - Mr Bullough and Miss Maudie Darrell
    Miss Maudie Darrell, the actress, was married at Paddington Register office yesterday to Mr John Bullough, of Accrington. Miss Darrell is the daughter of Hugh Jay Didcott, theatrical agent. She was married in her stage name, which she has adopted by deed poll. The bridegroom is the step brother of Sir George Bullough, of Kinlch Castle, Isle of Hum and 14, Stratton Street

  6. #6
    georgiep
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    Hi I hope you can view this of Maudie
    georgiep


  7. #7
    Starting to feel at home
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    Default

    Does anyone know how I can find out her birth name before she changed it by deed poll?

    Although her brother may have been Gerald Spencer Morice born 1878, her father may have been, Joseph Morris, Hubert Jay Morice or Hugh Jay Didcott, depending which name he was using at the time, (or indeed another man altogether) and Hugh Jay Didcott, may have been her agent and not her father. Different newspapers of the time, have different reports.

  8. #8
    Jan1954
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Diamond View Post
    Does anyone know how I can find out her birth name before she changed it by deed poll?
    Have a read of this TNA Research Guide.

  9. #9

    Default

    The Times, October 28, 1893 carries an article about the renewal of a music licence for the Trocadero which had been sold to a Mr Hugh Jay Didcott. The Licensing committee directed enquiries to be made as to his "fitness" to hold the licence.

    Details then emerged of his appearance in Court in 1874 where he had given his name as Herbert Jay Morris and the article states "Didcott was the applicant's professional name, the name in which he had been charged (ie. re the 1874 appearance) being his own name".

  10. #10
    Coromandel
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    That's a coincidence, helachau, as I've just been reading about the difficulties he got into over the Trocadero, which ended up with him being bankrupt again.

    There's a long report in The Morning Post, 28 June 1895:

    'Bankruptcy court'

    'Re. Hugh Jay Didcott'
    'This was a meeting for the public examination of this bankrupt, the well-known dramatic and musical agent, formerly of York-road, Lambeth, and of Henrietta-street, Strand...'

    'At the outset the Official Receiver touched upon the various names the bankrupt had gone under ... the bankrupt stated that he took the name of Hugh Jay Morice by deed-poll. Beyond saying that was in the sixties, he could give no nearer date. He became bankrupt in that name. He took the name of Didcott in the seventies. He could give no nearer date.' When asked if this was also by deed poll, he replied 'No, it was a nom-de-plume. I have used it for the last 23 or 24 years.'

    There's much detail about his business affairs.

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