THE BRITANNIA COMES TO THE CRAXFORDS

by Alan Craxford

FOREWORD

One of the first questions I asked when I started putting this web site together was where the name of this Craxford family came from. My personal supposition was that it was derived from the ancient Scottish clan name Craufurd. Several researchers have delved into the mists of antiquity around the village of Gretton in Northamptonshire but have not pushed the threshold for the ‘x’ back before about 1620. It has also been noted (and indeed it is one of the commonest niggles genealogists face) that there is a whole variety of alternatives for the third and fourth letters making look-ups in censuses and registers confusing.

I have been aware for some time of at least three Craxford families in the London area (Clerkenwell, Islington and St Pancras come to mind). As yet it has not been absolutely certain how these lines relate back to the Midlands – we are talking about a time frame between 1780 and 1820 - or how they interlnk with one another, but snippets of data do keep surfacing and we remain optimistic.

"Sam and Sallie"

I have used as a reference source the novel “Sam and Sallie: A Novel of the Theatre” (1) written in 1933 by Alfred Lane Crauford. I have then cross referenced the data given therein with the census returns for the London area between 1861 and 1901. I have also obtained the certified copies of the birth and marriage certificates of a number of the protagonists which has helped in defining this family tree. The main point of Crauford’s book is to describe the foundation and subsequent success of the Britannia Theatre in Hoxton, North London under the guidance of Samuel Lane. (See "THE MAKING OF THE BRITANNIA THEATRE"). He was also a biographer for his grandfather, father and uncle. From the outset it is obvious that some details are factually incorrect but it is not clear why this should be. He has used the name Crauford throughout despite the fact that every reference to members of the family at that time in official documentation shows their registered spelling to be Craxford. For the sake of continuity I will use this latter, formal spelling throughout this article.

THE BRITANNIA BRANCH

William Craxford

So let’s start with the evidence. We know that a son, William J Craxford, was born to Robert and Elizabeth Craxford and was baptised in 1830.(2) The Pallot index abbreviates the middle name which looks like and is often transcribed as ‘Jno’ but which translates to John. There is a reference to an Elizabeth Mary Craxford, daughter of Robert and Elizabeth, who was christened at St Andrews Church Holborn on July 17th 1831. (3). The death of a Robert Craxford is listed in the indexes for September 1840. (4)

Birth certificate of William Craxford

It has been suggested that the dynasty arose in London when a Robert Craxford moved from Hereford to become a government clerk at the Colonial Office. This has not been confirmed although Craxfords were known to live in Huntingdon and Croxfords in Oxfordshire at the time. Crauford reports: “When the son was fourteen the father died from the prevalent scourge of cholera; leaving little money, his son William was obliged to leave school. He became a lawyer’s clerk and as he became older joined an amateur dramatic society”. He was said to have a fine and resonant voice and found work as an actor at the Bower Saloon (5) in Lambeth which was under the managership of Irish comedian George Alfred Hodson. This was one of the well known variety theatres of the day which had the reputation as “nursery of the celebrities”, training young talents who moved on to stardom elsewhere. It was during this time that William came to the attention of Sam Lane and was persuaded to move to the Britannia Theatre.

THE BORROWS

A Britannia Theatre Playbill from November 1857 William and Charlotte are cast together as the Spirits of Good and Evil

Sam Lane’s association with William Borrow, Cab proprietor, and his family is described in the sister article. Crauford notes that he was instrumental in introducing the cabriolet (a two wheeled horse drawn carriage from which the abbreviation "cab" was derived) into London from France against fierce opposition from the hansom drivers. Sam’s first wife died as a result of the complications of a premature labour in pregnancy and in due course he married William Borrow’s oldest daughter, Sarah – who would become the dominant star of The Britannia and earn the accolade “Queen of Hoxton”.

Mr W. Crauford as Count D'Courcy

William Craxford soon became enamoured with Charlotte Borrow and they married in 1854 when she was 16 years of age. There is a particularly telling sequence of condemnation, apologia and reconciliation from Sam and Sarah at the news of the elopement - particularly because they had abandoned their parts in the night's performance to get wed!! At the time William was still living in St Pancras with his mother and sister.

Charlotte Borrow was described as a dainty individual and indeed she died in 1865 at the age of 27 years. (6) Prior to this she had two sons (Alfred and William) and a daughter Charlotte Hope. At the time of the childrens' births, William was described as a comedian. He lived for another twenty years. He did marry again (Ellen Elizabeth Watson) in 1866 but nothing to date has been discovered about this second union. Later in life his census returns recorded his occupation as a licenced victualler.

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THE BRITANNIA COMES TO THE CRAXFORDS

Birth certificate of Alfred Lane Craxford Click for full screen copy. *** Press the [Back] button of your browser to come back to this page.***

When the new theatre was opened William was allowed to manage the tavern and bars of the theatre as his own concern paying a weekly rent of £10. He was able to occupy comfortable premises above the tavern. We have found to date the three children of William and Charlotte who survived to adulthood as noted above. William Samuel was born on July 5th 1856, Alfred Lane on February 28th 1859 (7) and Charlotte Hope on May 28th 1863. The younger two were born in Hoxton although no actual address has been discovered. One curious item concerns the entry for the 1871 census when Alf and Charlotte H Craxford (described as nephew and niece) were living at the Twickenham home of Mr and Mrs George Bowman (8). George is described as an annuitant and both were born in St Pancras. He married Elizabeth Mary Craxford in Kent in 1867 (9).

A Britannia Theatre Playbill from 1888

It is clear that their sojourn away from the influences of the Britannia Theatre was not prolonged. By the early eighties both young men were actively involved with the organisation. William Samuel was first to marry, in August 1878 to a dancer of the company; and then Alfred Lane followed suit in 1882 with Georgie Pigott, a singer. William lived at the same address in Hoxton Street for many years around the turn of the century following his father’s trade. Alfred Lane by this time gave his address as the Britannia Theatre and as has been described elsewhere had been made manager by Sarah Lane at the tender age of 22 years. The other article also recounts how Sarah Lane bequeathed the Theatre to William Samuel and Alfred Lane.

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Alfred Lane scored some popular successes initially with the local population with the aid of his stage manager, George Bigwood. "King Doo-Dah: The Christmas Pantomime 1900 at the Britannia Theatre, Hoxton, London. Biggest, brightest best and jolliest pantomime ever produced at “The Brit” is the Hoxtonian verdict upon Mr Crauford’s latest Christmas production, King Doo-Dah. Indeed the fourteen scenes that are used in telling the story are so full of good things that it would be quite impossible to do justice to them in the space at our command. In fact there was not a mediocre character in the whole show. The flying ballet, concluding with a shower of gold, was really magnificent, as was the grand transformation scene. The pantomime does the greatest credit to the talents of the Britannia’s popular stage manager, Mr Bigwood, and is a distinct score for Mr Crauford. -News Of The World". (10)

Alfred Lane outlived his brother and after the first World War he ultimately bowed to popular pressure and the lease was transferred to a cinema chain.

THE LUPINO CONNECTION

Ida Lupino

There are certain families in the annals of theatrical history whose names have resonated through the years. One of these was the Lupino family. George William Lupino, a puppeteer from Italy arrived in England as a penniless refugee in 1620. A descendent of his, George Hook Lupino (1820-1902) became closely associated with the Britannia Theatre taking many leading roles and starring as Harlequin in pantomime. He was reputed to have had sixteen children (I have so far only been able to trace five that survived to adulthood) and many of these became singers, dancers and actors. His eldest son George (1853-1932) became a renowned actor and old fashioned clown and amongst his grandchildren was the acclaimed Hollywood actress Ida Lupino.(11)

Lupino Lane

The son of Harry Charles Lupino (1865-1925) was Harry George who took the stage name Lupino Lane (12). He was aged 7 years at the time of Sara Lane’s death and given her childless state may have been a favourite of hers. In his autobiography (13) he was reported to say: “I used to have a song called 'Different Walks' in which I gave impressions of people crossing the road. Later came 'The Lambeth Walk'. And we now have the Chaplin Walk. Charles and I are old friends. During my stay in Hollywood we had many a chat and reminisced about old times particularly those pantomimes produced by my great aunt Mrs Sarah Lane at the famous Britannia Theatre, Hoxton, where she made a large fortune. Sarah Lane made me her heir and at her request “Lane” was tacked onto my family name “Lupino”. Her will was made out to be signed the next day but she dies through the night and all I got from an estate worth a quarter of a million was the name “Lane” and the nickname “Nip” her term of endearment by which I am still known to my initiates”.

If in fact Lupino Lane could claim a relationship to Sarah Lane it was only through marriage because William Samuel Craxford (who was Sarah's nephew) had married Lupino's aunt Fannie, one of the daughters of George Hook Lupino.

THE OFFSPRING

Alfred Lane Craxford had three sons who survived to adulthood (a daughter died in infancy). His oldest son – also named Alfred Lane – became an actor. His second son, William Harold Lane Craxford found a degree of success as a novelist (writing under the name of WH Lane Crauford) in the 1930s and 1940s.

We have so far found reference to sons of William Samuel Craxford: Percy Sydney and Arthur Francois. Our investigations are ongoing.

OTHER CERTIFICATES

The following links will reveal a certified copy of the registered entry for the named individual. Be sure to click the [BACK] key of your browser to return to this point.

Birth Certificates

Alfred Lane Craxford - August 1883.
William Harold Craxford - November 1884.
Arthur Francois Craxford - October 1886.
Percy Sydney Craxford - March 1891.

Marriages

William Samuel Craxford to Fannie Hook - July 1878.
Alfred Lane Craxford to Georgie Pigott - October 1882.

CONCLUSIONS

So, have we answered the two questions posed at the beginning of this treatise?

Firstly the spelling of the family name. It is perfectly clear from the documentary evidence that these worthy gentlemen were born, married and died Craxfords. However it is also abundantly clear that they wished to be known as Crauford and in this they succeeded (the theatre posters, the name handed down through the generations). Who started the trend and why? I have no answer. It is possible that they felt it a more fitting theatrical name. They may have wanted to disassociate themselves from other Craxfords in the locale. In the main they were tradesmen - greengrocers, lath renderers; although interestingly there is one - Frederick Craxford - who describes himself as a comedian. Another link, possibly?

I am aware that this conundrum has not yet been completely solved. I have been told that Alfred Lane Crauford (the author) reverted back to the Craxford name prior to his death. His descendents continue to use that form. Descendents in the other branches continue to use Crauford.

Secondly, do we know where these Craxfords originated. The short answer again is ‘no’. However there are many hints. It is clear that there were at least three other Craxford families living North London – Clerkenwell, Islington, Lambeth and St Pancras are all mentioned in Census returns and BMD registers. If not directly related it is hard to imagine that they did not know one another.

The circumstantial evidence centres around one Nathaniel James Craxford who was born in 1819 in Gretton. His daughter, Ann Craxford, married a William Stock in May 1837 and one of the witnesses was an Ellen Bowley. She (Ellen) subsequently married a James Craxford from Clerkenwell who was a greengrocer. Nathaniel Craxford died in September 1900 – his death was registered in Shoreditch (Shoreditch 1c 39). It is also noted that he had an older brother called Robert who could well have been the same person that started off this story.

Alan D Craxford - May 18th 2005

POSTSCRIPT - June 3rd 2005

I have recently had sight of two death certificates which partly clarify and partly add to the confusion of this story.

Unexpectedly the Robert Craxford whose death was reported in March 1840 (4) was not the father of William John but was an eight year old boy. It does seem convincing that he was indeed a son of this Robert and Elizabeth Craxford, born about 1832 and living in the St Pancras area of London. Such a child is not mentioned in Lane Crauford's book and also Robert, the father, is described as a Gentleman's Servant.

Death Certificate: Robert Craxford Age 8

With her death registered in 1879 at the age of 77 years, I had assumed this Elizabeth Craxford would be the wife (widow) of Robert Craxford. Indeed her late husband is described on the certificate as a Government Clerk (which would confirm Lane Crauford's testamony). However his name is given as William. There is however evidnce from the signature of the informant "E Watson". It is recalled that Elizabeth's son, William's, second wife was Ellen Elizabeth Watson.

Death Certificate: Elizabeth Craxford

So, we still have not found a certificate for Robert Craxford confirming death around 1840 of cholera. We have still not discovered where Robert came from when he moved to London. However further research in the Gretton area does now suggest that he was not the brother of Nathaniel James as postulated above. The searchgoes on ...

REFERENCES

(1) “Sam and Sallie: A novel of the theatre”: Alfred L. Crauford; Cranley and Day, London (1933)
(2) William Craxford: Pallot Baptism Index 1830
(3) Elizabeth Mary Craxford: Record of Baptism. International Genealogy Index IGI File P010518
(4) Robert Craxford: England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes (1837 – 1984): Deaths March 1840 St Pancras 1 *4*
(5) “The Bower Saloon”: www.vauxhallsociety.org.uk/Bower%20Saloon.html
(6) Charlotte Craxford (nee Borrow): England and Wales Civil Registration Index (1837-1984): Deaths March 1865: Shoreditch 1c 148
(7) Alfred Lane Craxford: England and Wales Civil Registration Index (1837-1984): Births March 1859: Shoreditch 1c 184
(8) George Bowman: 1871 England Census Brentford RG10/1316 7 49 18
(9) George Bowman and Elizabeth Mary Craxford: England and Wales Civil Registration Index (1837-1984): Marriages September 1867 Thanet 2a 1198
(10) Press Cutting: "King Doo-Dah": Britannia Theatre Christmas Pantomime: The News of the World. London Sunday December 30th 1900 pg 4e.
www.gabrielleray.150m.com/ArchivePressText2003/20031220.html
(11) A Tribute To Ida Lupino: http://www.classicmovies.org/articles/aa012603a.htm
(12) Lupino Lane: www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/Hammersmith/Lupino.htm
(13) Lupino Lane: http://home.comcast.net/~silentfilm/lupino.htm
(14) Elizabeth Craxford: England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes (1837 – 1984): Deaths Dec 1879 Islington 1b 224