445:"The manner in which first the crown and then the wig of Mr Fred Vokes as King Arthur persisted in tumbling off while that monarch indulged in unusual gyrations excited tumultuous laughter, and if there could be anything funnier than Mr Fred Vokes’ 'split' dance it was his step dance, Lancashire clogs, Cornish reels, transatlantic walk-rounds, cellar flaps and breakdowns, college hornpipes and Irish jigs. Nothing in the way of dances came amiss to the airy monarch whose legs and arms seemed to spin round on pivots and who seemed at once to stimulate the actions of the cockchafer and the grasshopper.
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380:, making such comments as: "They were on stage far too long", "They are sublimely indifferent as to whether the story of Cinderella be a Sanskrit myth or a Greek fable", "If they want to retain their hold on the public, they should get someone to concoct for them new modes". Not being the draw they had once been, the Vokes Family discovered the pantomime was in debt and refused to drop their salaries which
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wrote that Fred Vokes '...dances as few men in this world probably could dance or would wish to dance. The extraordinary contortions of limb in which his dancing abounds – contortions which in Mr Vokes’ hands – or rather legs – are not lacking in grace – are highly suggestive of the impossibility of
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In his later years it would appear that he lived a life of excess. As a result, the marriage proved to be a difficult one, with Bella Vokes beginning divorce proceedings against him in
January 1888 because of his alleged adultery with an Edith Appleby in 1884 at their home, Burleigh House on Loudon
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Fred Vokes, for his part, largely denied all his wife's allegations of violence and adultery and counter-petitioned, admitting the adultery with Edith
Appleby but claiming that his wife had condoned it. He in turn stated that his wife had committed adultery with a John Wynot, Ashley MacEvoy, a Mr
488:
of the Moore and
Burgess minstrels, with whom he had six children, only one of whom survived into adulthood: Lillian Victoria Vokes (1874–1952); Frederick George Vokes (1876–1876); Frederick Mortimer Vokes (1877–1881), Violet Maud Vokes (1879–1887) and two unknown children. His wife occasionally
501:, and with Alice Aynsley Cook at various places in 1887 and 1888. Bella Vokes alleged that in July 1881 in New York Fred Vokes "struck her with a large lobster he was carrying and knocked her about and abused her with foul language and threatened to cut her throat" while at the Queen's Hotel in
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as the court fool who had apparently danced himself out of his mind in his infancy and had lived on tarantula spiders ever since. All the Misses Vokes (Victoria, Jessie and Rosina), fascinated in their attire, ravishing as to their back hair and amazing in their agility, were fully equal to the
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Benson, Samuel Adams, Cyril
Ponsonby and other persons known to him. Bella Vokes further denied ever condoning her husband's adulteries and denied ever committing adultery herself. Fred Vokes died before the matter could be settled in Court.
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The eldest of the siblings, he was educated for the stage from an early age, being tutored in acting by Mr. Chadwick and in dancing, in which he excelled, by Mr. Flexmore. He made his first appearance at the
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in
January 1883, returning to England (again without brother Fred) in June 1883. Jessie Vokes's clever recitations and dancing were appreciated, but she was not so prominent in the cast as her siblings
72:
theatres of 1870s London and in the United States. Their father, Frederick
Strafford Thwaites Vokes (1816–1890), was a theatrical costumier and wigmaker who owned a shop at 19 Henrietta Street,
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at Drury Lane as by now the public were wearying of the Vokes Family who had dominated the pantomime at Drury Lane for more than a decade but who had never updated their routines. The new manager
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in London in 1846 and was a member of the well-known Vokes family made up of three sisters, a brother and "foster brother" (actually actor Walter Fawdon (1844–1904) who changed his name to
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occasion. When they didn’t dance they sang and danced simultaneously and then all the
Vokeses jumped on one another's backs and careered – so it seemed - into immeasurable space.’
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the manager could not meet, and the production closed owing ÂŁ36,000 in
February 1879 putting all involved out of work. The family returned to Drury Lane in 1879 in the pantomime
155:, and by their agility and humour made the name well known to English and American theatre-goers. They made their début on Christmas night in 1861 at Howard's Operetta House in
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his suffering at any time from such accidents as dislocations.' With his siblings he traveled through a great part of the civilized world. Early in their career, at the
376:(1878) in which he was required to talk and sing, with less success than his dancing. The critics were not kind concerning the contribution of the Vokes Family to
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in New York on 15 April 1872. The family then embarked on a six-month tour of the United States before returning to
Britain where in October 1872 they performed
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505:"he struck in the face two severe blows and spat in her face and abused her causing her great pain and suffering she being then pregnant with child." In
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on 27 February 1869 at the
Standard Theatre in London. Their success was pronounced and continuous. They made their Paris debut in August 1870 at the
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it became unsafe to remain and they left the city with just a few hours notice. Back in London he appeared with the rest of the Vokes Family in
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from 1868 to 1879 when their popularity began to wane. Because of his eccentric style of dancing he was billed as the "Legmania" dancer.
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he threw a brandy and soda in her face and a bottle of stout over her before kicking her over and threatening to "spoil her face".
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1861 England Census for Theodocia Rosina Vokes: Surrey, Southwark St George the Martyr, Borough Road, District 18 - Ancestry.com
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The Vokes family through their mother's brother, actor William F. Wood (1799–1855), were first cousins of American actress
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In 1888 he was forced by illness to cancel his appearances and on 3 June aged 42 he died of paralysis at the house of his sister
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and remained in America for the next year and nine months before returning to England. Their next season in America was at the
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For about ten years (with the exception of 1873, when they were touring abroad) they were regulars in the annual Christmas
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249:, in which Fred Vokes played Timotheus Gibbs and in which the Vokes Family made its debut in the United States at the
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found the Vokes Family to be too demanding, while they considered him a tyrant. For Christmas 1880 the family were at
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in 1881 he was alleged to have given her a black eye by striking her several times in the face, while in 1883 at
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troupe of entertainers. For more than ten years they were the central attraction at the annual pantomime at the
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and returned to England in June 1882 but without Fred Vokes; the family returned to the US in Autumn 1882.
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England & Wales, Civil Divorce Records, 1858-1918 (1888): 02051-02060, 02055: Vokes - Ancestry.com
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in New York where they remained for three months. The Vokes Family returned to the USA (without
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in London Vokes married the actress Martha Isabella 'Bella' Moore (1854-1913), the daughter of
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One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the
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1851 England Census for Frederick Mortimer Vokes: Surrey, Lambeth, Brixton - Ancestry.com
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Divorce Court File: 2055. Appellant: Martha Isabella Vokes. Respondent: Frederick Vokes
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147:, first as the "Vokes Children" and later the "Vokes Family" they began to perform at
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The Golden Age of Pantomime: Slapstick, Spectacle and Subversion in Victorian England
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Tom Thumb the Great; or, Harlequin King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
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and Fred, who were especially happy in their rendering of the tower scene from
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in 1862 when they were billed as 'The Five Little Vokes'. They appeared at the
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789:'JESSIE VOKES DEAD. THE FIRST ONE TO DIE OF THE FAMOUS FAMILY OF COMEDIANS'
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A History of the New York stage from the First Performance in 1732 to 1901
743:. Vol. 28 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 178.
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99:. The 1861 Census lists the 15 year-old Fred's occupation as "Actor".
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in which Fred Vokes played the title role. This was to be their last
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where they were an immediate success, but with the outbreak of the
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The piece that most successfully carried an audience by storm was
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who had married in 1877) in April 1881 when they appeared at the
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after her marriage in 1877 following which she left the troupe.
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appeared with the Vokes Family - usually as a replacement for
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Banerji, Nilanjana. "Vokes, Frederick Mortimer (1846–1888)".
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Tom Thumb: or, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
346:
The Dragon of Wantley; or, Harlequin or Old Mother Shipton
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and who outlived the rest of his "family") popular in the
552:, who was the maternal grandmother of Hollywood starlets
44:
dancer and actor of the 19th-century and a member of the
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Beauty and the Beast! or, Harlequin and Old Mother Bunch
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Beauty and the Beast! or, Harlequin and Old Mother Bunch
80:
Godden (1818–1897) was the daughter of Welsh-born
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Valentine and Orson; or, Harlequin and the Magic Shield
704:
Victorian Pantomime: A Collection of Critical Essays
32:(22 January 1846 – 3 June 1888) was a British
302:They made their last appearance in New York at the
879:Pantomimes at Drury Lane - It's Behind You website
834:Career of Alice Hamilton - Footlight Notes website
810:Jessie Vokes (1851-1884) - Footlight Notes website
707:, Palgrave Macmillan (2010) - Google Books pg. 29
776:. Its-behind-you.com, accessed 31 December 2010
655:. Vol. 58. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
431:Of his appearance and that of his sisters in
257:. They returned to New York in April 1873 at
8:
850:, I. B. Tauris (2015) - Google Books pg. 301
675:(online ed.). Oxford University Press.
967:Actors from the London Borough of Islington
358:Aladdin or Harlequin and the Wonderful Lamp
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890:The Vokes Family - It's Behind You website
866:The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News
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469:The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News
238:The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News
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797:, New York, Friday, 8 August 1884, p. 5b
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672:Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
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541:. He was buried in the family plot in
111:The Vokes Family in about 1875: (l-r)
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167:in London on 26 December 26, 1868 in
60:Frederick Mortimer Vokes was born in
7:
435:at Drury Lane in 1871 the critic of
16:British dancer and actor (1846–1888)
982:English male musical theatre actors
199:They first appeared in the popular
193:Harlequin Cock Robin and Jenny Wren
159:and made their London début at the
76:. Their mother Sarah Jane Biddulph
215:in their début performance at the
14:
1017:19th-century British male singers
642:"Vokes, Frederick Mortimer"
92:in 1854 aged 8 as the boy in the
972:19th-century English male actors
939:Dictionary of National Biography
717:
652:Dictionary of National Biography
84:Will Wood and his actress wife.
820:'The Late Miss Rosina Vokes' -
372:(1877); Baron Pumpernickel in
366:Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves
1:
997:British vaudeville performers
1007:Burials at Brompton Cemetery
1002:19th-century British dancers
689:UK public library membership
639:Knight, John Joseph (1899).
448:He was well assisted by Mr.
295:The Illustrated London News
169:Edward Litt Laman Blanchard
1038:
587:Victoria and Albert Museum
529:Family funerary monument,
186:in London, they danced in
247:The Belles of the Kitchen
231:As Baron Pumpernickel in
217:Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
201:The Belles of the Kitchen
50:Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
869:1 February 1879, pg. 485
824:, 7 February 1894 pg. 62
352:(1871); Sir Rowland in
30:Frederick Mortimer Vokes
1022:People from Clerkenwell
987:Male actors from London
908:(subscription required)
740:Encyclopædia Britannica
618:(subscription required)
604:(subscription required)
486:George Washington Moore
348:(1870); King Arthur in
284:Fred Vokes with sister
175:in which the critic of
143:, and "foster brother"
758:Thomas Allston Brown,
681:10.1093/ref:odnb/28347
534:
473:
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428:
421:Little Red Riding Hood
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992:Music hall performers
927:The National Archives
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465:
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425:Her Majesty's Theatre
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56:Early life and career
24:
977:English male dancers
476:On 25 March 1873 at
356:(1872); Abanazar in
354:Children in the Wood
304:Mount Morris Theatre
263:Fifth Avenue Theatre
251:Union Square Theatre
219:in Christmas 1871.
458:Tumultuous marriage
209:Franco-Prussian War
205:Théâtre du Châtelet
178:The Daily Telegraph
844:Jeffrey Richards,
794:The New York Times
774:"The Vokes Family"
550:Rose Wood Morrison
535:
474:
466:Mrs Bella Vokes -
429:
300:
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131:With his sisters,
129:
27:
25:Fred Vokes in 1875
687:(Subscription or
554:Constance Bennett
543:Brompton Cemetery
531:Brompton Cemetery
223:Theatrical career
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478:St James' church
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382:F. B. Chatterton
362:Dick Whittington
161:Alhambra Theatre
103:The Vokes Family
82:strolling player
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539:Victoria Vokes
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499:St John's Wood
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259:Niblo's Garden
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184:Lyceum Theatre
165:Lyceum Theatre
127:and Fred Vokes
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90:Surrey Theatre
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406:F. C. Burnand
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398:Covent Garden
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370:The White Cat
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338:Humpty Dumpty
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190:'s pantomime
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188:W. S. Gilbert
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173:Humpty Dumpty
171:'s pantomime
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558:Joan Bennett
547:
536:
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495:
491:Rosina Vokes
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450:Fawdon Vokes
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417:Vokes Family
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337:
336:, including
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323:Rosina Vokes
318:Il trovatore
316:
301:
293:
289:
286:Jessie Vokes
267:Rosina Vokes
255:Fun in a Fog
254:
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130:
113:Fawdon Vokes
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86:
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66:Fawdon Vokes
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46:Vokes Family
29:
28:
18:
962:1888 deaths
957:1846 births
701:Jim Davis,
647:Lee, Sidney
579:Poster for
404:written by
149:music halls
62:Clerkenwell
951:Categories
861:Cinderella
859:Review of
822:The Sketch
691:required.)
589:Collection
564:References
507:Pittsburgh
482:Piccadilly
378:Cinderella
374:Cinderella
334:Drury Lane
233:Cinderella
153:pantomimes
34:music hall
511:Harrogate
438:The Times
433:Tom Thumb
390:pantomime
386:Bluebeard
330:pantomime
290:Bluebeard
157:Edinburgh
70:pantomime
42:burlesque
38:pantomime
533:, London
497:Road in
368:(1876);
364:(1875);
360:(1874);
344:(1869);
340:(1868);
321:, or as
313:Victoria
137:Victoria
121:Victoria
728::
649:(ed.).
503:Toronto
441:wrote:
151:and at
722:
685:
583:(1869)
472:(1877)
308:Harlem
275:Boston
241:(1878)
145:Fawdon
141:Jessie
133:Rosina
125:Jessie
117:Rosina
735:Vokes
645:. In
521:Death
94:farce
556:and
415:The
139:and
40:and
737:".
677:doi
480:in
423:at
419:in
400:in
332:at
306:in
273:in
78:née
953::
925:-
915:^
896:^
863:-
802:^
791:-
781:^
749:^
661:^
625:^
594:^
585:-
571:^
560:.
545:.
408:.
292:-
235:-
196:.
135:,
123:,
119:,
115:,
36:,
683:.
679::
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
