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357:. Their children were: Herbert James Clay (1878–1959) and Edith Florence Elfrida Clay (1880–1966). On her marriage she retired from the English stage. However, she had always been considered "infinitely the cleverest, the most bewitching" of the Vokes Family who could act and sing as well as dance, and who could have had a great career as a solo artist had it not been for her loyalty to her family, to whom she was very close.
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in
Washington D.C. in December 1893, and while it was clear to audiences and critics that she was increasingly unwell, her performances were unaffected, while critics regarded her continuing to work as artistic heroism. Her numerous obituaries described her as a popular actress loved by both her
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372:. One newspaper wrote of her, "She is still young, agile, slender, and graceful; the piquant prettiness of her face and the droll charm of her manner still exert a strong influence upon the susceptible spectator." Despite her growing weakness due to
264:’s clever recitations and dancing were appreciated, but she was not so prominent in the cast as her siblings Victoria and Fred, who were especially happy in their rendering of the tower scene from
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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,
121:, 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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194:, she began her career as The Vokes Children, which was afterward changed to The Vokes Family, at the Operetta House in Edinburgh. They first appeared in the popular
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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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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 she appeared with the rest of the Vokes Family in
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For about ten years (with the exception of 1873, when they were touring abroad) the Vokes Family were regulars in the annual
Christmas
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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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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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In
October 1885 she was invited to tour America with her husband, taking with her a small theatrical company which included
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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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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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An
Illustrated History of British Theatre and Performance: Volume Two - From the industrial Revolution to the Digital Age
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troupe of entertainers before having a successful career in her own right in North America from 1885 to 1893.
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One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the
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Tom Thumb the Great; or, Harlequin King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
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First as The Vokes Children and later The Vokes Family, they began to perform at
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On 10 March 1877 she married Cecil Jalland Page Clay (1848–1920), the author of
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in 1862 when they were billed as 'The Five Little Vokes'. They appeared at the
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1851 England Census for Jessie Vokes: Surrey, Lambeth, Brixton - Ancestry.com
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578:'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
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534:. Vol. 28 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 178.
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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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in New York where they remained for three months. Older sister
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in 1869. At Drury Lane in February 1870 she was Albert to the
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Tom Thumb; or, King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table
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She attracted special notice first as one of the children in
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and other well-known actors and played in light comedy and
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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
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Beauty and the Beast! or, Harlequin and Old Mother Bunch
32:(18 October 1854 – 27 January 1894) was a British
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Beauty and the Beast, or Harlequin and Old Mother Bunch
58:, London, in 1854. She was a member of the well-known
133:in London on 26 December 26, 1868 in the pantomime
626:Career of Alice Hamilton - Footlight Notes website
599:Jessie Vokes (1851-1884) - Footlight Notes website
78:Godden (1818–1897) was the daughter of Welsh-born
433:Her last appearance on the stage was made at the
565:. Its-behind-you.com, accessed 31 December 2010
252:. They returned to New York in April 1873 at
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729:(London: Rivington, Percival and Co., 1894)
336:Aladdin or Harlequin and the Wonderful Lamp
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753:Actors from the London Borough of Lambeth
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322:. Also at Drury Lane she appeared in
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720:(New York: G. W. Dillingham, 1896)
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768:English musical theatre actresses
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642:, Routledge (2019) - Google Books
182:. With her brothers and sisters,
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353:and the brother of the composer
82:Will Wood and his actress wife.
612:'The Late Miss Rosina Vokes' -
778:19th-century English actresses
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304:(1868) followed the next year
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788:English vaudeville performers
344:Ai Baba and the Forty Thieves
282:Rosina Vokes on the cover of
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671:Obituary for Rosina Vokes -
334:(1872); was the Princess in
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176:Benjamin Nottingham Webster
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139:Edward Litt Laman Blanchard
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212:Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
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758:English stage actresses
531:Encyclopædia Britannica
496:(subscription required)
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330:(1871); as Mary in
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717:Queens of the Stage
396:The Milliner's Bill
204:Franco-Prussian War
200:Théâtre du Châtelet
674:The New York Times
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563:"The Vokes Family"
454:Rose Wood Morrison
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346:(1876) as Fatima.
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218:Theatrical career
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748:1894 deaths
743:1854 births
714:Alan Dale,
652:Poster for
411:Maid Marian
378:The Parvenu
274:Solo career
137:written by
115:music halls
737:Categories
662:Collection
614:The Sketch
468:References
443:Babbacombe
298:Drury Lane
166:’s comedy
164:Tom Taylor
119:pantomimes
108:Fred Vokes
98:, Rosina,
34:music hall
404:, and in
370:burlesque
294:pantomime
123:Edinburgh
68:pantomime
42:burlesque
38:pantomime
338:(1874);
326:(1870);
188:Victoria
100:Victoria
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447:Torquay
117:and at
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656:(1869)
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392:Grundy
382:Pinero
288:(1885)
227:Jessie
192:Jessie
104:Jessie
526:Vokes
380:, in
460:and
398:and
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184:Fred
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
