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Phyllis Broughton (1862-1926)

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Phyllis Broughton (1862-1926)

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Some known facts:
Born 1862 - .
Died 21st July 1926 - Piccadilly, London (England).
Real Name Phyllis Harriet Wright Broughton.
Daughter of William Wright Broughton.
Sister of Emma Broughton (actress).
Married Robert Thomson (doctor), 1922?-24 (his death).
Miscellanea
1889 - Cancelled her engagement to wealthy colliery owner John Hedley in order to accept a proposal of marriage from Viscount Dangan - Henry Arthur Mornington Wellesley (heir to Earl Cowley). When Dangan subsequently jilted her, she sued for Breach of Promise* and was awarded £2,500** (£2,000 compensation plus £500 costs) in an out of court settlement.
*See my article on the Daisy Markham case for more information on this now defunct legal precedent.
** Some sensation seeking period newspapers claimed the amount to have been as high as £10,000!!
1936 - 'Longcroft', a mansion house at Hayes in Kent, was donated in memory of Phyllis as a sanctuary for poor and aged actors and actresses. It was the house John Hedley had built to share with Phyllis, and which he had maintained, unoccupied but in pristine condition, since the day she rejected him. As further proof that he had never forgotten her, Hedley willed the residue of his estate, after other fixed bequests, to Phyllis (although as Phyllis had died before him, the proceeds were then added to her estate).
Was a Gaiety Girl at the height of their popularity.
After death her estate was valued well in excess of £200,000 - her jewels sold at Christies for £36,000.




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"Camaralzaman"
By F.C. Burnand.
Produced at the Empire Theatre.
Reviewed in 'Lloyds Weekly Newspaper', London, 24th August, 1884.

Miss Farren, Mr. Royce, Mr. Elton, and their companions at present located here, on Monday appeared in Mr. Burnand's burlesque-drama, Camaralzaman, a piece thoroughly adapted to a house at which song, dance, and spectacle are more highly prized than closeness or clearness of dramatic action. Next to the elements of the performance that appeal to the eye, the most powerful attraction of this handsome building appears to be the foyer with its balcony overlooking Leicester-square. It seems strange that people should visit the theatre with the deliberate intention of turning their backs to the stage and going out at every opportunity, but this has nevertheless become a fact.

Camaralzaman is given here much the same as it was at the Gaiety. Mr. Royce plays the Djin Danasch - formerly rendered by Mr. E. Terry - and treats the character after his own peculiar and laughter-moving method. Miss Farren is as brisk as ever in her embodiment of the roving Prince. Miss Phyllis Broughton is as charming a Peri as the assiduous reader of the "Arabian Nights Entertainment" could imagine. Mr. W. Elton cleverly fills in the part of the Shah with personal oddities, and Miss Constance Gilchrist looks well under the limelight. The band is good, and the dresses as resplendent as the most exigeant patrons of showy extravaganza should desire.


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