Francis Langdon Bell was not a direct ancestor, but his story of achievement, and that of his daughters, is one well worth telling. Frank was the cousin of my great grandfather, Kenyon Holding. Frank's father, also named Francis Bell, was the brother of my 2x great grandmother Ann Bell.
Francis Langdon Bell was born in 1862, in Kirkby Lonsdale. At the time of Frank's birth Kirkby Lonsdale was considered a small market town in the county of Westmoreland. Today Kirkby is found in Cumbria, on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales national park and the Lake District. It is a beautiful town, surrounded by the most amazing landscapes. With its cobbled streets and ancient buildings, it's pretty easy to imagine what the town would have been like in the 1860s.
Frank's father was a plumber. Whilst today's plumbers will work with interior pipes and faucets, showers, and flushing toilets etc, a plumber in the 1800s would have been quite different work. Most people would not have had much in the way of interior plumbing. Water would have been taken from a pump served by a well, and outhouses were the norm for toileting purposes. But plumbing had been an established trade since the 1300s. In the 1860s it's likely that Frank Bell senior would have been working with lead to install water cisterns, pipes, and gutters, for all sorts of buildings. Flushing toilets became more popular in the mid 1800s following its appearance in the Great Exhibition of 1851, so he may have been involved in installing one or two in the larger, grander homes of Kirkby.
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| A Victorian bathroom like this one, was not for the many, but for the very few. |
In January 1881 Frank married Sarah Parkinson, a Lancaster lass, and they settled in the same city. By the time the census was taken, later the same year, they were found living together at 1 Golden Ball Yard, Lancaster. Frank was a plumber, just like his dad. Golden Ball Yard was situated just off Market Square, in central Lancaster, and was one of the poorest places to live in the city.
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| Golden Ball Yard, Lancaster, 1927 |
Within the next 10 years, however, Francis Langdon Bell, and his wife Sarah, were on their way up. No longer a plumber, by the time the 1891 census was taken Frank had achieved the status of 'publican' and was managing the Black Bull Hotel.
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| The Black Bull, prior to the widening of China Lane. |
In the summer of 1891 Francis L Bell was accused of serving alcohol to an intoxicated man; a Mr John Miller. The newspaper article which described the ensuing court case gives us a small inkling of the musical talents of our Frank, which would bring him his biggest achievement yet!
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| Lancaster Gazette, 18th July, 1891 |
The Black Bull stood near the corner of Church Street and China Lane. Around about 1895 the building on the corner, next door to the pub, was knocked down, along with many other buildings down that side of China Lane, to widen the thoroughfare. It became China Street, and once all the work was completed the Black Bull had the prestigious corner placement of these two important roads in the centre of Lancaster. Eventually the original building that was the Black Bull was demolished in 1908, and was replaced by a very grand public house/ hotel which later became known as the Duke of Lancaster. This did not affect our Frank, as he had moved to manage the Fat Scot public house, on the corner of Mary and Gage Street, by the time the 1901 census rolled around, and was looking after the John O Gaunt pub, on Market Street, in 1905.
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| The Black Bull, circa 1910 |
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| The John O'Gaunt (date unknown) |
Within the following ten years Francis Langdon Bell and his family, had left pub life behind, and it's only in the 1911 census that we can see that the whisper from that court case in 1891 had grown into a vociferous cheer, demonstrating this family's musical gifts. No longer living above a public house, the family had their own house, on King Street, Lancaster; a short walk from his place of work as musical director of the Lancaster Hippodrome.
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| 40 King Street, Lancaster |
I have no records or newspaper articles with which to fact check, but I imagine that life as a publican all these years had allowed Frank to run taproom concerts and thus develop his skill as a musical director. Tap room concerts are considered a predecessor of Music Hall and Variety theatre, and even during the years when Music Hall and Variety theatre was most popular, tap room concerts held in smaller pub venues would have been common, just as band nights, and such like are common in pubs throughout Britain today. As a pub landlord Frank was well placed to hone his craft as a musician and musical director.
The Lancaster Hippodrome was situated on Dalton Square and had originally been a chapel, built by the local Catholic community in 1799, following the passing of the Roman Catholic Relief Act of 1791, which allowed catholic people to practice their faith. Later it became a temperance hall, which is amusing, considering the future it was to have as a Music Hall and Variety theatre. By 1906 the building was repurposed and renamed the Hippodrome and Opera House, and it started show 'hippograph' moving pictures to their customers. A review in the Lancaster Observer (8th December 1911) noted the variety acts and added that the hippograph pictures were 'remarkably good'.
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| The interior of the Lancaster Hippodrome |
As well as directing the musical side of things at the Hippodrome, Francis was working as a music teacher in 1912-13; teaching out of his home at 40 King Street. And he obviously was a good teacher, as all of his three daughters became skilled musicians in their own right.
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| I believe the 4 King Street is a typo. I have no other records that use the address 4 King Street. |
In the 1911 census his eldest daughter, Margaret, was recorded as being employed as a pianist. The middle daughter, Hilda (now a married mother, and using the last name Burton) was recorded as a drummer. Together with their father on cornet they formed Les Trois Cloches (Cloche being the French for Bell; I think this was a rather brilliant name!)
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| Click here to see the document on Ancestry. |
For some time I had believed that it had just been the two older daughters that had joined with their father to take to the stage, but it seems that when Florence, the youngest daughter, was old enough, she took Hilda's place on the boards. Hilda had met William Burton in the early 1900s. William came from the south of England, but had joined the army in 1897, at the tender age of 15. He was also a musician and had possibly joined the army with the intention of joining a military band, and finding therein a career as a musician. He joined the Kings Own, a regiment based in Lancaster, which is presumably how he ended up meeting the Bell family. William earned certificates from Kneller Hall, the military music school, and so was clearly a talented musician. He was not, however, a talented soldier, as his military record demonstrates. In the fall of 1909 William was discharged following numerous insubordination offences, the last and most serious being his striking a senior officer, for which he spent some time in military jail. William and Hilda married in the summer of 1910, and just 6 months later their son, Arthur Francis William Burton, was born. Hilda and Arthur were both living with the rest of the Bell family in 1911, at 40 King Street, Lancaster, so I've no idea where William the husband and father were living. I can only assume that the family were reunited some time later, as William used the same King Street address when he signed up for military service in 1915, for the duration of the war.
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| Kneller Hall- military music school, now houses a private school. |
Florence took Rebecca's place in the trio as early as 1916, when she was 17 or 18 years young. In 1916 Les Trois Cloches achieved such wonderful reviews such as this one which read as follows;
"...the appearance there of Les Trois Cloches in their charmingly refined act "Home of Harmony". This gifted trio, which comprises Mr Francis Langdon Bell and his two daughters Misses Maggie and Florrie Bell, present one of the finest singing and musical performances ever seen in the town, instruments, both orthodox and unorthodox being played in an exceptionally clever manner, whilst the youngest member of the trio, Miss Florrie Bell, who is yet in her teens, displays vocalistic abilities of the highest order. Her beautifully clear soprano voice is heard with real pleasure in "Castellano", "My Hero", "Violets", "Until", "Caress (?)", "Life's Garden", and other numbers, the sweet songstress being particularly good in the higher register. Her sister, who plays the accompaniments throughout, and brilliantly executes several solos, is a pianist of rare ability, and her father contributes cornet and horn solos in masterly style. One of the most attractice features of the splendid entertainment is the introductoin of "The Rosary" played as a cornet solo, with tubular bells, flute, and pianoforte accompaniments. For this item there is scenery on a gorgeous scale, including the representation of the interior of a church, and when the three artistes joinin the rendering of this masterpiece the effect is very striking. Miss Florrie Bell also skillfully plays the flute, the piccolo, the tubular bells, and the drum, her playing of "Tommy Atkins" on the latter instrument, as a picture of the late Lord Kitchener is thrown upon the screen, being greeted with thunderous applause. The whole concludes with a grand patriotic scene, during which the national anthems of the Allies are played on a variety of instruments. The performance of Les Trois Cloches is worth going far to see and the novel and entertaining act has been thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated by the large audiences nightly present."
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| Lord Kitchener, famously featured in this poster, died on 5th June 1916 |
The next 4-5 years must have been a whirlwind for the three musically talented Bells. A search of newspaper archives bring up many shows in various locations across and around Britain. And in 1918 Les Trois Cloches achieved their biggest and best accomplishment so far in their stage careers, when they performed at the London Hippodrome.
The London Hippodrome had opened to rapturous applause in 1900, as an indoor circus and variety venue. It was a type of theatre never before seen in England, and everything about it was unusual, fresh, and the epitome of theatrical. The theatre was somewhat renovated in 1909, from whence it was used for variety and music hall performances. It was a giant auditorium and from 1909 had a seating capacity for over 1300 people. Appearing at the London Hippodrome would have been quite the professional career coup for the family!
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| It was possible to flood the centre of the auditorium to allow for incredible water scenes. |
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| Devon & Exeter Gazette, Dec 1918. |
Les Trois Cloches continued to tour their show, following this land mark performance, ensuring that all billing and advertisements remarked on the fact that they had played the London Hippodrome! The latest newspaper reference to their show is dated February 1920, when they played The Palace, in Plymouth.
In the 1921 census Francis Langdon Bell was living once again, at 40 King Street, Lancaster, with Sarah his wife, and their grandson Arthur Burton. Francis was 59, and Sarah was 60. Frank was recorded as being a music hall artiste, with no added note saying that he was retired. As a daughter of an actor, I know that once you take to the boards, you never truly retire! None of the three daughters were residing at the King Street home at that time, and I've no idea how to start finding them. Their names were so very common. It almost seems like every other person in Lancashire was named Bell! And since they were travelling all over the country, they could have met a handsome musician anywhere from Lands End to John O Groats and settled down.
Francis died later in the same year as the most recent census, October 1921. Family lore that tells us that Maggie married a cellist, and they lived in Glasgow. She apparently played piano for the children's cinema on Saturday mornings, and twice weekly for dance classes. They had one daughter, called Maggie, who died in childhood. Her husband died at the age of 90. Margaret worked until just a couple of months before she died.
Family lore also tells us that Hilda and William Burton divorced. I don't know if she remarried, or where she ended up. Their son Arthur Francis William Burton, who went by Bill, did his military service with the Kings Own, and was last heard of living in Ashton Under Lyne, Lancashire.
Finally Florrie Bell met and married a Scottish gent named Peter, surname unknown. He was, according to the story, a projectionist at the King's Cinema, in Edinburgh. They had, we're told, 5 children. None of these story endings are backed up by records; an impossible task without names, dates, and locations. Family lore is incredibly unreliable, with without records it's all we have to go on.
Family lore also tells us that Hilda and William Burton divorced. I don't know if she remarried, or where she ended up. Their son Arthur Francis William Burton, who went by Bill, did his military service with the Kings Own, and was last heard of living in Ashton Under Lyne, Lancashire.
Finally Florrie Bell met and married a Scottish gent named Peter, surname unknown. He was, according to the story, a projectionist at the King's Cinema, in Edinburgh. They had, we're told, 5 children. None of these story endings are backed up by records; an impossible task without names, dates, and locations. Family lore is incredibly unreliable, with without records it's all we have to go on.
My father, a great fan and aficionado of all things Music Hall, is searching for a recording of Les Trois Cloches; it would be wonderful to hear their musical talents as described so beautifully above. In the meantime I shall leave you with this version of The Rosary, by Perry Como. Try and imagine it sung by a clear, young soprano, with a lovely Lancashire accent!
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https://www.familysearch.org/en/wiki/England_Occupations_Building_Trades_-_International_Institute#Plumbers
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flush_toilet#:~:text=Thomas%20William%20Twyford%20was%20one,widely%20used%20and%20marketed%20invention.
https://maps.nls.uk/view/229946790
https://youtu.be/vsPoTSQe7fM?si=itfsVO-Jkfb7TtoA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippodrome,_London
http://www.arthurlloyd.co.uk/LondonHippodrome.htm
With thanks to members of the Old Lancaster Pubs Facebook group.
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