Lloyd Clarance

"Lloyd Clarance" was born John W Hunt in Poplar, London and he attended the Coopers Company School, after a few years of commercial life in the City he adopted the "nom de plume" Lloyd Clarance.

His first engagement was as a comic vocalist at the Alhambra, Chatham, twice nightly theatre of varieties, first house being reserved for military and second for civilians. Another hall in the town was "Barnards" which originated the twice nightly system in the Music halls. After considerable experience on the variety stage alternating with seasons of drama, Mr Clarance devoted most of his time to pantomime and was in fact the poineer of travelling pantomime on a large scale. During the Christmas season in Glasgow 1873-74 while playing Widow Twanky in "Aladdin" he, in true show business fashion, wooed and wedded the principal boy, Miss Kate Hollingsworth.

After their marriage Lloyd and Kate worked together for the rest of their careers. They toured the Music Halls as comedy and burlesque enterainers and as such "topped the bill" at almost all of the then existing provincial halls. Their special feature was a dramatic sketch "Poor Joe's last move" which they performed over 1,000 times. They were the first portrayers of Dickensian characters on the Music Hall Stage.

Mr and Mrs Clarance also travelled in their own Concert Parties "Smiles and Tears" and "Melody and Mirth". This was before the era of fit up tours and Mr Clarance believed that his entertainment was the forerunner of Pierrot Troupes, being arranged on exactly the same lines with the exception that evening dress was worn instead of Pierrot costumes.

But it was to Pantomime that Mr Clarance particularly devoted himself. He produced both "Aladdin" and "Goody Two Shoes" in London, touring each year until Easter when he often opened at the Theatre Royal, York, that being the only theatre in England that commenced its Pantomime then for a run of 8-9 weeks. As a pantomime librettist, Mr Clarance was a prolific worker and as many as 23 of his books have been played in as many different theatres in one season.

At that time Mr Clarance also held the record for the number of consecutive performances for any provincial run at one theatre. This was with his own company at Raikes Hall Gardens, Blackpool, England for two seasons of 13 weeks producing his burlesques of "Aladdin" and "Les Deux Volues" which achieved runs of 132 and 122 performances respectively.

Later Mr Clarance was for many years lessee of the Old Theatre Royal in Yarm Lane, Stockton on Tees, England. This was burned to the ground in August 1906.
Eventually Mr Clarance accepted an engagement with Mr Hugo Robertson to manage his Consett Theatre where he remained until the termination of Mr Robertson's lessee-ship. The theatre was then almost entirely rebuilt and elaborately decorated and was one of the most charming in the North of England. Mr and Mrs Clarance resumed the management and resided at The Ferns, Elmfield Road, Consett for the remainder of their professional lives.

Stories of "Clarance" still abound in the region - his abhorrence of "blue" gags which he would not allow, how when watching a new company in his theatre on a Monday morning for 20 minutes he would pay their wages and send them packing as not being good enough for Consett audiences. How he rang down the curtain on "Maria Martin or Murder in the Red Barn" when a rather inebriated member of the audience jumped onto the stage and physically belaboured the villian of the peace for his behaviour to the sweet young heroine.

Maybe less well known were his hobbies of stamp and butterfly collecting and poetry writing and he was a watercolour artist of no mean ability. He took grat pleasure in his house and spent two years landscaping his garden with waterfalls and ponds.

Lloyd Clarance had been introduced into Buffaloism in Chatham many years before coming to Consett, but after his arrival he became the founder member of the N.W. Durham branch of the Royal Antediluvian Order of Buffaloes which was to grow and flourish at a great rate. The local Lodge was called the Clarance Lodge in his honour.

Their work for the charities of the area was well known and it is recounted how Lloyd Clarance was particularly affected by one performance for the workhouse inmates when a man approached him and pleadingly asked "Please Mr Clarance, can I sit beside my wife". It was workhouse rules that inmates, even those who were married, were completely segregated.

The Clarances had eight children, only three of who survived infancy and Annie, the surviving girl died at the tender age of 17 of peritonitis while returning from France. The other two children were Bertie and Arthur. Kate Hollingsworth died aged 66 years in July 1921, a loss which deeply affected Lloyd as they had enjoyed many years as devoted partners both in business and life. Lloyd continued his work in Consett. With the advent of the talking pictures and diminishing audiences in the 1920's he gallantly continued to present theatre using his own money to subsidise it and keep his staff in work. By the time the theatre closed Lloyd Clarance had used almost all of his resources. For a short time he lived in Villa Real then moved to Newcastle to live with his son and be attended by his grandaughter, now Mrs (Violet) Clarance Hunt, and still residing in Newcastle.

His final years were gentle, quiet and perhaps lonely after such a busy life. At the advanced age of 90 he embraced the faith of the Anglican Church and was confirmed by the Bishop of Newcastle. A final detail says a lot for Lloyd Clarance - when leaving his home for the last time to go to hospital he did so in his pyjamas, dressing gown and bowler hat on his head. Two days later 13th March 1939 he died.

His funeral cortege was stopped outside the R.A.O.B Club in Consett, England so that respects could be paid and people stood on the pavements to honour the showman who came to Consett. John William Hunt was finally re-united with his beloved Catherine Eleanor on the quiet slopes of Benfieldside Cemetery, Blackhill, England.