William Young Greet (1852 – 1914)
William Young Greet was born on board HMS Crocodile, a receiving ship off Tower of London in 1852, the sixth of eight children born to William and Sarah Vallance, nee Barling, Greet.
A receiving ship was an old ship of the line, used as a floating barracks and office space for berthing and administering sailors awaiting assignment to active vessels.
William’s father was a Lieutenant Commander on the ship at the time of his birth. The ship was the family home from 1850 to 1861 when William retired after a Naval career of 36 years as a Capt. RN.
William was christened at St Peter ad Vincula at the Tower of London and educated at the Royal Naval School, New Cross.
On the 1861 census he is living with his family on HMS Crocodile.
He served as Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and on the 1871 census he is at the home of his uncle Philip Baring
At the time of William’s marriage to Dora Victoire Graves on 10th October 1876 at St Jude’s Church, Southsea, Hampshire, he is still a Lieutenant in the Royal Marine Artillery, but he left in 1877. In some notes sent by a niece from the USA it states that William was always very seasick, hence his retirement.
¹
On leaving the Artillery he worked briefly as a farmer and the 1881 census shows him living in Stanley House, Worple Road, Wimbledon and he is a farmer of 20 acres employing 4 men and 11 women.
William’s career takes another turn, the 1891 census shows him living at 69 Egerton Gardens, Kensington, London, and he is now a Theatrical Manager.
William was business manager at Toole’s Theatre, the Novelty Theatre, the Royalty Theatre, and the Prince of Wales’s Theatre between 1884 and 1890
In 1890 he moved to the Lyric Theatre as a business manager under Horace Sedger, an American impresario. Dora Greet collaborated with Sedger on a stage adaption of the novel The Little Square
William became a producer and manager in his own right in 1894 as licensee of the Royal Avenue Theatre, London putting on such shows as Dandy Dick Whittington, the Lady Slavery and Mrs Ponderbury’s Past.
The critic for the Sketch wrote:
“Mr. William Greet, in producing The Lady Slavey at the Avenue Theatre, seemed like a rash man. Success seems to have justified his rashness. Yet, at first, failure seemed to be the certain fate of The Lady Slavey. It is a striking proof of the vitality of the work that it survived the harsh notices of the critics and cold reception of the first nighters. To a great extent, it is a question of company… Miss May Yohé’s singing does not satisfy the exacting critics, nor does her acting endanger other reputations; but her strange voice, her charming person, and unflagging spirits quickly catch and hold the audience. Mr. Charles Danby’s dictionary probably does not contain the word “subtlety”, yet his vast energy and broad sense of humour are far more useful, and certainly, whatever you may think of the means he uses, he is one of the funniest players in his line. Cinderella’s “Sisters” are a delightful change from old ideas. Perhaps they rather hurt the tale, for the admirable singing of the handsome Miss Blanche Barnett and the dainty dancing of Miss Adelaide Astor make them dangerous rivals for the heroine. Mr. Robert Pateman, one of our most versatile and able players – who will forget his “horse” song in Mdlle. Nitouche, or his terrible death scene in the Princesses’ melodrama Master and Man? – might have a better part with advantage to the work. The acting of Mr. G. Humphrey is also very clever”.
In 1895, William returned to the Lyric Theatre where he presented the long-running ‘The Sign of the Cross’ also producing an American tour of the play.
Greet sat on the board of Directors of The Lyceum Theatre Ltd from 1899 until 1902
It is believed William & Dora moved to Ferry House, Shillingford, in the early 1890’s and the 1901 census has them in residence along with five staff, Emily Grace – Cook, Mary Norris – Parlour maid, Mary Belson – Housemaid, Annie Townsend – Kitchen maid & Herbert Bailey – Butler.
By the early 1900’s William was working in several theatres in London. In 1901, William leased the Savoy Theatre, from Helen, the widow of Richard D’Oyly Carte and managed the D’Oyly Carter Opera Company’s revival of Iolanthe along with several new comic operas including the Emerald Isle in 1902. At the same time, he leased the Lyric Theatre producing Mice and Men in 1902, The Light that Failed in 1903. He also leased the Comedy Theatre, where he produced the hit musicals Monsieur Beaucaire and Morocco Bound.
The 1911 census shows William & Dora staying at Felix Hotel, Felixstowe. Dora’s sister, Maude Graves is with them.
William continued to produce musical comedies and operettas, many of them very successful, in theatres across London. The Girl in the Taxi appears to have been his last recorded production.
William died on 25th April 1914 in Bournemouth
LOCAL WILLS
Mr William Greet, of Ferry House, Shillingford, lessee and manager of the Lyric Theatre, London, and formerly of the Royal Marines, who died at Bournemouth on the 25th April last, aged 62 years, left estate of the gross value of £21,530-19s-0d of which the net personality has been sworn at £3,868-3s-6d. Probate of his will dated 4th April 1910 has been granted to Mr Tom Pitt, theatrical manager, of the Lyric Theatre, Shaftsbury Avenue, W. and Mr George Frederick Slade, solicitor of Wallingford. The testator left £250 and his household and personal effects to his wife, Mrs Dora Victoria Greet, together with the use during her widowhood of one of his residences. All his other properties he left to his wife for life, with remainder equally between his brothers and sisters and his sister-in-law, Maud Graves. He directed his trustees to continue and “work out” any of his theatrical ventures in which he had embarked capital or possessed an interest as if he were alive, and if they should see fit, for this purpose to convert such undertakings into a company.
William Greet’s Grave in St Laurence Churchyard, Warborough
Dora Victorie Greet nee Graves (1857 – 1946)
Dora Victorie Graves was born in Kildare, Ireland, the second of four children born to Major William and Antoinette, nee Deane, Graves.
Dora was described as very beautiful, charming, and artistic.
Between 1889 and 1890 Dora wrote for the stage and her short pieces often preceded longer works put on by at various theatres in London.
They included ‘A Flying Visit’
along with ‘To the Rescue’
Not known for her acting she did occasionally take part in benefit productions such as this at the Lyric Theatre
On the 1891 census Dora is listed as an Authoress and her book Mrs Greets Story of the Golden Owl, illustrated by Ambrose Dudley was published in 1892 by Leadenhall Press, London.
Dora Greet collaborated with Ambrose Sedger on a stage adaption of the novel The Little Square whilst William was involved with the Lyric Theatre.
“Wasn’t Mrs Greet going to sing? – The pretty and popular Mrs Greet, who ever since she first entered into residence at her riparian villa by Shillingford Bridge has never tired in giving her invaluable good services to any deserving object.”
Indeed. she did sing, as this programme published in the Berks & Oxon Advertiser shows.
Full report on a Christmas concert arranged by Miss Adeline Frewin
Berks & Oxon Advertiser – 29th December 1893
Dora only suffered some bruising and shock
In 1916, Dora was still living at Ferry House, now described as Vegetable, Fruit & Pleasure Gardens when she appealed on behalf of her gardener at a tribunal.
Dora moved into Warborough and the 1921 census shows her living at The Elms, with sister Maude Graves. Tom Pitt, mentioned in William’s probate is a visitor and Edith Hicks is a Domestic Servant.
By 1928 Dora had formed The Warborough Barnstormers and was putting on productions in the Greet Memorial Barn.
On the 1939 register, Dora is in Green Lane House still with sister Maude, a Maud Wetherall and Edith Hicks is still the Housemaid and Margaret Absolom is the Cook.
Dora died on 14th January 1946 at Green Lane House, and was buried in St Laurence Churchyard, Warborough on 18th January 1946.
Sir Philip Barling Greet (1857 -1936)
Philip Barling Greet was born on board HMS Crocodile, a receiving ship off Tower of London in on 25th September 1857, the youngest child born to William and Sarah Vallance, nee Barling, Greet.
Sir Philip Barling Greet was known professionally as Ben Greet.
Like William, Philip was educated at the Royal Naval School, New Cross. His parents planned for him to be a naval officer or a clergyman, but instead he became a schoolmaster at a private school in Worthing.
Philip, Ben. would visit the Greenwich and Woolwich theatres regularly to watch Victorian melodrama, Shakespearean play, farces and pantomimes. He performed plays at school, but he did not perform on the professional stage until after his father’s death in 1879.
His first performance was in Southampton, he performed in an Irish melodrama and within the next few days was assigned to play over twenty Shakespearean parts. For the next three years he performed at the Theatre Royal in Margate before returning to London to join Miss Wallis’s Company at the Gaiety Theatre where Ben played the part of Caius Lucius in Cymbeline. It was this role that was claimed to be Greet’s first real debut in 1883.
In 1883 Ben went on to launch his managerial career by first creating his own company, The Ben Greet Players. They first produced tours through England, performing in college gardens, the parks of great houses and village greens. After twenty years of touring with outdoor productions of Shakespeare in England he travelled to tour in America.
He returned to England in 1903 for a short time and managed more tours before beginning another American tour in 1904. In 1911 The Ben Greet Players performed for President Roosevelt on the White House lawn.
In 1914, before the First World War, Ben returned to England and began the management of the Old Vic Theatre.
In his four seasons at the Old Vic, he produced and directed 35 plays which included 23 of Shakespeare’s. He focused on changing the perspectives of children on Shakespeare and worked with over 400 schools. In 1929 The Education Committee of Britain declared that theatre facilities should be renewed to allow children to experience Shakespeare performances ‘as a reinforcement of the school curriculum and a stimulus to literary appreciation’
It is not clear how much Sir Ben was involved in life in Warborough, certainly it has not been possible to prove that he ever lived here but he did perform as part of Dora’s Warborough Barnstormers in 1928
Greet was knighted in 1929 by King George V for his works involving the Old Vic theatre and his overall devotion to Shakespeare.
He is commemorated by a blue plaque on the façade of 160 Lambeth Road, London where he lived from 1920 until his death on 17th May 1936
…….. and finally Thomas Young Greet, William & Philip’s brother married the widow of Frederick Mortimer, tailor to Prince of Wales, and the man who built Shillingford Court.
Researched by Lynda Raynor – June 2023