The Kelso Travelling Theatre
The company’s season usually started and ended in a field behind the Crown Inn, Scissett. Their portable theatre measured 66 feet by 33 feet and took three days to erect.
Billy George & the Kelso Brothers
Born in London on 10 July 1865, William (Billy) George worked as a fairground entertainer, comedian and music hall artiste before eventually settling in Denby Dale.
He first performed with his younger brothers Henry and Thomas as “The Kelso Brothers”, entertaining at feasts and fairs around the country. Kelso was a stage name, and the company was known as “The Kelso Empire Portable Theatre”. Their father, also William George, had been a music hall artiste.
The brothers later formed separate companies and continued touring. Their portable theatres visited towns and villages including Dewsbury, Batley, Cleckheaton, Kirkburton, Meltham, Honley, Skelmanthorpe and Scissett in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Life on tour
The travelling season ran through the warmer months, perhaps from Easter to September. During winter, the performers appeared at established theatres, including those owned or leased by impresario Milton Bode.
Billy married Rebecca Ada in 1885 and they had three sons. After her death, he married fellow performer Minnie Hayes in March 1905. A singer and actress, she used the stage name Minnie Parker. Twins were born the following year.
The family lived in a wheeled caravan while touring. Billy described himself as a comedian and stage manager and frequently advertised for performers, particularly those who had “been with me before”. As the children grew, they may have helped sell tickets and snacks or run stalls. His older son Frank eventually joined him in comedy routines as “Keith and Kelso”. Billy, Minnie and the company also performed melodramas and plays.
A base in Denby Dale
Demand for travelling theatre declined during the First World War and with the growth of cinema. Around 1917, Billy and Minnie settled at Robinson’s Croft, now Norman Croft, near the viaduct and the former Prospect Inn, now the Dale Inn, in Denby Dale.
They rented land and lived in two travelling caravans which attracted interest from villagers. Denby Dale remained their base as they toured in summer and performed locally in winter until about 1925.
In February 1926, they advertised theatrical dresses, wigs, books, hats and swords for sale in The Sheffield Independent and retired.
All historical information on this page is from Kirklees Curiosities. Billy and Minnie’s grave is at Cumberworth. Original markings and credits on the photographs have been retained.
Photographs & playbill
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