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"The proceeds of this Play will be appropriated to the relief and assistance of the distressed Highlanders and Poor now suffering in the Islands of Scotland"
John Herridge, one of our most prolific volunteers, has spotted an immensely interesting detail from a Jersey Island playbill dating from 1837; it is suffixed with this note at the foot of the bill.
Benefit performances are typically noted at the top of the bill and are usually associated with actors and other theatre workers (see the previous posts in this thread). We have spotted the occasional bill from the mid-19th century announcing charity performances for local hospitals or for orphaned children, but this fundraiser - for the people affected by the social and economic upheaval of the pernicious and the chronic effects of Highland clearances appears to be a very progressive and humanitarian gesture from the theatre. On first appearances it seems like a bold move - even though the Benefit announcement is 'relegated' to the foot of the bill instead of being given the usual puff in large sized bold type at the top of the bill. Was it controversial? Were the fundraisers hoping not to generate too much notice or controversy? The Arts have of course a long history of raising funds and awareness for social concerns and issues. Was this part of a wider network of events? Was it spontaneous or more solidly organised? This great spot from one of our project's volunteers provides historians with a very interesting detail for further investigation.

http://access.bl.uk/item/viewer/ark:/81055/vdc_100022589102.0x000002#?cv=231&c=0&m=0&s=0&xywh=-725%2C1121%2C5335%2C5451

    Very interesting set of questions! Some playbills record benefits for local causes like dispensaries, but not usually for major disasters like this. A very cursory search of BNA for the Scottish crisis in 1837 has returned reports of a lot of fundraising initiatives in Britain and Ireland including the Channel Islands, mainly from local civic corporations and organisations, church collections, royalty and the occasional aristo, but not much in the way of the theatre. A proposed fundraising ball at the King's Theatre in London for 28/07/37, organised by various dukes, earls etc https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000174/18370603/020/0003
    was put back a few weeks and moved to a different venue, and the hoped-for attendance of various royals doesn't seem to have taken place. More relevant perhaps is the donation of 10 guineas by Charles Kean in April 1837 while at the Theate Royal in Edinburgh, with the theatre manager donating the same sum. Perhaps other Scottish theatres raised money?
    https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000540/18370401/036/0002
    How influential was Kean at this time? As you say, something worthy of research.

    2 months later

    johnjo Not sure if the link goes to the right bill...

      10 days later

      mia Thanks! Easy when you know how.

      • mia likes this.

      The theatre in Salisbury has a few bills for plays for the benefit of "the poor". How the poor were defined, it doesn't say.

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