Georges Bizet

On 4 February 1882 The Graphic carried a review of Balfe's Pittore e Duca performed at Her Majesty's Theatre by the Carl Rosa Company.The performance was received with great applause by the crowded audience despite Madame Valleria's cold but the review was not without reservation.

Herbert d'Egvilles efficient performance was recognised and his relationship with Georges Bizet was specifically mentioned. Herbert is identified as Bizet's cousin no less.

The Graphic 4 February 1882
The British Library Board

Helen C. Black's Pen, Pencil Baton and Mask: Biographical Sketches (1896) (see The Legend of Roma Guillon Lethière) mentions that Madame Michau, née Sophie Hervé d'Egville, was first married to Captain Augustus Bizet. Bizet is not an uncommon name either in the United Kingdom or France but other parts of Roma's legend have turned out to be true although they originate in tragedy.

d'Egvilles of Ipswich

In Tales, Poems and Masonic Papers by Emra Holmes (1877) [1], a commentary on the minutes of the British Union Lodge, Ipswich, records that Peter Dagueville was proposed for initiation on 4 March 1783. The spelling is similar to that used when Peter dAgville signed his name. 

Peter's membership of the British Union Lodge might have only lasted a short time as Holmes says that he has disappeared from the list of members for 1786-87.

In March 1791 Peter announced that he would be leaving Ipswich through an auction advertisement in the Ipswich Journal. Hatton Court still exists, off Tavern Street, leading towards the Churchyard of Saint Mary-le-Tower.

Ipswich Journal 26 March 1791
The British Library Board

However, Peter might not have left Ipswich or if he did so he might have left his progeny behind. In 1809 the marriage of Miss d'Egville of Ipswich to Ensign Deighton of the West Norfolk Militia was announced in the Bury and Norwich Post. Peter is likely to have been too old to be the Peter d'Egville charged with riotous conduct in 1843.

Bury and Norwich Post 26 April 1809
The British Library Board

Interestingly Sophia Hervey d'Egville (Madame Michau) disappears from the English scene in about 1795 to reappear in Paris. We know that there was at least on other d'Egville there in the first decades of the nineteenth century.  


[1] Tales, Poems and Masonic Papers by Emra Holmes (1877)Masonic Papers, Notes on the old minute books of the British Union Lodge, No. 114, Ipswich. A.D., 1762.

Duke Of Cambridge Assaulted By Dancing Master

With the disproportionate attention devoted to the red top press in the news, despite famine and financial crisis, I thought I might indulge in my breakfast pastime of inventing headlines for historic events.

The Duke of Cambridge in this instance is not William Windsor but Prince George Duke of Cambridge (1819-1904), grandson of George III. His Uncle, William IV, and his consort Queen Adelaide made the Royal Pavilion at Brighton an autumn and winter residence and inherited Madame Michau as Mistress of Ceremonies.

Prince George, Duke of Cambridge
Wikimedia

During the occupation of the Royal abode by "William and Adelaide,—when it received the name of The Palace,—it was a continued scene of regal festivities, juvenile parties being very frequent. The present Duke, then Prince George of Cambridge, was a great favourite with Their Majesties, who specially humoured his fancies and frolics. Royalty, however, is very tenacious of its dignity; whereof the following is a proof: Upon occasions when the youthful aristocracy were invited to the Palace, it was invariably usual for the arrangements of the evening to be under the immediate superintendence of the celebrated maitresse de dause, Madame Michau, who, not unfrequently, was assisted in her duties by her son, now well-known as Mons. James Michau, and the arrangement graciously received the Royal sanction. With the Prince and his youthful associates the son of the dancing mistress was considered fair game for their sporting humour; they therefore resorted to practical joking upon him, well-knowing that difference in position forbad his making a retort. But it happened upon one occasion that either the Prince exceeded his usual indignities, or that young Michau was not in a philosophic placid temper, as he offered a remonstrance, which excited a blow from His Royal Highness, resulting in a bout of fisticuffs, from which the Prince came off second best. The indignity, thus justly administered, was forthwith resented, the Royal communication, through Mr. Gee, Her Majesty's page, being that Madame Michau's services would not again be required. A retributive incident shortly after occurred that entirely put an end to the Palace youthful gatherings. Prince George, for a diversion, had purchased a mechanical mouse, and, having wound it up, he placed it upon the floor, when it chanced to travel in the direction of the Queen. Her Majesty had not observed the toy until it closely approached her, when, feeling a sudden alarm, she rose hurriedly, uttering an ejaculation of fear, a procedure so undignifying to her exalted position that she immediately retired, and no other juvenile party at the Palace ever after took place.

History of Brighthelmstone or Brighton as I view it and others knew it

John Ackerson Erredge

Brighton: E. Lewis 1862

The Legend of Roma Guillon Lethière

Roma Guillon Lethière

I was once an enthusiastic reader of John le Carré’s novels. A crucial element of the plot of Smiley’s People (1979) is the creation of a ‘legend’ or cover story for a girl by the Soviet spymaster Karla which ultimately enables the eponymous antihero to force his opponent to defect.

In the past months I have become increasingly frustrated and obsessed by the legends created by our ancestors. What once was known of the truth has moved from whispers into oblivion as the generations have passed.

These legends seem to have had two functions. On one hand they created personae for the theatre which were perhaps very different from reality. These emphasise or enhance the truth and build memorable publicity for the performer.

This is no different from what happens today and to a certain extent we all do it. The social processes of constructing family histories select a handful of ancestors which will be remembered while thousands are entirely forgotten or are no more than a name printed on a genealogical diagram.

On the other hand, it was important that the legends of the d’Egvilles and the Michaus should not be a hindrance to them as they moved and marketed themselves among the upper echelons of British society.

Roma Guillon LeThière (c1837-1903) was a prominent actress in her day and her artistic antecedents are carefully cited. In Pen, Pencil Baton and Mask: Biographical Sketches by Helen C. Black (1896),

Roma Guillon Le Thiere is the daughter of the late Guyon Le Thiere, formerly in the Imperial Guard at Waterloo, afterwards a civil engineer. Her grandfather, Captain Augustus Bizet who was shot in the retreat from Moscow was Member of the Paris Institute and Director of the French Academy at Rome, in which glorious city she was born. His widow one of the Harve D'Egvilles re-married, and was the celebrated Madame Michau of Brighton, ballet ' master,' teacher of dancing, and mistress of the ceremonies to Kings George IV. and William. Roma Le Thiere was brought up by her mother from whom she inherits her artistic talents in strict Evangelican doctrines. On the death of her father, pecuniary circumstances made it necessary that the young girl should do something to provide for herself and her beloved mother. Her first step was to write to a valued friend, Mr. George Augustus Sala, and ask his advice. He replied, 'Go on the stage,' to which she answered, ' Have you lost your wits ? I know nothing about it.' The journalist knew better. ' Go on the stage,' he reiterated ; ' if I know you aright, you will make your way

Perhaps because of her ‘Evangelican’ principles Roma lives a full life; her spare time is spent knitting woollens for the poor and persuading them to swear off the booze,

Although a strict Churchwoman, she makes no distinctions, and the warm, tender heart is open to all alike ; but her aid is given in a methodical and practical manner. She wins the confidence and affection of these humble friends, and speaks with joy of their many proofs of appreciation, such as in the case of habitual drunkards, when several took the pledge on her birthday ' because it was the only present we could give you, miss.' 'And they kept it, too,' says Miss Le Thiere impressively, while the good, earnest face beams with interest. ' My visits to my district have often comforted me in my own troubles, but I never let my skeletons dance in public. I keep them to perform their little fandangos in strict privacy at home,' she adds,laughing.

The bones of this biography are to be found in George Augustus Sala’s 1895 autobiography, The Life and Adventures of George Augustus Sala written by himself,

Her [Madame Michau’s] eldest daughter, Sophie Bizet, married a son of the celebrated historical painter, Baron Le Thiere, who, under the First Empire was Director of the French Academy at Rome; and she had a daughter, who still lives to be admired and respected by the members of that dramatic profession which she has for some years past adorned.

Guillaume Guillon known as LeThière (1760-1832) was born in Guadeloupe to Pierre Guillon, a French official, and a ‘mulatto’ mother. LeThière (meaning ‘the third’) became a painter in the neoclassical style, was awarded the Légion d’Honneur and was a professor at the École des Beaux-Arts. Guillaume married at least twice and at least one of his sons was born out of wedlock.

LeThière’s three known sons were Alexandre, Auguste and Lucien; either Alexandre or Auguste was his natural son. Adèle Sophie Bizet d’Egville’s marriage lines from 30 July 1835 give her groom’s name as ‘Auguste Guillon Saint Leger’ and then the writing becomes difficult to decipher, but his surname appears to be LeThière.

So Roma’s legend did not start with her theatrical biography but in the previous generation. Which skeletons would have performed an embarrassing public dance?

Firstly, although I found other references to the Baron LeThière I haven’t yet found it recorded that he was created a Baron de l’Empire. Secondly, I have found no references to a Bizet who was secretary to Napoleon. This might be entirely due to the sources to which I have access for the purposes of blogging. Thirdly, if Roma’s father is Auguste LeThière then she would have had two illegitimate sisters as he is known to have fathered two natural daughters. Finally, as a Victorian lady in the public eye would she feel able to declare that her grandfather was black?

A Portrait of Madame Michau

I have been scouring the web for a portrait of Madame Michau but with no success. As a person who advertised herself to society she must have had a likeness produced. Maybe these have now washed away from her descendants over the sands of time and her portrait graces somebody's wall, never to be identified.

We do at least have some idea of her appearance and in older age she didn't have a dancer's physique.

Debra Teachman, in her book understanding Jane Eyre, quotes from the diary of Frances power Cobbe, writing of her experience of taking dancing classes essential to the all round education of young ladies, in her expensive school in Brighton.

The famous old Madame Michaud (sic) and her husband both attend us constantly,and we danced to their direction in our large play room till we had learned not only all the dances in use in England in that anti polka epoch, but also almost the every national dance in Europe, the minuet, the Gavotte, the Mazurka, and the Tarantella. To see the stout old lady in her heavy green velvet dress, with furbelow a foot deep of sable, was a sight not to be forgotten.

Ritual, Rapture and Remorse: A study of tarantism and pizzica in Salento

by Jerri Dabo 2010

George Augustus Sala (1895) tells us that, "Madame, who albeit, short in stature and somewhat pursy, was a model of grace and refinement in manner, and had been over and over again complimented on her gracefulness by George IV."

If you know of a portrait of Madame Michau or any of her offspring then please get in touch.

Tarantism

Tarantella 1850, signed T.M.R.

Gill has commented on the posting Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin and suggested that the Mme or Mlle Degville is identified as Sophie d'Egville, daughter of Pierre d'Agueville and Sophia Anselme. I hadn't eliminated Sophie from being identified as this woman; it is rather that Sophie or Sophia has left a confusing trail.

In 1797 Sophia was dancing at Drury Lane with George and Fanny where all were payed at the same rate of £2. One source gives the year of 1793 for Sophia's birth and while children younger than five years old appeared on stage it is likely that she would have been identified as 'infant d'Egville' rather than appearing on the roll and payed in her own right.

I have always assumed this woman is Madame Michau who died in 1859. Her age is given as seventy six in a death notice which would push her birth date back to 1783. A Sophie d'Egville was performing at the Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin from at least as early as November 1803 which is more plausible if she and Madame Michau are the same person.

One source states that Louis Francois Bonaventure Michau was born about 1801 in France but this is far too late. The Life and Adventures George Augustus Sala Written By Himself (1895) provides a brief sketch of Madame Michau,

Her first husband had been a M. Bizet, originally one of the private secretaries of Napoleon the Great; and at his death she married a French gentleman named Michau, who was especially distinguished for his highly cultivated gastronomic taste and his skilled culinary capacity. Indeed, in addition to his connection with the Terpsichorean art, he was a cook of the first water.

In the 1841 Census an Augustus Michau born circa 1811 is a resident of Brighton. We know that Sophie Degville is in Paris at this time and Augustus' father could be either of her two husbands.
This supports an explanation of why Sophie Degville remains settled in France during the Napoleonic Wars. I do not yet know when she returned to England but by 1820 Madame Michau was a practicing dance teacher in London and was promoting herself to the Court.

Sophie went on to publish a book on deportment and is still remembered for her form of the Tarantella,

Dance masters and manuals gave instruction as to how to perform these dances in the correct way, removing them from the streets and popular festivals into the indoor arena of palaces and ballrooms. One example of the notation of the tarantella in this way was by the dance teacher Madame Michau, born as Sophie D'Egville into a dynasty of dance instructors. Her version of the tarantella was seen in London in 1844 and published in 1860, and became the established form of the dance.

Ritual, Rapture and Remorse: A study of tarantism and pizzica in Salento

by Jerri Dabo 2010 

The Tarantella when danced solo was a supposed therapy for a spider bite and could last for hours or even days. It has even been suggested that the origins of the dance lie in Bacchanalian rites. This seems to resonate more with Sophia's voluptuous dance of great energy of expression in 1805 and her life which at that time seems distant from being mistress of ceremonies at the court.