Linda Verner (25 September 1855 – 24 August 1892) was a British singer and actress of the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...

who appeared in operetta,

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...

Victorian burlesque Victorian burlesque, sometimes known as travesty or extravaganza, is a genre of theatrical entertainment that was popular in Victorian era, Victorian England and in the New York theatre of the mid-19th century. It is a form of parody music, parod ...

and other comic and musical works in London and on tour in Britain and abroad from the 1870s to the early 1890s.

Early life and career

She was born Hannah Sarah Palmer in

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area expe ...

, London, in 1855, one of five children born to Hannah Sophia ''née'' Newton (1814–1907) and Thomas William Palmer (1814–1877). On joining the acting company of

Selina Dolaro Selina Simmons Belasco Dolaro (20 August 1849 – 23 January 1889) was an English singer, actress, theatre manager and writer of the late Victorian era. During her career in operetta and other forms of musical theatre, she managed several of ...

, Verner appeared in ''The Black Prince'' (1874) at London's

St James's Theatre The St James's Theatre was in King Street, St James's, London. It opened in 1835 and was demolished in 1957. The theatre was conceived by and built for a popular singer, John Braham; it lost money and after three seasons he retired. A succ ...

. Gänzl, Kurt
Linda Verner: ''Trial by Jury'' – a bevy of (original) bridesmaids
Kurt of Gerolstein, 27 July 2018 Dolaro became the lessee and star performer at the

Royalty Theatre The Royalty Theatre was a small London theatre situated at 73 Dean Street, Soho. Established by the actress Frances Maria Kelly in 1840, it opened as Miss Kelly's Theatre and Dramatic School and finally closed to the public in 1938.

in London, with

Richard D'Oyly Carte Richard D'Oyly Carte (; 3 May 1844 – 3 April 1901) was an English talent agent, theatrical impresario, composer, and hotelier during the latter half of the Victorian era. He built two of London's theatres and a hotel empire, while also establi ...

as her business manager. There on 25 March 1875 Verner appeared in a triple bill in which she created the small role of the First Bridesmaid in the original production of

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...

's ''

Trial by Jury A jury trial, or trial by jury, is a legal proceeding in which a jury makes a decision or findings of fact. It is distinguished from a bench trial in which a judge or panel of judges makes all decisions. Jury trials are used in a significant ...

''; in the same evening, she was Polly in

Charles Collette Charles Henry Collette (29 July 1842 – 10 February 1924) was an English stage actor, composer and writer noted for his work in comedy in a long career onstage. He appeared, beginning in the late 1860s, in many Bancroft productions and was e ...

's ''

Cryptoconchoidsyphonostomata ''Cryptoconchoidsyphonostomata, or While it's to be Had'' was a one-act play styled a "successful romantic Extravaganza", written by R. H. Edgar and Charles Collette, an actor who also starred in the leading role of Plantagenet Smith and wrote th ...

'' and Guadelen and Mannelita in Offenbach's ''

La Périchole ''La Périchole'' () is an opéra bouffe in three acts by Jacques Offenbach. Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy wrote the French libretto based on the 1829 one act play '' Le carrosse du Saint-Sacrement'' by Prosper Mérimée, which was revived on ...

''. On subsequent evenings, she continued in the same roles in two of those works but appeared as Cecile in ''The Secret'', which replaced ''Cryptoconchoidsyphonostomata'' on the bill at the Royalty. In July 1875 she was promoted to the leading role of the Plaintiff in ''Trial by Jury'', replacing Nellie Bromley.Biography of Linda Verner
''Who Was Who in the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company'' database Verner continued to play the Plaintiff in ''Trial'' at the Royalty Theatre and later on tour until October 1875 when the Company returned to the Royalty, where she appeared as the Plaintiff until 18 December 1875. Verner was at the

Globe Theatre The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, on land owned by Thomas Brend and inherited by his son, Nicholas Brend, and gra ...

and

Charing Cross Theatre The Charing Cross Theatre is a theatre under The Arches off Villiers Street below Charing Cross station. Founded in 1936, the venue occupied several premises in the West End of London before locating to its present site. The current site was o ...

from February to March 1876 under the joint management of Richard D'Oyly Carte (who had left the Royalty in October 1875) and George Dolby, for whom she appeared as Susan in ''A Blighted Being'' and Michel in ''The Duke's Daughter''. She soon joined

Emily Soldene Emily Soldene (30 September 1838 – 8 April 1912) was an English singer, actress, director, theatre manager, novelist and journalist of the late Victorian era and the Edwardian period. She was one of the most famous singers of comic opera in th ...

to play in ''

Geneviève de Brabant ''Geneviève de Brabant'' is an opéra bouffe, or operetta, by Jacques Offenbach, first performed in Paris in 1859. The plot is based on the medieval legend of Genevieve of Brabant. For the 1867 version two additional characters, men-at-arms, w ...

'', was Princess Sabra in the

at the

Alexandra Palace Alexandra Palace is a Grade II listed entertainment and sports venue in London, situated between Wood Green and Muswell Hill in the London Borough of Haringey. It is built on the site of Tottenham Wood and the later Tottenham Wood Farm. Origi ...

and was Princess Balroubadour in the pantomime ''Aladdin'' at Liverpool.

Marriage and next decade

On 3 January 1876 at the church of St George The Martyr in

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

she married George Potier (1856–1908), a wheel band manufacturer. The couple had six children: Linda Annie Avis Potier (born 1876); Ruby Caroline Potier (1878–1953); Cecil William Louis Potier (born 1880); Ida Beatrice Potier (1881–1965); Vera Lydia Potier (1883–1982); and Mabel Lilian Potier (died 1968). After her marriage Verner continued to perform in London and in the provinces, in 1879 appearing with Dolaro in ''La Périchole'' and ''Another Drink'', the latter with music by

Edward Solomon Edward Solomon (25 July 1855 – 22 January 1895) was an English composer, conductor, orchestrator and pianist. He died at age 39 by which time he had written dozens of works produced for the stage, including several for the D'Oyly Carte Oper ...

, following which she travelled to

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

with

Lydia Thompson Lydia Thompson (born Eliza Thompson; 19 February 1838 – 17 November 1908), was an English dancer, comedian, actor and theatrical producer. From 1852, as a teenager, she danced and performed in pantomimes, in the UK and then in Europe and soo ...

and appeared in more pantomime before returning to London and playing at the

Opera Comique The Opera Comique was a 19th-century theatre constructed in Westminster, London, between Wych Street, Holywell Street and the Strand. It opened in 1870 and was demolished in 1902, to make way for the construction of the Aldwych and Kingsway. ...

in Lila Clay’s all-woman company in the operetta ''An Adamless Eden'' (1882). Gänzl, Kurt, ''The British Musical Theatre: Volume 1 1865–1914'', Oxford University Press (1986), p. 146 In August 1884 she briefly joined a D'Oyly Carte touring company playing Lady Psyche in ''

Princess Ida ''Princess Ida; or, Castle Adamant'' is a comic opera with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It was their eighth operatic collaboration of fourteen. ''Princess Ida'' opened at the Savoy Theatre on 5 January 1884, for a ru ...

''. In 1886 Verner was in ''Herne the Hunted'', played Arabella in ''

Billee Taylor ''Billee Taylor, or The Reward of Virtue'' is "a nautical comedy opera" by Edward Solomon, with a libretto by Henry Pottinger Stephens. The piece was first produced at the Imperial Theatre in London on 30 October 1880, starring Arthur Williams ...

'' at

Toole's Theatre Toole's Theatre, was a 19th-century West End theatre, West End building in William IV Street, near Charing Cross, in the City of Westminster. A succession of auditoria had occupied the site since 1832, serving a variety of functions, including ...

, Madeleine in the

comic opera Comic opera, sometimes known as light opera, is a sung dramatic work of a light or comic nature, usually with a happy ending and often including spoken dialogue. Forms of comic opera first developed in late 17th-century Italy. By the 1730s, a ne ...

Le postillon de Lonjumeau ''Le postillon de Lonjumeau'' (''The Postillion of Lonjumeau'') is an opéra-comique in three acts by Adolphe Adam to a French libretto by Adolphe de Leuven and Léon Lévy Brunswick. The opera has become the most successful of Adam's works, a ...

'' at the Empire Theatre, and appeared opposite

Florence St. John Margaret Florence Greig (8 March 1855 – 30 January 1912), known by her stage name Florence St. John, was an English singer and actress of the late Victorian and Edwardian eras famous for her roles in operetta, musical burlesque, music hall ...

in ''

La Béarnaise La Béarnaise is an opéra comique in three acts of 1885, with music by André Messager and a French libretto by Eugène Leterrier and Albert Vanloo. Wagstaff J. André Messager. In: ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera.'' Macmillan, London and New ...

''.

Later years

For

George Edwardes George Joseph Edwardes (né Edwards; 8 October 1855 – 4 October 1915) was an English theatre manager and producer of Irish ancestry who brought a new era in musical theatre to the British stage and beyond. Edwardes started out in theatre ma ...

she appeared at the Gaiety Theatre in London as Madame Gondelarieur in a revival of ''

Miss Esmeralda ''Miss Esmeralda'' is a Victorian burlesque, in two acts, with music by Meyer Lutz and Robert Martin and a libretto by Fred Leslie, under his pseudonym "A. C. Torr", and Horace Mills. It is based on Victor Hugo's ''Notre Dame de Paris''. The piec ...

''; was Carconte in ''

Monte Cristo Jr. ''Monte Cristo Jr.'' was a Victorian burlesque with a libretto written by Richard Henry, a pseudonym for the writers Richard Butler and Henry Chance Newton. The score was composed by Meyer Lutz, Ivan Caryll, Hamilton Clarke, Tito Mattei, G. ...

'' in which, with ''Miss Esmeralda'', she toured the United States for Edwardes from November 1888 to June 1889. On her return to the Gaiety she was the Duchess Agio Uncertanti in ''

Ruy Blas and the Blasé Roué ''Ruy Blas and the Blasé Roué'' is a Victorian burlesque, burlesque written by A. C. Torr and Herbert F. Clark with music by Meyer Lutz. It is based on the Victor Hugo drama ''Ruy Blas''. The piece was produced by George Edwardes. As with man ...

'' (1889–90); Yolande of Bar in ''Joan of Arc, or the Merry Maid of Orleans'' by

Adrian Ross Arthur Reed Ropes (23 December 1859 – 11 September 1933), better known under the pseudonym Adrian Ross, was a prolific writer of lyrics, contributing songs to more than sixty British musical comedies in the late 19th and early 20th centuries ...

and J. L. Shine at the

(1891) opposite

Marion Hood Marion Hood (1 April 1854 – 14 August 1912) was an English soprano who performed in opera and musical theatre in the last decades of the 19th century. She is perhaps best remembered for creating the role of Mabel in Gilbert and Sullivan's ''Th ...

in the title role; Poplin in one matinee performance of ''Stage Struck'' (May 1891); Ruth Ipgreve in one matinee performance of ''Guy Fawkes, Esq.'' at the Opera Comique (September 1891), and Florence Harcourt in '' That Lady in Pink'' at the Gaiety (January to March 1892). She also appeared in revivals of ''

Little Jack Sheppard ''Little Jack Sheppard'' is a Victorian burlesque, burlesque melodrama written by Henry Pottinger Stephens and William Yardley (cricketer), William Yardley, with music by Meyer Lutz, with songs contributed by Florian Pascal,Florian Pascal was a ps ...

'', ''

Cinder Ellen up too Late ''Cinder Ellen up too Late'' is a musical Victorian burlesque, burlesque written by Frederick Hobson Leslie (writing under the pseudonym A. C. Torr) and W. T. Vincent, with music arranged by Meyer Lutz from compositions by Lionel Monckton, Sidney ...

'' and ''

Carmen up to Data ''Carmen up to Data'' is a musical burlesque with a score written by Meyer Lutz. The piece was a spoof of Bizet's 1875 opera ''Carmen''. The libretto was written by G. R. Sims and Henry Pettitt. After a tryout in Liverpool in September 1890, the ...

''. Verner joined a Gaiety burlesque company on a tour of

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

where she died suddenly at

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

in August 1892. Edwardes and Gaiety Theatre performer

Fred Leslie Frederick George Hobson, known as Fred Leslie (1 April 1855 – 7 December 1892), was an English actor, singer, comedian and dramatist. Beginning his career in operetta, Leslie became best known for starring in, and writing (under the pseudon ...

raised £100 to support her six children and her "long incapacitated" widower, George Potier. He nevertheless remarried a much younger wife in 1898London, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754–1932 for George Potier
Southwark, St George the Martyr: Ancestry.com and with her had four more children before his death in 1908.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Verner, Linda 1855 births 1892 deaths People from Lambeth 19th-century British women singers English musical theatre actresses Singers from London