Did you know that ....
 

George Formby's wife Beryl, came from Accrington? She was formerly MISS BERLY INGHAM and her parents kept the WELCOME INN, in Elephant Street, Accrington.
Beryl and George met at a small variety theatre at Castleford in Yorkshire, when Berly was appearing as the world's champion clog dancer and George was appearing in a minstrel show.
Beryl, after the wedding, gave up a stage career to become George's secretary. Beryl used to have family here, I wonder if there are any left?


Photo taken by Owd Bert (1966) - the white building on the LH side was the pub.

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ooo look at the lovley cobbles in that st.

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Isn't Elephant Street where they buried an elephant from a touring circus that died while it was here? Atarah?

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Is that what the elephant in Wolstenhomes is for then?

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When I first saw that photo (Remember me asking about Elephant St months ago) I just thought that was two normal terraced houses but it being a pub explains the lamp and the bracket thing in the wall which I must admit I didn't notice before.

Oh and yes it was called Elephant St to commemorate the death of a circus elephant.

MUST ring Wolstenholmes to ask about that flippin thing.

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George Formby's wife Beryl, came from Accrington? She was formerly MISS BERYL INGHAM and her parents kept the WELCOME INN, in Elephant Street, Accrington.

One of her relatives must have been Dave Ingham....he could clog dance...every Friday night after the pubs had closed.

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The information gathered here was gleaned from a search of the web. So there is no guarantee of the accuracy for this information. It may be of use if someone wanted to get started on the genealogy for George or Beryl.

Born George Hoy Booth in Westminster Street, Wigan in 26th May 1904, died 6 Mar 1961. Buried Warrington Cemetery in the family grave. Eldest child of Eliza Ann Hoy and James Booth, who was a music hall comedian using the stage name George Formby

His final heart attack occurred at the home of his fiancée, Patricia Howson, 36. The couple were due to marry in May.

The announcement of their engagement in February was a surprise to many, coming as it did just two months after the death of Beryl, Formby's wife of 36 years. Beryl died either Christmas Day, or Christmas Eve, 1960.

In 1923, George met the woman who would change his life. Beryl Ingham, who with her sister May, worked as a clog dancing team, 'The Two Violets', was not impressed with George's act.

He and Beryl were married in September 1924

His final heart attack occurred at the home of his fiancée, Patricia Howson, 36. The couple were due to marry in May. Ms Howson died in 1971

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COULD I ENCORIDGE ALL FANS OF ACCRINGTONS BERYL INGHAM (Wife of George Formby) TO EMAIL WETHERSPOONS AND REQUEST THEY INCLUDE A PICTURE OF BERYL ON THE WALL AS THEY HAVE DONE IN BLACKBURN FOR GEORGE FORMBY. IT IS A GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE BERYL RECOCNISED HERE IN ACCRINGTON AS A LOCAL TALLENT AND IN PARTICULAR FOR HER NOTED CLOG DANCING LET ALONE AS MANAGER OF THE LATE GEORGE FORMBY. MANY THANKS.

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Can I just thank those of you who took the trouble to email Wetherspoons direct requesting a photo of Beryl in our new spoons. All our efforts paid off and they have on display a lovely picture of Beryl and George together with plenty of text about both of them. Thank you all and in particular Wetherspoons for a lovely tribute.

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Well I wonder... Thanks to this old post getting resurected I may have discovered a family link to the the great ukelele player himself. My paternal Great Grandmother was an Ingham and her family lived at 19 Pitt Street from the 1880s. Adopting the theory that the acorn never falls far from the tree... who knows

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Well having browsed as bit more both on Accyweb and wider afield any link seems a bit more tenuous but hey ho...