This electronic thesis or dissertation has been downloaded from Explore Bristol Research, http://research-information.bristol.ac.uk Author: Havergal, Nick J Title: Performing Masculinities in South West England at the Turn of the Twentieth Century General rights Access to the thesis is subject to the Creative Commons Attribution - NonCommercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International Public License. A copy of this may be found at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode This license sets out your rights and the restrictions that apply to your access to the thesis so it is important you read this before proceeding. Take down policy Some pages of this thesis may have been removed for copyright restrictions prior to having it been deposited in Explore Bristol Research. 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PERFORMING MASCULINITIES IN SOUTH WEST ENGLAND AT THE TURN OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY Nicholas John Havergal A dissertation submitted to the University of Bristol in accordance with the requirements for award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Arts May 2020 ABSTRACT This thesis explores representations of masculinity in a range of British performance practices at the turn of the twentieth century, using the South West of England as a geographical case study. The investigation builds on two strands of current thinking. The first of these is the growing scholarly interest in ‘masculine spectacle’ in late Victorian and Edwardian Britain, where historians of literature, sculpture, fine art and sport amongst others have most frequently analysed images of masculinity in relation to the iconography of empire. However, there have been few interventions from theatre and performance historians on this topic, inviting a deeper consideration of how these ideals were transmitted in live public displays. The second is the relatively nascent field of British regional history, and particularly non- London histories of leisure and live entertainment. Though I do not claim to identify a definitive South West ‘style’, I show that the region was a dynamic hub of innovation at the turn of the twentieth century that attracted performers and audiences from all over the country. Additionally, the many different places of performance in the South West hosted a vast range of forms and styles, and the study is an initial attempt to map this otherwise under- considered terrain. The methodology is predominantly archive-based and draws on newspaper accounts, administrative materials, photographs and illustrations amongst other sources. Focussing in turn on amateur sport, physical culture, challenge match wrestling, touring entertainments and boy performers, the study argues that live performance was a unique representational mode in disseminating gendered norms in the region, with ‘manhood’ persistently considered a valuable social asset. I claim that the affective potential of the events described here were key to forging civic identities in communities across the South West, notably in a context of rapid social and technological development. i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I guess it’s appropriate that I’m submitting this thesis in the middle of a ‘crisis’ (that’ll be COVID-19, by the way, if by some miracle you’re reading this at some point way into the future.) Despite the anxieties, I feel so lucky to have had a huge number of people helping me through this challenging but hugely rewarding experience. Firstly, thanks to the AHRC for funding this research and to the SWW DTP team - Chantelle Payne, Alex Leadley, Rose Jones and others – for the great support and professional training. I am particularly grateful to them for providing the opportunity to share my research with the Edinburgh TV Festival, and for their support during my recent placement period with Bristol Old Vic, the outcome from which I’m hoping to share with the world when it sorts itself out. Enormous thanks and gratitude to my supervisors, Dr Catherine Hindson and Professor Jane Milling, for getting me here. This project was absolutely all over the place at the beginning but they managed to convince me that there really was something interesting and important to say here! Where the project is at now is in no small part down to their patience, encouragement and wise words. I should also not underestimate their help with funding applications and conference abstracts, as this has allowed me to develop into a far more confident researcher and writer than I was before. Thank you so much. Thanks to my upgrade panel Dr Bradley Stephens and Dr Ellie Rycroft whose incisive and helpful comments way back when were crucial in moving this project in the right direction. Their feedback and encouragement gave me a nice shot in the arm for the following three-ish years. I’m grateful for the friendliness and good wishes of all the staff in the Theatre Department at Bristol and the Drama Department at Exeter (that I’m still haunting twelve years later.) Lots of love to my PGR/ECR friends in both departments who have kept my chin up and taken the plunge with me, including Jawaher Alghamdi, Annette Balaam, Francesco Bentivegna, Malavika Chnige, Giorgia Ciampi, Elaine Faull, Giselle Garcia, the late Zoe Heron, Kate Holmes, Andy Machals, Aparna Mahiyaria, Kate Massey-Chase, Tom Nicholas, Will Platt and Nora Williams. Special thanks to Pete Peasey for all the covfefe, the regular pep talks in the ‘interstices’ or at the Vaults, and the endless inappropriate jokes. Love to my friends outside ii of the university bubble too, who helped to take my mind off the research way before it got on top of me. My family have been (and will continue to be) incredible. My sisters Mim, Naomi and Charlotte always make me smile with our many ridiculous in-jokes and memories. My mum Virginia and stepdad Rob are a constant source of love, friendship and humour, and first-rate providers of a place to stay during research trips to Taunton. Two of the three most important men in my life, my Dad Richard and Gramps Paul, have set the most brilliant example for me through their kindness, generosity and wisdom. Love you all. This thesis is dedicated to my grandmother Shirley Nicholls, who passed away just a couple of months before I started this project. One of the last things I ever told her was that I was successful in getting funding for this and typical of her she was so delighted I was able to follow something I felt passionate about. I owe a lot to you – all of us do - and I love you always. And finally, I’d like to thank Kyle. You have been no help at all. May 2020 iii AUTHOR’S DECLARATION I declare that the work in this dissertation was carried out in accordance with the requirements of the University's Regulations and Code of Practice for Research Degree Programmes and that it has not been submitted for any other academic award. Except where indicated by specific reference in the text, the work is the candidate's own work. Work done in collaboration with, or with the assistance of, others, is indicated as such. Any views expressed in the dissertation are those of the author. SIGNED: DATE: April 30th, 2020 iv TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Illustrations vii Introduction 1 Methodology: Writing Past Performance Events 3 Theorising Men and Masculinities: Crisis 14 Counter-Modernity 20 Hegemonic Masculinity 25 Navigating the South West of England 34 South West Performance Cultures 38 ONE: Amateur Sport and the Performance of Equilibrium 46 Equilibrium as Mise-en-Scène 54 ‘The Problem of the Boy’: Redirecting Masculinity at the Taunton Y.M.C.A 60 “Times Have Brightened”: The Amateur Athletic Association in the South 76 West TWO: “Call and See It”: Masculine Spectacle and the Scopic Economy 92 Gender and Class in South West Physical Culture 103 Call and Stare 110 Look Back to Look Forward 114 Call and Buy It 120 THREE: Wrestling: Sport, Spectacle and Local Knowingness 131 Grist to the Mill: Local Tradition Before and During the Wrestling Craze 134 Adaptation: Between Sport and Spectacle 144 “Good Old Knowle” – Wrestling and the Local Knowingness 156 v FOUR: Moving Between: The On and Off-stage Masculinities of Carlton Fredricks 177 Fredricks in Context 186 1881-1899: Formative Years 193 1899 – c.1904 Part One: Representations 216 1899-c.1904 Part Two: Portable Domesticity 232 FIVE: Regulatory Anxiety and The Precocious Labour of Boys in Public Displays 251 Boys on the Page, Boys Off the Stage 261 Master Vyvian Thomas as the Little Lord 270 Development and Anti-Development 280 Performances of Consensus: Boys’ Brigade Demonstrations and Empire Day 291 Conclusion 308 Bibliography 318 vi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 1.1 Colour poster advertising Tiverton Amateur Athletic Sports on Sept 5th, 46 1907. 1.2 The Vatican Discobolus, a 2nd-century A.D copy of a bronze original by 50 Myron, 460 BC. 1.3 Postcard depicting Imperial Athletic Club Sports in Knowle, Bristol, 54 1913. 1.4 Photograph of Taunton YMCA AFC, Season 1899-1900. 59 1.5 Team Photo of Taunton YMCA’s football team for the 1897-1898 season.