Kate Carney visits Canvey

Music hall singer and comedian

Kate Carney

Kate Carney was a famous singer and comedian who played the music halls in London. She was born Catherine Mary Pattison and her birth was registered, September quarter 1869 in the Newington District of Surrey. She first appeared as Kate Carney at the Albert Music Hall in Canning Town, singing Irish songs and became known as the ‘Coster Comedienne’. She appeared in the Royal Variety Performance in 1935. Following the death of her husband George Barclay, she became the lessee of the Grand Theatre, Clapham Junction.  Kate married her husband in Southwark, registered December quarter 1886. They married as Catherine Mary Pattinson and George Shea. They appear with this same name in the 1891 census with two of their children George and Richard. By the 1901 census they have changed their name to Barclay and they appear with three more children William, Harry and Kate. George is described as a Commission agent.

Kate Carney was a frequent visitor to Canvey Island. She was a friend of Madam French (Selina French) who along with Henry Dellaway ran the Haystack Public House and Kate would stay with her there. According to Iris White and Mary Dallas she was very involved with the social aspect of Canvey life when she stayed.  Did she perform her songs at any of the venues? If anyone knows please put a comment below. Can anyone tell us about Madam French?

Kate Carney – Putney Vale Cemetery D5 No 47 – b 1869 d 1950 – buried with her husband and son.

Comments about this page

  • Kate Carney was my Great Great Aunt. My late father met her on several occasions when she made a “State Visit” to my Gran and her 13 children.

    My Gran was also on the Music Hall with her sister they were known as the Sales Sisters.

    According to my father Kate Karney ran a Music Hall located on the “Kingsland Waist” at Dalston.

    I’d love to know more about the Sales Sisters and the Dalston Music Hall,

    Brian

    By Brian Robert Neal (07/12/2009)
  • My Dad’s sister was married to the grandson of Kate Carney.

    By Linda Prestidge (04/02/2010)
  • So Linda we are distant cousins, Kate Karney being my great-great aunt. Is there anybody in your branch of the Family that might know anything about my granny and great aunt-Emma and Louise Sale? Brianb

    By Brian Robert Neal (25/02/2010)
  • Hi Linda and Brian, Kate was my Grandfathers Mother (my Great Grandmother). My Mum even appeared on stage with her when she was a little girl. I am compiling information about her myself and would be interested in anything you could add to it. Kind regards Jo

    By Jo-Ann Webb (26/03/2010)
  • My great grandmother was married to Kate’s son George.

    By Kirsty D (22/06/2010)
  • This might be a long shot for anyone to help but when Kate was on stage she apparently helped my great grandmother Clara through the ranks appearing on stage. Her stage name might have been Clara Thorne but I don’t know for sure. This could have been somewhere between 1900 and 1920 I’d guess. Can anyone help with any information? Maybe places where Kate appeared in north London as i don’t know anything on Kate Carney.

    By Craig (24/07/2010)
  • I have looked on my Dad’s sister’s marriage certificate and her husband surname is down as Brown/Shea/Barclay

    By Linda (03/09/2010)
  • My nan, Sarah Ann Humphrey nee Smith used to say a sister (or close relation, can’t remember) came second to Kate Carney in a talent competition. Does anyone know when and where that might have been? Ann-Marie

    By ann-marie simpson (12/10/2010)
  • My grandmother, Esther Harriet Martin b. 4/1/1874 in Free School Lane, Southwark, was said to have been a great friend of Kate Carney. Nan used to accompany Kate round the London streets playing the barrel organ and singing with her. This was said to be circa 1897-1907. does anyone have any information on Kates early life?

    By David Farenden (16/01/2011)
  • I’ve been told that our house in Epsom was originaly built at the turn of the century for a Music Hall Singer – Kate Carney. It was later made into two houses and then became Hillcrest Stables and we live in what was the Trainers’ house. Do any of you know if this is true ? I’d love to know more —-

    By Lilian G (26/02/2011)
  • Hi Lillian, Kate Carney was me Great Grandma, (Jo-Ann Webb is my sister)and she did indeed live at Hillcrest, 32 Burgh Heath Road, Epsom. Surry. Kate’s son, my Grandfather, Richard Barclay, lived there with his family afterwards and he was a Racehorse Trainer. Is this the address of your house which does look like two houses but was, I think, one house when Kate was there?

    By Jenni Eggett (30/03/2011)
  • My name is Georgina, My Father George is the son of her daughter Kate (Dolly) It seems a lot of people appear to be related to my Great Gran. Our family did in fact own the House and stabes at Epsom race course. We have a great deal of information regards Kate and her family and I am trying to put a book of her life into print. You can contact me at at Legna_13@hotmail.com if you wish.

    By Georgina Coleman-Wood (13/05/2011)
  • My grandmother Winifred O’Connor (stage name Winifred Harper always claimed to be friend of Kate Karney and said she was on the same bill in London Music halls with both Kate and Charlie Chaplin and Laurel & Hardy. She never married and was considered a bit of a black sheep so not much information about her is available I would love to find some Music Hall archives where I could find out more about her. Any suggestions any one?

    By MARILYN SPENCER (06/06/2011)
  • My great grandad was a police officer in London 1903 and says in the diary he left that he let off arresting Kate Carney for an indecent act in Lime Street station when she signed the knickers she wasn’t wearing, we still have them in my nans loft.

    By Ted Goat (10/08/2011)
  • my great great aunt was kate carney on my faters side.i would love to know more about her.my father spoke about epson,only that is all i know,and that she was a music hall star,so i am intrigued about her.my father was a cockney,and was born in the east end.

    By angela warman (24/08/2011)
  • Some information here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Carney I’m no relation to Kate Carney, but Sam Collins who started up the Collins Music Hall in Islington, was a relation, on my mums side of the family.

    By George Smith (24/08/2011)
  • My great granduncle, Lewis James Skelton (1869-1931) married Kate Carney’s sister, Caroline Ann Pattinson (1871-1901) on 3 February 1890 at St Mary’s Parish Church, Newington, London.

    By Hilary Snowden (03/10/2011)
  • my mother sang with kate Carney her name was Emily Louise Battershill maiden name Emily Louise Goddard. Kate Carney’s management wanted my mother to go on tour with them, but mum could not as she had six children and did not want to leave them.

    By Mrs Brenda Hodgson (19/01/2012)
  • I’m nearly 91 years old and can remember Kate Carney very well. She was married to my grandfather’s(John Hawes) half brother(George Shea). We would go to see her at the South London Music Hall – I think it was in London Road or Borough Road. We had pictures of her on the walls at home in Great Bland Street, Southwark.

    By Rose Lillian Sharp nee Hawes (05/02/2012)
  • my grandmother ,so iwas told used to appear with kate carney ,i would love to know if there are any records of this ,her name was susan boyle

    By chris gagan (17/06/2012)
  • There was always a mystery that the family believed my Uncle Terry was not Kate Carney’s grandson but her son.

    By Linda Prestidge (31/01/2013)
  • My husbands Gt Uncle was George Shea/Barclay who married Catherine Pattinson (Kate Carney). I believe Georges Mother was Anne Plaistow/Hawes. Does anyone know if this is correct?

    By Irene Shea (20/02/2013)
  • as i am the great grandson of kate karney this page is great for that reason as i have been to her cottage in ireland is there anybody of the family out there please get in touch as i would like to meet them thank you

    By anthony runnicles (16/08/2013)
  • please is it posible to get more information from or/to about 32 burgh heath road i rember staying there during the war also my grandma was married to harry barclay also uncle terry was the son of kate carney hop this clarifies this please get back to me thank you

    By anthony runnicles (06/09/2013)
  • Hi Anthony, I’m Kate Carney’s Great Granddaughter and Dick Barclay’s Granddaughter. Jo-Ann Webb is my Sister who now lives in Hong Kong. Post if you would like to get in touch.

    By Jenni Eggett (01/10/2013)
  • I have just found a photo of my Aunt Linda Love on stage with Kate Carney and seven others, would love to know who the other artist were the men are wearing stripped jackets.

    By Lesley Wearn (17/11/2013)
  • hi jenni yes i would like to get in touch to my email

    By anthony runnicles (08/02/2014)
  • Hi everyone, my sister is Jenni Eggett, she has also posted information about Kate on this wall. If any of my “family” or people on here would like to contact me then please feel free to do so on Jo.webb@bigpond.com. I hope that email address appears on here. Very interested to hear from any of you. Jo

    By Jo-Ann Webb (21/05/2014)
  • My details, I’m afraid are a little vague, but I understand that my grandmother, Gladys Rochester, was a dresser for Kate Carney for some time, giving up, I believe, when my mother and her siblings were coming along. She may, occasionally have sung a little as well. Any more information on Kate Carney would be very interesting.

     

    By Lesley Dyer (27/05/2014)
  • Kate Carney was a relative of my nan. Aunty I think

    By Wendy (23/10/2014)
  • Anthony….How do you know Kate was really Terrys mother? Wow! was you told that? Or do you have paperwork etc. thank you. Hope to hear from you. :) 

    By Holly (31/03/2015)
  • Hello, Kat Carney is my great Grandmother.  My mum is Harry, her youngest son’s daughter!  My sister Alannah and I are fascinated to find we have all of these relatives! My mum’s name is Alannah, but ion adult life (and not to be confused with my sister) she re named herself “Shea”.

    By Sian 05/08/2016

    By sian Richardson (05/08/2016)
  • I was wondering if anyone knows if Kate made any recordings during the 1900’s and 10’s, all Ive been able to find are 2 songs that sound much later.  

    By Al Sharp (07/03/2018)
  • Kate was my great grandmother. Her daughter (also Kate, known as “Dolly”) was my grandmother. My Dad is John, and he has a twin brother Richard, and an older brother George (sadly now passed).

    By Bruce Coleman-Wood (19/04/2018)

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