Wallace Sutton Titheradge - Black Sheep of the Family

Wallace Sutton Titheradge was born into a highly respected theatrical family. He was the son of George Sutton Titheradge, a famous Victorian actor, and his first wife Isabella Murdoch, an actress. More information about George is available at this link . George and Isabella were married in Hendon, Durham in 1871. They had three who survived beyond childhood

• Henry Augustus Lionel Titheradge born in 1873 in Newcastle (called Augustus)
• Henriette Louise Titheradge born in 1875 in Portsmouth (called Louise)
• Sutton Wallace Titheradge (called Wallace) born on 7 March 1877 in Leicester

The family tree can be found at this link  and then scrolling down to Tree 2F.

 

George and Isabella were happily married until 1876 when George had an affair with actress Alma Saegert. Several months after Wallace’s birth an illegitimate child was born to Alma. In October 1878 George went on a theatre tour of India but instead of returning to Isabella in England he went to Australia. He and Alma settled down together in Melbourne, Victoria and had seven children, including Madge Titheradge, famous actress and Dion Titheradge, famous playwright, producer and actor. 

Isabella was left in England with three children to look after. On the 1881 census she was living in Richmond with Augustus, Wallace and Henriette and her aunt. In 1883 Isabella filed for divorce from George on grounds of adultery and desertion. George briefly returned to England for the divorce hearing and in June 1883 decree nisi was granted, with custody of the children given to Isabella. 

In May 1886 13-year-old Augustus and 9-year-old Wallace were admitted to Latymer’s Foundation School in Hammersmith, having previously attended a private school. In 1888 Isabella remarried to Eugene Tily, a famous engraver and artist and a year later daughter Vera was born. On the 1891 census Isabella, Eugene and Vera were living in Wandsworth, but neither Augustus, Henriette nor Wallace is with them, nor can they be found anywhere on the 1891 census.  

Searching Australian newspapers revealed that 16-year-old Augustus was in Brisbane, Australia by December 1889 appearing on stage in the same play as his father. Searching through passenger lists to Australia I found “Mr Titheradge” a passenger travelling upper class on the Royal Mail Ship Liguria, which arrived in Sydney, New South Wales on 12 June 1889. Travelling with him was “Master Titheradge”. These passengers are Augustus and Wallace. The Liguria set sail from London on 26 April and took nearly 7 weeks to reach Sydney. I find it hard to comprehend that a 16-year-old boy and his 12-year-old brother should travel on their own for seven weeks on board ship to the other side of the world. The journey raises many unanswered questions including, why did they leave their mother? did their father invite them to join him in Australia? did they live with their father and his new family when they arrived in Australia?  

In 1893 tragedy struck when Wallace’s brother Augustus died in Black Heath, New South Wales age 20. Six months later in, May 1894, it would appear that Wallace was spending his father’s money and running up debts. The following was printed in The Sydney Evening News under Public Notices signed by G. S. Titheradge “I Hereby give notice that my son, Wallace Titheradge has no Authority to Pledge my Credit: and I caution tradespeople not to supply goods to him on credit”. The relationship between father and son deteriorated and all reports and articles on George Sutton Titheradge after this date fail to acknowledge Wallace’s existence, and his stepbrother, Dion, is always referred to as his “only son”. In George’s will of 1915, there is also no mention of Wallace.

Wallace’s life in Australia can be followed by the appearance of his name in the newspapers.

In 1896 Wallace sailed from Sydney to Melbourne. On 15 August 1898 he married Helena Maude Moran at St Patrick’s Cathedral Ballarat. In September of the same year he began studying at the School of Mines in Ballarat. This newspaper article appeared on 3 September 1898, “Wallace Titheradge, son of G. S. Titheradge, was married last week to a Ballarat girl. Young Titheradge is now at the School of Mines in Ballarat, doing what he hates – hard work. He tried the stage for a while, his last appearance being the second Indian in a blood curdling drama that ran a week. The rest of the family are living at their beautiful place, Oakbank, Morland.” 

Wallace and Helena had two children 

• Waldemar Wallace Augustine born in, Ascot Vale Victoria in November 1900
• Noel Tristram born in Coburg, Victoria in 1904.

Wallace left the School of Mines and tried to make a living on the stage. In June 1900 a review shows he was in a play in Numurkah, Victoria. By December 1901 he was trying his luck at Musical Theatre as shown by this review, “Mr Wallace Titheradge, who is a chip off the old block, has been travelling with small theatrical company to America since his marriage. He has recently taken to cultivating his voice under the care of Mr Robert Kennedy the Melbourne teacher of music and voice production. The young actor is showing considerable promise and is qualifying himself for the lyric stage, but will most likely be content with musical comedy for a start”

In March 1907 a newspaper review said “It is not generally known that Mr G S Titheradge has a son on the stage. Wallace Titheradge was occupying a position at the Ballarat School of Mines but left to join a touring dramatic company. He had previously played small parts in an obscure organization in Melbourne. He much resembles his talented father in voice and appearance. Indeed, the unconscious reproduction of some of the star’s mannerisms is ludicrous. Wallace Titheradge is the possessor of an excellent baritone and was a chorister in Mr George Musgroves’s last grand opera company.” 

Wallace was not successful at making a career on the stage. By January 1906 he was supplementing acting by working as an assurance agent.

Sometime before 1911 Wallace had left his wife, Helena, and their two children and went to New Zealand. I have found no record of a divorce and Helena never remarried. She remained in the Melbourne area and died in Coburg in 1929.

In December 1911 34-year-old Wallace and 20-year-old Eileen Mary Fanning had a son, Loyal Anthony Titheradge, born in Fielding, New Zealand. Their second child Mignon Marie Therese Titheradge was born in 1914 in Wellington, New Zealand. Wallace and Eileen returned to Australia and in 1922 a third child Rosary Alma Eileen Titheradge was born in Australia in Bendigo, Victoria. By 1931 Eileen and Wallace had separated and Eileen married in 1931 in South Australia. 

In November 1920 the first reports of Wallace’s wrong doings have been found in the newspapers, but there may have been other incidents before this. The newspaper reports show he was charged with false pretences. He had been posing as a travelling salesman from Melbourne and taking orders for his goods with advance payment, with the promise the goods would be sent from Melbourne. The goods never materialised for any of his orders. He was brought to the magistrate’s court at Riverton, South Australia and sentenced to 3 months imprisonment. In January 1921 he was charged with similar offences at Adelaide and sentenced to 6 months imprisonment for offences at Clare and 6 months for the same offences at Kooringa.

In October 1930 Wallace was in Grafton, New South Wales and was fined for being drunk. He was then arrested by Bellingen Police and charged on warrant for refusing to pay the sum of £3 12s and 3d for meals and accommodation. He was discharged for this offence.

By June 1931 Wallace was in Queensland and was charged at Bundaberg (near Brisbane) with intent to defraud. He was making false claims that a powder he was selling would produce a saving in the consumption of coal. He was held on remand for selling the powder under false pretences. 

In 1942 Wallace, aged 65, Wallace was living in North Adelaide and was reported as drunk and resisting arrest. He was fined for being drunk, but the other offence was dismissed. 

In 1949 Wallace was on the Electoral roll for Launceston, Tasmania and is listed as a pensioner. He remained in Launceston until 1955 when he died on 19 January age 77 and he was buried at Carr Villa Cemetery, Launceston.

Wallace seems to have led a very nomadic life. There are newspaper reports of him living in over 12 different places. The areas where he is known to have lived include 

1898-1900 Victoria

1911-1914 New Zealand

1920 South Australia

1922 Victoria

1930 New South Wales

1931 Queensland

1942 South Australia

1949 Tasmania. 

One cannot help but wonder if the constant moving was to evade justice from other charges of fraud and to avoid people to whom he owed money. There may well be other incidents of fraud which are yet to be found and Wallace is known to have used at least one alias of Wallace Tatham.

Please get in touch if you can add more to this story.