Newspaper Article 2017 – Pioneer actress trod Bay boards

Pioneer actress trod Bay boards

Michael Fowler
Historic Hawke’s Bay

The Royal Hotel, which opened in Carlyle St, Napier, in July 1874, is in the process of demolition as I write.

l recently discovered a link between this hotel and New Zealand’s pioneer actress, Mrs W H Foley.

Mrs Foley was born in England in 1821 as Catherine Huggins. Her parents and grandparents were all accomplished actors.

Catherine gave birth to a boy in March 1843, whom she named Charles Pierce Huggins. She used her surname for Charles because she was unmarried.

Later, however, she married the boy’s father, Daniel Caparn, a chemist. They left for Australia in 1847, where Catherine became a dressmaker.

She went to San Francisco alone in 1848, attracted to the gold rush. Catherine was then separated from Daniel, who followed her there, but after no reconciliation he moved to Hawaii, where he died in 1851.

In San Francisco, Catherine met William Henry Foley, a circus clown and charismatic performer.

They wed in June 1851, and on June 23 Catherine had her first reported stage appearance in her husband’s troupe under the name Mrs W H Foley.

Catherine and William left for Hawaii, where they performed during 1851-52, before moving to Australia in 1853. The Foleys took their Victoria Circus to New Zealand in September 1855, arriving in Nelson.

Mrs W H Foley joined her husband in the circus ring for a comedy act on September 29. Their troupe would play to many of New Zealand’s first settlers, and would arguably be this country’s pioneering travelling theatre group.

Probably believing she would be better off on her own (she had immense talent), she then left the Victoria Circus and headed to Auckland, joining forces with George Buckingham, a pioneer of Auckland theatre. She reunited with her husband, however, and performed in Auckland’s Theatre Royal. Mrs W H Foley performed on the theatre’s opening night on March 3, 1856, in Othello, the first production of Shakespeare in New Zealand.

The Foleys performed all over New Zealand, and included in some of the productions was accomplished actor George Swan, a future mayor of Napier who as a young man apparently fell hopelessly in love with her (as I suspect many did).

Due to New Zealand’s small population, and long stays in one place, actors had to be versatile in the number of characters they could play. Mrs W H Foley could present 14 characters in an evening from as many acts, then sing and then be the lead in a comedic farce.

She visited Napier in late 1865, with George Swan taking care of the theatre arrangements for her.

In 1857 she left her husband, William Foley, and in 1860 appointed Vernon Webster as her leading man. Vernon Webster was the stage name for 28-year-old Lowten Lowten, who was originally from Liverpool.

A local reporter stated he hoped Mrs W H Foley would bring some life to Napier, a “proverbially dull township”.

By this time (and probably since 1863) she was using Lucy as her first name.

The shows performed in Napier weren’t well attended, and a newspaper chided locals for not supporting her enough.

By 1867, Lucy (Mrs W H Foley) had left New Zealand with Lowten Lowten and travelled to South America to perform under the name of Lucy Lowten.

Disaster struck when members of their troupe took ill and died. With an insufficient cast to perform, Lucy and Lowten put on a benefit performance in Peru in 1868 to fund their return to England.

It is not known exactly what they did until they married in 1882 in Liverpool, but it appears they lived together before that as Mr and Mrs Lowten. Her marriage certificate gave her name and status as Lucy Catherine Foley, widow. However; William Foley did not die until 1885.

In 1883 the couple returned to New Zealand and settled in Napier. They performed at Napier’s Theatre Royal, and other North Island towns and Lowten bought the Royal Hotel in Carlyle St in December 1884.

Lucy Catherine (Kate) Lowten died aged 65 at the hotel on March 4, 1887. The funeral procession left the hotel on Sunday, March 6, at 3pm. She was buried in the old Napier Cemetery on Napier Hill. There was no mention by any newspaper that New Zealand’s pioneering actress had died, or even that she had been an actress of note. No photo of her appears to have survived.

She had two children, Charles, and one other to W H Foley called Wilhelmina Fole [Foley], but her death certificate said she had no surviving children.

Lowten sold the hotel after Lucy’s death, and moved to Taranaki, where he died in August 1891, aged 58.

Michael’s books A Collage of History: Hastings, Havelock North and Napier and From Disaster to Recovery: The Hastings CBD 1931-35 are available at Whitcoulls, Hastings and Napier; Napier I-site; Hastings i-site; Plaza Books, Hastings; Beattie and Forbes, Ahuriri; Art Deco Trust Napier; Wardini Havelock North and Napier; Hastings, Taradale and Napier Paper Plus and Poppies Havelock North.

Michael Fowler ([email protected]) is the Art Deco Trust heritage officer.

“A reporter stated he hoped Mrs W H Foley would bring life to ‘proverbially dull’ Napier.”

Photo captions –

LOCAL STAGE: Actress Lucy Catherine Lowten performed at Napier’s Theatre Royal in Tennyson St.   PHOTO/MICHAEL FOWLER COLLECTION

FINAL BOW: The Royal Hotel, under demolition last month, once was owned by Lucy Catherine Lowten’s husband.