May/ Agda M Osmond /Ormrod 1901-1979

1901. May Osmond was born 9/4/1901 at 18 Albert Street Fleetwood to Henry Lewis Osmond and Florence Bannister. This only a few days after the census taken of her parents below . She had an elder sister, Marjory Ormrod/Osmond 1894

Agda, born 5/4/1902 - date from her 1979 d.c.- unreliably filled in by her half-sister Irene - so ignore this! & 1939 Register gives 2/4/1902!

1901C. Henry L Osmond, 29, b. Mississippi US, is living 18 Albert Street, Fleetwood, Fylde , Lancs with his parents, a 'wife' Florence 26, and daughter, Marjory F Osmond- born as Marjory Ormrod. No m.c of Henry to Florence on bmd, yet there is a notice in the Yorkshire Gazette of 12/11/1892, that they had married in Manchester Registrar Office on 7/11/1892

1901-1908. A move from Fleetwood to Burscough, N. of Ormskirk - map

1908 National School Registers for 1908 and an entry found for an Agnes May Ormrod at the Burscough Bridge Methodist School, Ormskirk Lancashire. Although FMP has these Registers I did not find this & have also checked on Ancestry She would then have been 7 . She was admitted on the 17/8/1908 and withdrawn on 10/8/1909, cause due to 'left district' . Parent or guardian: Henry Ormrod of Moss Lane : I thought this likely her grandfather, Henry Hopwood Ormrod, but actually it was her father's address at the time, given on a Bankruptcy Discharge document of 20/10/1908 as Ashton's farm, Moss Lane, Burscough

Burscough Bridge Methodist School in Ormskirk, Lancs: this primary- today- school was founded 1871 & has 56 pupils now in 2015- Babs found this record, thanks. Ormskirk ~20 k N of Liverpool, a good 50k S of Fleetwood as the crow flies!. Does not seem that HLO is too much of a Catholic here!!

1909-1911 A move with the grandparents, and likely her father -when he not acting- from Burscough way east to Houghton le Spring

1911C. Henry H Osmond, 66, joiner & carpenter, b.Burnley, is living 9 Sunderland Street, Houghton le Spring, Durham with his wife, 2 grandchildren, Marjorie F & Agnes M, 10, and a boarder, a music hall professional . Think original is actually written as Osmond . Houghton le Spring ~15 k NE of Durham, in Tyne & Wear today -map

Her father, Henry Lewis Osmond, had had a theatre company in Houghton le Spring which had been dissolved in January 1910

1918-1926. Aggie- name used for Agda May by her half sister Irene - likely lived with her father & grandmother [ & grandfather until his death in 1922] & half sister Irene May at 6 Church Roard Bispham- a cottage

Her father also owned 'Rock Mount' in Red Banks Road, Bipsham, where he is thought to have lived before Irene's birth in 1916

1921C Agnes May Ormrod, 20, b. Fleetwood, actress, John Tiller , Winter Gardens Blackpool, temporary,, is living with her father & his, of the moment ,leading lady, May Wood Brownlee, to whom he is not married, her half sister Irene, her grandparents & her father´s wardrobe manager at 12 Church Road Bipsham. .

~1920-1924. Aggie was a Tiller Girl performing in the Winter Gardens, Blackpool- from half-sister's Irene's memoirs. She used to catch the bus in daily from their home in Bipsham to Blackpool . Irene described Aggie as "full of life, good looking with very dark brown hair and green eyes: very generous and full of laughs"

1919	1926	Unknown year	on board a ship	1935

Above photos passed to me from the Balmer family collection. Agda´s elder sister, Marjory Osmond, having married Albert Balmer in 1916

1923. Interestingly one Panto review features May Wood Brownlee and also Claude Lester (who is the comedian reported to be my mother's birth father- from Linda, daughter of Agda M Osmond 1924) this was some 17 months before my mum was born and I now wonder if this is when Agda met Claude! Also mentioned together as far back as late Dec 1921

1924 Gave birth to an illegitimate daughter, Agda May Osmond, registered as Agda M Osmond Aston Sep 1924

This daughter was taken to Middlesborough where May Wood Brownlee- the 4th 'wife' of her father- was running the Gosford Arms . She was cared for from infancy & adopted, legally, in 1930, just days before her birth mother married, by Thomas & Charlotte Pitchford : their daughter, Nellie, had married John Brownlee, a brother of May Brownlee . Apparently Agda tried to take the child back a couple of times- and maybe thought she could reclaim her in 1930, once married & she could provide a secure home for her

~ 1925-1928. Aggie was on tour with her father . The Tiller Girls were also on tour at times

1930 . She, aged 29, married Reginald J Tulloh-Hatchett, ~42, on 30/6/1930 Lambeth - a lot of entries for one marriage!! Reginald Sackville-West was his stage name! Several cuttings of his appearances in FMP Newspapers . Linda has this m.c.- I wonder what lies he tells?? Think the witnesses were Karnos- ie from Fred Karno and Charlie Chaplin era.. Tulloh came from his mother's name- she had been Ada West-- when she was adopted by her uncle, a General Alexandra Tulloh : he built a house in Malvern in 1865. It is a wonderful Victorian house (a bit spartan however in this icy weather!) and living here inspired me to find out more about this man- Diana, Deechops on Rootschat lives in this house . Reginald possessed 4 surnames: Hatchett, Tulloh-Hatchett, West & Sackville-West

"Reg was wealthy and a playboy during the early 20's, he used to be friendly with the then Prince of Wales, Edward. He was introduced to the theatre and Music Halls as a child by his mother, she evidently sometimes booked several rows in the front stalls at any one time for visiting guests to their home".-Wendy.

Rare photo of her father, driving his Bull Nose Morris- she sitting behind him ~ early 1930s

Agda became known as Chic West, also Mrs Sackville

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Agda in pantomime and in Paris - when??

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Reg in Paris - ~ when??

1936. Agda Tulloh-Hatchett was living 1 Acacia Street, Rhydefelin, Pontypridd on 4/1/1936 when her father died- she the Informant . A newspaper article names her, Agda, along with Marjory and Irene as his beloved daughters

1936 . 9/5/1936 . Sackville Players are in Whitstable, both managing the front of house and acting. Hatchett/Agda Cuttings

1939 Register. Agnes M Tulloh-Hatchett, actress & variety artist, is living with her husband in the Box household at 75 Granville Street, Boston, Lincoln. Reginald's name is crossed out and it says "see page 10" - but cannot find this nor any page numbers!

1940." I have a very tatty and yellow newspaper cutting from The Sunday Express, May 12th 1940, it shows very good photos of Agda, Reg and Joe Young. Evidently they were appearing at the Empire Theatre, Johannesburg"- Wendy . Babs sent me these - below.

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1940. Reginald, 52, & Agda , 38, Tulloh-Hatchett, occupation Theatrical, arrived back in Liverpool on the Capetown Castle from Capetown on 11/6/1940, their address 20a Canterbury Crescent, London SW9

1943 Jul 11. Broadcast on BBC for Forces Programmes of 'THE HAPPIDROME' Synopsis with Sackville and West, Mona Vivian , Ronald Chesney , Murray and Mooney, and Harry Korris as ' Mr. Lovejoy ', assisted by Cecil Frederick (' Ramsbottom '), and Robbie Vin cent (' Enoch '). Happidrome Orchestra and Chorus. Show produced and conducted by Ernest Longstaffe

1944 Chic West, Reginald Sackville and Sackville & West are performing in Dick Whittington in Lincolnshire - Agda being known as Chic Hatchett/Agda Cuttings

1947. June. Chic West & Reg Sackville in Old Mother Riley Cheltenham

1947. August. Chic West only in Old Mother Riley Leeds

In 1947 Lambeth Electoral Roll as Agda M Tulloh-Hackett. No mention of her husband.

 Irene  and she lost touch just after the war, 
 Agda and her Hatchett husband went to S. Africa, they were a comedy double act  known as Sackville and West. 
Agda got in touch with my mum and came to  live with her in 1976, she died in 1979 aged 76- no, she was actaually  79! . We
 always knew her as Auntie Chic.- and she had appeared on stage as Chic West, and her husband as Reg Sackville- hence
 Sackville and West!-Wendy 

1951. Fined for obscene language in a railway car! - Hatchett/Agda Cuttings

1955. Reg Tulloh-Hatchet, of Flat 1, 26 Sussex Road, Southse t was trying to trace Arthur Farnworth, likely living near Lichfield, who he had met aboard the Capetown Castle coming from S. Africa- FMP Newspapers 2/12/1955

1973. Reginald Tulloh-Hatchett dies Worthing . On his grave in St James, Malvern, supposedly the family grave: it does contain the grave of his great-uncle & aunt, Alexander & Mary Louisa Tulloh, the adoptive parents of his mother Ada, but, curiously not the grave of his mother, the words read: My Dearest Husband. Rex Tulloh-Hatchett 1888-1973 .

Plaque on his grave- in St James Malvern - photo from a Tim Hatchett Ancestry tree, but no seeming link between Reg's forebears and Tim's!

Tim had obtained it from

 www.gravestonephotos.com  - many thanks to them . It is grave number 157214 and the grave of Mary Louisa & Alexander Tulloh,
 his great aunt & uncle, but also the adoptive parents of his mother Ada Goldsmith West/Tulloh, is number 157213 

1976-1979 She lived with her widowed half sister, Irene, at 3 Chatswood Avenue, Leeds, for the last 3 years of her life

Wendy has some documentation that belonged to Reg." There is also a connection with the Mellons as I know Reg and Agda received an allowance from Paul Mellon up to her death in 1979"- Ancestry message board 2009 .

Paul Mellon , American philanthropist, 1907-1999. After graduating from Yale he went to England to study at Clare College, Cambridge receiving a BA in 1931, while his father served as the US Ambassador to the Court of St James's from 1932 to 1933. He was a great race horse breeder- but this surely later than 1922-29 when Reg was supposedly training horses around Malvern and also an Art Collector - how did Reg & Agda know him? - possibly through Reg's skill as an equine artist??

1979. Agda M Tulloh-Hatchett died 10/4/1979 of bronchopneumonia in Horsforth, Yorks. Her d.c gives her date of birth as 5/4/1902 . Interestingly she is described as the Widow of Rex Tulloh-Hatchett, Army Officer!!- he was merely a private for 4 months from only September 1918!!. 98 Orchard Head Lane Pontefract would be Irene's address

"Agda's ashes are resting in the family plot (Tulloh Hatchett) with Reg in Malvern. Reading their cards and documents they were very much devoted and in love all their married life. If ever you come across a piece of art, scissor cuttings, or cartoons, mainly equestrian, signed JON, they are Reg's. work. He designed the poster for Marlene Deitrichs tour of Britain in 1967. I had the original drawing signed by her, I gave it to my son he admired it so much."-Wendy

Agda May Osmond 1924 - illegitimate daughter of Agda 1901

Diana lives at Tannachie, the house which "General Tulloh built in West Malvern for his retirement in 1865. He lived there with his wife, (who was a sister of Dr West of Malvern and who died shortly after moving to Tannachie) and his neice Ada Tulloh. Ada was born in New Brunswick 1848 Canada and married a Mr Hatchett - I believe her descendants may still be in the area but have not contacted them yet.

Do not think either Ada's son Reginald 1888 nor her daughter 1884 had children

I will have to look out the researches I did some time ago but from memory the family came from Tannachie in Scotland -~20 k SSW of Aberdeen- and there is history going back a long time.

General Tulloh was born in Blackheath in London in 1799 and had a long career in the Army. He was in India for many years I believe and in 1862-63 he was a Director of Ordnance. According to his obituary in the local newspaper of 2nd May 1885:

"This gentleman's military career commenced at the West Indies. Subsequently he was appointed to the control of the powder magazine at Waltham Abbey, Essex and later principal of the carriage department at Woolwich Arsenal. It should further be stated that his disciplinary ability and scientific attainments were considerable and that he was promoted to the post of Inspector General of the Ordnance Board, which appointment, however, ill health compelled him to resign."

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