Mid Sussex Times December 18 1906

Unhonoured and unsung, long since faded from public notice, though well remembered by all who ever enjoyed the happiness of seeing him, Mr. Edwin Danvers¹, the favourite comedian and dancer, contemporary of Robson² and colleague of the many principal artistes of the past and passing generations, has departed the earthly scene. The end was a sad one. Mr. Danvers died in the asylum at Haywards Heath³. His chequered history⁴ again illustrates the transient nature of stage “glories” and the struggle not so much to gain pre-eminence as to preserve it.

Footnotes:

1. Edwin Danvers (real name Edwin Bowles Smith, ?–1906) — A 19th-century British comedian and dancer. Father of actress Jessie Danvers, and grandfather of Alice Belmore (stage name of Alice Esther Garstin).

2. Frederick Robson (1821–1864) — Famous Victorian comic actor and singer at the Olympic Theatre, known for combining broad comedy with moments of deep pathos. Hugely influential in mid-19th-century theatre.

3. Haywards Heath — Site of the Sussex County Lunatic Asylum (later St Francis Hospital), where Danvers died.

4. Chequered history — A life marked by both successes and struggles. Jessie Danvers (1848–1897), his daughter, was also an actress who married actor George Garstin, linking the Danvers line to the well-known Belmore theatrical family.

   
   

   Please follow the link for more on the Danvers and Garstin acting dynasties. https://rmsghistoryextra.wordpress.com/tag/acting-dynasties/

   
   

Image shows Edwin Danvers - Actor, comedian and dancer c1880