Edith Waldemar Leverton
Edith Waldemar Leverton | |
|---|---|
| Born | Edith Annie Bedbrook 21 April 1868 Portsea Island, England |
| Died | 1955 (aged 87) Surrey, England |
| Other names | E. Notrovel |
| Occupation(s) | Writer, editor |
| Spouse |
Frank John Waldemar Leverton
(m. 1894; died 1897) |
| Father | James Albert Bedbrook |
Edith Waldemar Leverton[note 1] (born Edith Annie Bedbrook; 21 April 1868 –1955), was an English writer and editor. She contributed to magazines, including The Lady's Realm and The Play Pictorial and published several books on household management and cookery, including a vegetarian cookbook. She worked as a sub-editor for The World of Dress and was active in theatre, founding "The Leverton Players" and writing plays, including A Writer of Plays under the pseudonym E. Notrovel. She also served as secretary of the Women's Automobile and Sports Association and played a key role in establishing infant and child welfare initiatives.
Biography
[edit]Early and personal life
[edit]Edith Annie Bedbrook was born on Portsea Island on 21 April 1868.[4][5] Her father was James Albert Bedbrook, Chief Inspector of Machinery for the Royal Navy.[6]
She married Frank John Waldemar Leverton at St Luke's Church, Battersea, on 27 June 1894.[6] He died in 1897.[7] Being widowed at a young age, she faced financial hardships, but managed to live independently. She was described as outgoing, self-assured, and assertive. She was often seen riding a tricycle around Littlehampton, where she lived.[8]
Writing
[edit]
Waldemar Leverton authored articles for magazines, including The Lady's Realm[9] and The Play Pictorial.[10] She also published several books, including Household Hints, The Vegetarian Cookery Book, Little Economies and How to Practice Them, and Servants and Their Duties.[11]
Editing
[edit]Waldemar Leverton worked as sub-editor of the magazine The World of Dress (later continued as The World of Dress and Women's Journal).[12]
Theatre work
[edit]Waldemar Leverton presented the theatre company known as "The Leverton Players" in a series of performances, starting with a short three-week season at the Royal Court Theatre in 1913.[13] She wrote the play A Writer of Plays under the pseudonym E. Notrovel.[14][15]
Waldemar Leverton also appeared in several productions, including Fantasy and Flame, as Mrs. Wayre; Mirage of Misfortune, as Mrs. Braithwaite; The Stranger at the Inn, as Mrs. Cherry;[16] and The Castle of Fate, as Cattiva.[17]
Waldemar Leverton wrote and produced A Song of Sixpence, a "nonsense" play which was performed, in 1939, by the Little Marlow and Bourne End Women's Institute to support the Little Marlow Nursing Association. Her production, featuring modern tunes and colourful costumes, was well received and helped raise funds for the cause.[18]
Other activities
[edit]Waldemar Leverton served as secretary of the Women's Automobile and Sports Association.[19] She was also a member of the Society of Women Journalists.[20]
Waldemar Leverton was in charge of introducing the Association of Infant Consultations and Schools for Mothers in Glamorgan, South Wales. In her role, she led this initiative as part of the infant welfare department of the National League for Physical Education and Improvement.[21] She also collaborated with the Duchess of Norfolk in Arundel and Littlehampton, contributing to the establishment of Child Welfare Centres.[8]
Death
[edit]Waldemar Leverton died aged 87 in Surrey during the third quarter of 1955.[22]
Publications
[edit]Books
[edit]- Household Hints (edited by "Isobel"; London: C. Arthur Pearson, 1897)
- The Vegetarian Cookery Book (London: G. Newnes, 1903)
- Little Economies and How to Practice Them (edited by "Isobel"; London: C. Arthur Pearson, 1903)
- Little Entertainments and How to Manage Them (edited by "Isobel"; London: C. Arthur Pearson, 1904)
- Dressmaking Made Easy (London: G. Newnes, 1909)
- Housekeeping Made Easy (London: G. Newnes, 1910)
- Servants and Their Duties (London: C. Arthur Pearson, 1912)
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Lethbridge, Lucy (1 January 2013). Servants: A Downstairs View of Twentieth-century Britain. A&C Black. p. 384. ISBN 978-0-7475-9017-0.
- ^ "Applications for Discharge" (PDF). The London Gazette. 15 August 1922. p. 6062. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
- ^ "Leverton, Edith Waldemar". ArchivesSpace Public Interface. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ "Births Jun 1868". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
- ^ "Edith Waldemar-Leverton". 1939 England and Wales Register. Ancestry.com. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
- ^ a b "Leverton-Bedbrook". The Standard. 28 June 1894. p. 1. Retrieved 25 March 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Deaths Jun 1897". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
- ^ a b Corfe, Robert (2011). This Was My England. Arena books. p. 76. ISBN 978-1-906791-73-5.
- ^ Waldemar Leverton, Edith (May–October 1900). "Paris Ateliers". The Lady's Realm. 8: 580–583 – via HathiTrust.
- ^ Waldemar Leverton, Edith (1905). "Petals of Fashion from The White Chrysanthemum". The Play Pictorial: 162.
- ^ "'Waldemar Leverton' - Search Results". WorldCat. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
- ^ "A Notable Woman Journalist". Birmingham Gazette. 11 September 1902. p. 4. Retrieved 25 March 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Leverton Players". Evening Standard. 12 December 1913. p. 14. Retrieved 25 March 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Wearing, J. P. (19 December 2013). The London Stage 1910-1919: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel. Scarecrow Press. p. 259. ISBN 978-0-8108-9300-9.
- ^ "'Neo Players': Four One Act Plays". The Era. 95 (4855): 15. 21 October 1931 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Carson, Lionel (1914). The Stage Year Book. Carson & Comerford. pp. 175, 195, 211.
- ^ The Stage Year Book, with which is Included the Stage Periodical Guide. Carson & Comerford. 1915. p. 89.
- ^ "For Nursing Funds". Bucks Free Press. 10 February 1939. p. 6. Retrieved 25 March 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Gabrielle Borthwick". queerplaces. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
- ^ "Mrs. Waldemar Leverton". Society of Women Journalists. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
- ^ "Welsh News and Notes". The Cambrian. 35 (3): 8. 1 February 1915 – via HathiTrust.
- ^ "Deaths Sep 1955". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
Further reading
[edit]- "Biography for Edith W. Leverton". Scoop! The biographical dictionary of British and Irish journalists, 1800-1960.
- 1868 births
- 1955 deaths
- 20th-century English dramatists and playwrights
- 20th-century English journalists
- 20th-century pseudonymous writers
- English cookbook writers
- English magazine editors
- English women dramatists and playwrights
- People from Portsea, Portsmouth
- Pseudonymous women writers
- Vegetarian cookbook writers
- Writers from Hampshire
- English food writers
- English women food writers
- Victorian women writers
- English women non-fiction writers
- 19th-century English non-fiction writers
- 20th-century English non-fiction writers
- Child welfare activists
- Victorian writers