More About the Men

The Brothers Poole (Slight Reprise)

This can be quick, since I said it before. In the late 1890’s; the Sons of Ted Poole placed ads looking for work. Since Ted Poole’s only surviving sons were Thomas Henry Poole and Robert James Poole it is pretty safe to assume that after the breakup of the Poole Minstrels, these two brothers briefly reprised the act their father and uncle had made famous.

Poole and Poole / T.E. Bates

Finally, a group I can discuss confidently. Poole and Poole were Richard Edward (Ted) Poole’s son Thomas Henry Poole (born 1877) and his wife Florence Victoria (nee Snow). Why am I so positive? Well first, we know from the records that Ted’s son Tom married Forence in 1901. Second, we know that Poole and Poole were a married couple named Tom and Florrie because in an advertisement they placed early in 1915 they identified themselves as “Poole and Poole (Tom and Florrie)”. There’s also some more evidence that Poole and Poole were named Tom and Florrie Poole, but I’ll leave that until later (I am a bit of a tease, aren’t I?)

We first see a reference to Poole and Poole in December of 1902. The list of acts describes them as “step dancers”. Later advertisements label them as “clog dancers” or “pedestal dancers”. In an advertisement seeking work in 1905, they call themselves “class comedy couple and Pedestal dancers”. In 1906 they were described in a review simply as comedians. In 1908, they described themselves as “Funny and Refined Comedy Couple and Trick Table Dancers". Finally, in 1913, their advertisement read "Wanted, Monday next, also 13th, Poole and Poole, Eccentric Act and Table Dancing. Finish Pantomime, Saturday (great success) Gaiety Theatre, Leith, Scotland" and “Wanted Known - If you want an Act full of Laughs for Monday, or Feb. 13th, wire, Gaiety Theatre Leith, Scotland".

From these ads you sort of get a sense of the evolution of their act from dancing to comedy, likely as they aged and clog and acrobatics pedestal dancing became too difficult. As I said above, while there is nothing which is guaranteed when doing this kind of research, I find it almost inconceivable that there could have been another couple unrelated to us in this era who were named Tom and Florrie Poole and who were in the Poole family business of clog and pedestal dancing.

Poole and Poole appear to have performed at least until 1915, when an advertisement was placed for them under “Calls”, which was a way of informing artists of rehearsal times. Although we know they had children, I can find no reference to any of them having performed.

So who was the “T.E. Bates” in the title of this section? He was Tom’s alter ego, his persona. We first see T.E. Bates in about 1910, when he is listed in a show which included Florrie Poole. By 1913, joint ads are being placed such as this one: "T.E. Bates Mad Comedian; Also Florrie Poole, Comedienne and Dancer One or Both". The address for both is the same. The last we see of T.E. Bates is a 1921 advertisement seeking work for “T.E. Bates, low comedian”.

Once again, I’ll tease you with an assurance that there is more evidence than this, which I will reveal later.