Seeking final resting place of comic ‘Billy’

Billy Elton was a popular and talented comedy actor from Brockley who died suddenly aged just 51 and was buried at Brockley Cemetery.
But the whereabouts of the grave of this Victorian version of Harry Enfield remain a mystery, writes MIKE GUILFOYLE.

The members of the Friends of Ladywell and Brockley cemetery recently set out to try to locate the lost grave of the largely forgotten Manchester-born, 19th century, popular comedy actor William “Billy” Elton, who died at his address in Manor Road, Brockley in 1903.

The grave is thought to lie in one of the more wooded areas of Brockley cemetery. It appears that any headstone that might have existed has now long since disappeared.

But the search goes on, with the Music Hall Guild of Great Britain and America keenly interested in a possible headstone restoration when Billy’s grave is eventually found.

At one pantomine performance, when the main comic actor fell ill, Billy took his place and his eccentric dancing brought down the house.

Billy Elton, who was an actor for more than 30 years, including one year with D’Oyly Carte Opera Company at the Savoy Theatre and a star comedian on four continents for 20 of them was born William John Shuttlesworth.

He reportedly got his start in the theatre at the age of 10 at the Adelphi Theatre, Liverpool, and by 1867 wass a “low comedian” at the Queen’s Theatre, Manchester.

From 1872 to 1875, he toured in comedy, Opera Bouffe and burlesque roles with Captain Disney Roebuck, then went to tour in South Africa.

He next travelled to the famous Broadway theatre, Wallack’s, New York City, where he made his American debut as Touchstone in As You Like It on September 30, 1880.

He was a regular with Wallack’s Company until May 1883 when he was given a benefit matinee and returned to London and the Gaiety for the 1883-84 season.

Billy Elton then travelled to Australia, having toured across the USA , departing from San Francisco, where he became a firm favourite with audiences.

He appeared in Melbourne in October 1886 as J. W. Wells in The Sorcerer, perhaps his first Gilbert & Sullivan role and undertook a 1890 tour of New Zealand and then went onto perform in South Africa.

Returning to London, his last role appears to have been Christopher Potter in a musical comedy at the Lyric Theatre called Little Miss Nobody.

Billy Elton died aged 51 years, of stomach cancer in 1903 in Brockley.

News of the passing of this much-loved comedian was widely reported across four continents.

He was interred in the cemetery on January 30, 1903.

One of his sons, George William enjoyed a modest acting career and a son in law, John Triston Barnard of Honor Oak is also buried here.

His son, Private Triston Irving Elton Barnard was killed in action in 1918 while serving with the Machine Gun Corps in France.

Pictured top: Billy, centre, in 1898 acting as the Duke of Plaza Toro in Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Gondoliers