Bessie Walford, February 1889

A carte-de-visite portrait of Bessie Walford playing the glass harp. An inked inscription in the lower margin identifies the sitter and gives the date, February 1889.

Born on 8 August 1874 at Weston-super-Mare in Somerset, Elizabeth Agnes Georgina Fanny Walford was the daughter of Edward William Walford and his wife Georgina Fanny Walford.

She was baptised in Weston-super-Mare on 29 November 1874. Her father gave ‘Tailor’ as his profession.

By the time the 1881 census was taken, Edward had turned himself into a professional ‘Campanologist.’ Six of his seven children were following the same profession, including Bessie, aged 8, and Amy, aged 4. The only child not yet participating in the family’s act was Clarence, aged 1.

Bessie is mentioned numerous times in newspapers during the last quarter of the century. The first that I can find records her as the youngest of five Walford children who performed as ‘a juvenile party of hand-bell ringers’ at a Church of England festival in Weston-super-Mare in February 1877. She was four years old. By the summer of the following year she was performing as a soloist on the hand-bells. A review of a performance at Welwyn in Hertfordshire in 1880 mentions ‘the Walford family, a clever troup [sic] of campanologists,’ five siblings ‘assisted and conducted by their father. […] Every item on the programme seemed to interest a crowded audience, but some pieces especially, in which Bessie Walford (seven years of age) played the air, and which necessitated the manipulation of about seventy bells, well merited the applause which greeted the youthful performers’ (Herts Advertiser, 13 November 1880).

Reviewers often singled out Bessie for special mention. When the family performed at Yealmpton in Devon in 1881, a local newspaper reported: ‘The company gave great satisfaction, the performance of Bessie Walford, the youngest of the party, being especially worthy of notice’ (Western Times, 7 June 1881).

By 1886 newspapers were reporting that Bessie had branched out from hand-bells and was now playing a different instrument. ‘Miss Bessie Walford’s selection of popular airs upon the musical glasses was deservedly re-demanded’ (Norwich Mercury, 28 August 1886).

Before very long the press, presumably following Bessie or her father’s lead, were describing her instrument as the ‘aquadigipsycheharmonica, or crystal bells’ (West Somerset Free Press, 1 October 1887), although some reporters stuck with the ‘angelic bells’ or the ‘Aqueous Musical Glasses.’ One newspaper referred to them as ‘the sweet-toned instrument with a terribly unpronounceable name’ (Northampton Mercury, 22 March 1890). Having forced the British language to accommodate this neologism, a few years later the Walfords came up with another one and their advertisements started referring to Bessie and her ‘Fairy-toned Hydrodaktulosphychicharmonica, or Aqueous Musical Crystals’ (Warminster & Westbury Journal, 20 March 1897).

On 28 June 1904 at Blechingley in Surrey Bessie married Arthur George Latter, who gave ‘Professional Vocalist’ as his profession on their marriage certificate. Bessie gave no profession.

The couple appear on the 1911 census living at Pottersbury in Northamptonshire with their three young children. Arthur was now an ‘Insurance Agent’ working for the ‘Regal Friendly Society.’

Various newspaper reports make it clear that in addition to the glass harp, Bessie also played the violin and the mandolin and that she sang professionally too. By 1901 she was also teaching the mandolin. She was still performing as late as 1914, when she appeared at the Palace Theatre, Wells ‘in her charming Musical Act,' which included ‘Mandoline, Handbells, [and the] hydrodaktulopsychicharmonica’ (Wells Journal, 2 January 1914). There are very few further mentions of her name in newspaper after this one. The last report of a performance that I can find took place in September 1926, when Bessie was appearing on the same bill as her sister Eva at Bognor Regis. ‘Bessie Walford gave a clever and pretty demonstration of the playing of the ‘Hydrodaklulopsychuharmonica,’ [sic] and handbells, assisted by Eva. The item was thoroughly appreciated by the audience, who encored them again and again’ (Chichester Observer, 29 September 1926).

When the 1939 Register was compiled, Arthur and Bessie were living in Weston-super-Mare. Arthur was now a ‘Theatre Manager.’ Bessie was performing ‘Unpaid D[omestic] Duties.’

Elizabeth Agnes Georgina Fanny Latter died, aged 81, at Bognor Regis in 1954. She was buried on 18 February 1954 at St John’s, Bognor Regis.

Photographer unidentified.

An inked inscription verso in a period hand reads: ‘Bessie playing on the Aquadigisequiharmonica.’