Jill Furse

Jill Furse
Born
Barbara Dolignon Furse

1915 (1915)
Salisbury, Wiltshire, England
Died27 November 1944(1944-11-27) (aged 28–29)
Spouse
​
(m. 1939)​
Children2
RelativesHenry Newbolt (grandfather)

Barbara Dolignon "Jill" Furse (1915 – 27 November 1944) was an English actress.

Early life

Barbara Dolignon Furse was born in 1915 to Celia (née Newbolt) and Sir Ralph Furse at Netherhampton House in Salisbury.[1][2] Her grandfather was the poet Sir Henry Newbolt.[3][4]

Career

Furse made her stage debut as Francine in National 6 at Gate Studio Theatre.[5] She would later reprise of the play on radio in 1937.[6]

In 1938, Furse played Carol in Goodness, How Sad at the Vaudeville Theatre.[7][8] Furse also starred in The Intruder, a play translated from Asmodée by François Mauriac, produced by Norman Marshall at Wyndham's Theatre.[7][9] In 1939, she starred in the films Goodbye, Mr. Chips and There Ain't No Justice.[1][4][10]

Due to frequent bouts of illness, Furse lost out on some roles, such as playing the Shakespearean heroines at The Old Vic produced by John Gielgud.[6][7]

In 1942, after a break from acting for a couple of years, Furse returned to the stage in Rebecca at the Strand Theatre in the lead role.[6][11] Furse had been cast in The Last Rose of Summer produced by Gieldgud, but dropped out after discovering she was pregnant for the second time.[12]

Personal life and death

In 1937, writer and family friend Edith Olivier introduced Furse to engraver Laurence Whistler.[12] Whistler and Furse married in September 1939 at Salisbury Cathedral.[6][7] After their honeymoon, the couple settled on the Furse family estate in Halsdon.[7][13] When Whistler was serving in the army, the couple only reunited for a few days at a time during his leave.[7] Furse gave birth to her second child, Caroline, in November 1944. Twelve days after the birth, Furse died on 27 November 1944 from a blood infection, at the age of 29. In 1950, Whistler married Furse's younger sister, Theresa.[2][12]

Legacy

After the end of the Second World War, Whistler published a limited run of Furses's poems. In 1964, he released The Initials in the Heart, an account of his marriage to Furse. This was followed in 1967 with To Celebrate Her Living, a collection of 70 poems dedicated to Furse's memory.[2][6]

References

  1. ^ a b Wilson, Elisabeth (3 August 2021). "Six 'forgotten' Salisbury women who achieved great things". Salisbury Journal.
  2. ^ a b c Ravilious, Robin (2004). "Whistler, Sir (Alan Charles) Laurence". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/75009. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  3. ^ Rumens, Carol (11 July 2016). "Poem of the week: The Days That Forced Our Lives Apart by Jill Furse". The Guardian.
  4. ^ a b Glynn, Stephen (20 August 2021). The British Boxing Film. Springer Nature. pp. 104–105. ISBN 3030742105.
  5. ^ "Gate Theatre Studio 'National 6'". The Times. 30 October 1935.
  6. ^ a b c d e Evans, Barbara (4 July 2021). "Jill Furse". Her Salisbury Story.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Whistler, Laurence (5 October 2015). The Initials in The Heart: A Celebration of Love. Dean Street Press. ISBN 1910570540.
  8. ^ ""Goodness, How Sad!"". The Glasgow Herald. 21 October 1938.
  9. ^ Drama: The Quarterly Theatre Review, Volume 17. British Theatre Association., 1938. 1938. p. 133.
  10. ^ Maxford, Howard. Hammer Complete: The Films, the Personnel, the Company. McFarland. p. 300. ISBN 1476629145.
  11. ^ Oakley, Annie (2 June 1942). "The Theatre and Its People". The Windsor Daily Star.
  12. ^ a b c Ravilious, Robin. James Ravilious: A Life. Bitter Lemon Press. ISBN 1912242605.
  13. ^ Green, Janet (6 January 2001). "Sir Laurence Whistler obituary". The Guardian.