Billy Purvis (1853)
About
Billy Purvis (1784–1853) was a Scottish entertainer and showman, living in Newcastle upon Tyne. His life is very well documented; his act was regularly mentioned in newspaper articles, for instance a detailed account, including a brief biography, of his performance at Newcastle Races. An autobiography appeared in 1849. Although he could read and write, Purvis speaks in the biography of having a letter written for him by a stationer; so it is not surprising that his 'autobiography' was ghostwritten, by J.P. Robson. Another source is a posthumous biography published by T. Arthur, although the identity of the author is not stated. This states that the earlier autobiography is basically the work of Purvis himself. Although writing two decades after Purvis's death, the author was in contact with his widow, who was still alive. The author had other sources, for instance quoting from correspondence between Sam Bayliss, of Billy Purvis' company, and "T.A.", presumably the publisher. Another source is a detailed obituary of his widow.
Key details
| Born |
1784
|
| Died |
1853 (aged 68)
|
| Zodiac | |
| Tags | Add tag |
Family members
Romantic interests
Friends & associates
Scholars
Missing information for Billy Purvis (1853)
- missing gender
- missing height
- missing hair color
- missing eye color
- missing ethnicity
- add banner photo
- add photos to gallery
Similar profiles
Activity
Top contributors today
Tags
Featured contributors
Couples by country
USA · UK · Canada · Australia · France · Germany · India · China · South Korea · Japan · Spain · MexicoCouples by decade
1900s · 1910s · 1920s · 1930s · 1940s · 1950s · 1960s · 1970s · 1980s · 1990s · 2000s · 2010s · 2020s
