Monte, Richard, 1877 - 1953
Dates
- Existence: 1877 - 1953
Biography
Richard Monte was Randall Williams son-in-law.
Richard war born in 1877 and he married Randall William's daughter Caroline. Richard run Randall's cinematograph show together with his wife and brother James (d.1939) carried on his shows.
Richard had been employed at ‘Haydon and Urry Ltd.’, one of the first companies to produce cinematographs for showmen. Using the popularity of Williams’ exhibits, Caroline and Richard toured their bioscope under the name ‘Randall Williams Cinematograph Show’ from 1899 to 1913. In 1906 they added a large 110-key Gavioli Organ to the show. It was considered one of the best in the country, taking 4 years to construct and boasting 3200 pipes as well as automatic coloured light changes. The shows were highly praised by the local and national newspapers alike.
In 1913 the show was almost completely destroyed in a fire at Thirsk Marketplace, and the bioscope was one of the items that was lost. This didn’t stop the Monte-Williams family, however, and they continued travelling with attractions such as a Scenic Railway and steam gondolas.
During the first years of WWI the family continued travelling their shows and organised charitable concerts and events to raise War Relief Funds for the war effort, joining the new wave of voluntary activity and the surge on the foundation of charities around the country. By 1918 restrictions on travelling and lighting had taken their toll on the business and the fairground equipment was sold off. This same year Richard started to work for the Forestry Commission hauling timber with his traction engines, steam wagons and horses.
After the war, Richard returned to his original occupation running a chain of cinemas until 1924 when Caroline and him separated. He then went to manage a Scenic Railway attraction for Pat Collins Junior in the Midlands and later settled on Canvey Island where he died in 1953. James Monte continued to tour his show during and after the war until 1933, when he returned to London to run a company which supplied gaming machines until his death in 1939.
Found in 12 Collections and/or Records:
Birth and Marriage Certificates, 1880 - 1918
Birth and marriage certificates for Caroline Williams and Richard Monte.
Birth Certificate for Caroline Williams, 22 November 1918, 18 December 1918
Scanned copy of the birth certificate for Caroline Williams, born 22 November 1918, daughter of Richard Monte and Caroline Monte (formerly Williams).
Digital Media, 1816 - 1938
Digital copies of documents, census records and photographs related to the Monte Williams family.
Marriage Certificate for Richard Monte and Caroline Williams, 12 January 1899
Scanned copy of the marriage certificate for Richard Monte and Caroline Williams, married 12 January 1899.
Monte Family and Williams Family Photographs, c1903 - 1906
A folder containing 34 photographs of the Monte family and a folder of photographs of the Williams family.
Monte-Williams and Haydon and Urry, Ltd. Research Material, 1816 - 1938
Digital copies of 178B36.1, 178B36.8, 178B36.9 and 178B36.10, comprising 4 documents.
Monte-Williams Collection
Research material by Pauline Tindale and a small amount of original archive related to Randall Williams and his descendants, including birth, death and marriage certificates and photographs.
Photographs and Postcards, c1898 - 1926
Black and white and colour photographs and postcards depicting the Monte-Williams family.
Research Material and Monographs, 1797 - 1998, 2018 - 2021
Research material related to various fairground and circus families including Duffy, Randall Williams, King family, Dyson/Hough family, Fossett and others.
Schedule 1: The Monte Williams Collection, 2018
A record of the items in the Monte Williams Collection, compiled by the creator, 2 p.p.
The Monte Williams Showmen Research Material, 1898 - 1953
Parish and civil records, newspaper articles and advertisements relating to the Monte Williams Showmen and the Randall Williams Cinematograph Show, with additional information by the researcher, 27 p.p.
Travelling Entertainment Research Material, 1830 - 1932
Census records from 1861-1891, newspaper clippings, showmen at fairs from 1900-1915, and other records relating to showpeople and travelling entertainment, 18.html files.