Beryl Ingham

Who was Beryl Ingham?

Beryl Ingham was a champion clogdancer and actress, as well as the wife of singer/actor George Formby, Jr.

She was born in Haslingden, Lancashire, the youngest daughter of John James Ingham and his wife Elizabeth Ann née Jackson. At the age of 11 she won the All England Step Dancing Title. Later she formed a dancing act with her sister May, they called themselves The Two Violets.

It was in 1923 while they were appearing in music hall in Yorkshire that she met George Formby: They married in George's home town of Wigan, Lancashire the following year. They worked together as a variety act until 1932 when she became his full-time manager and mentor, though she did in fact appear in some of his films for which George was paid up to £35,000 per performance. It was due to Beryl's business nous that she guided George to be the UK's highest paid entertainer. At a time of high taxation he was paying 97.5% of his additional earnings to the taxman.

In 1946 she was with George on a tour of South Africa and despite threats from the National Party leader Daniel François Malan he played to black audiences.