Munro, Donald

A SCOTS / IRISH FAMILY IN THE EAST END OF LONDON
First published 1980 in the Journal of the East of London
Family History Society
Republished in the Journal 1999
Again Revised 2002/8

Great-grandfather Donald Munro was born in Tain, County of Ross inScotland on 25 September 1832 and came to London probably around 1850. InJuly 1858 he married a Miss Connaughton at St. Anne's R.C.Church,Underwood Street (now Underwood Road), Mile End New Town, and was thenable to retire from a linen drapery business in New Road, Whitechapel.
His bride, Elizabeth Connaughton, was aged 27, born in the parish of St.George in the East and the daughter of Charles Connaughton, an Irishman.

In 1851 Elizabeth's family were living in Baker's Row, Whitechapel andher father was described in the census as a gas fitter. I believe heprospered through that business and property development, for although hehad died by the time of his daughter's marriage in 1858, a week beforethe wedding his widow made a settlement of property on Elizabeth.
Great-grandfather then became involved in local government, served on theWhitechapel Vestry and the Metropolitan Board of Works (predecessor tothe London County Council) and as a Churchwarden and Poor Law Guardian.He joined the Tower Hamlets Volunteer Rifles on its establishment in1861. Photographs from 1878, taken from a Memorial Album, show MajorMunro and fellow officers of the 7th Tower Hamlets VR. These photographs,most kindly provided by George Collings, are included on the website.

In November 1858 the Pavilion Theatre was built in Baker's Row, thedeveloper being named in the magazine The Builder as "Miss Connaughton(Mrs Donald Munro)".
After the death of Elizabeth Munro in 1894, leases on the theatre weregranted to various parties, the address now being 191/3 Whitechapel Road.

It became the centre of entertainment in the Jewish East End. YiddishTheatre Groups used it in the 1890s, and from 1906 until closure in 1935,seasons of Yiddish Theatre were the main attraction. Donald Munro,Elizabeth's son, had been Director in 1905. There had been a theatre onthe site since 1828 (known as the New Royal). Capacity had been 3500 in1865, 2650 after reconstruction in 1874, with the final large alterationscompleted in 1894, the year of Elizabeth's death. The architect was herson-in-law, Ernest Runtz, one of her Executors charged with completingthe alterations after her death.

In the Dramatic Register of 1851 the Lessee had been quoted as RichardThorne. Elsewhere the date given is from 1845. In a modestly amusingirony, Donald Munro's obituary in 1888 gave him as marrying a MissThorne, and thereby acquiring property and means to enable him to enterlocal politics. This, of course, was incorrect. The Pavilion Theatre, andthe Baker's Row land, came with his true bride-to-be, ElizabethConnaughton's Marriage Settlement of July 1858.

The theatre was demolished in 1961.

Donald Munro's predecessor but one as Director of the Theatre was MorrisAbrahams (from 4 September 1871). This gentleman served under Donald'sfather as a Commissioner of the Whitechapel Public Baths and Wash-Housesin 1880, when the former was Chairman. The first Commissioners wereappointed in 1874. An example of Victorian family and businessconnections.

Information appearing here about the Pavilion Theatre prompted by aJewish Immigration Exhibition, Sutton Public Library, January 2004, andmaterial sourced by Mrs Jennie Bissett, to whom grateful thanks isextended.

Donald and Elizabeth Munro had three sons who went into City professions,Charles as a solicitor (he was admitted in 1884 and died in 1892 aged29), Harry as a stockbroker (he died in 1956), and Donald (named afterhis father), my grandfather, as an insurance broker.

The religious aspect is interesting. Elizabeth Munro was Roman Catholic,and she married in a Roman Catholic Church. However, her children appearto have been brought up Anglican, and her husband served as an Anglicanchurchwarden. For those times it would have been very unusual for thechildren not to be brought up as Catholics. Irene, daughter of the eldestchild, Mary Anne, who married an architect, Ernest Runtz, in 1883,converted to Catholicism on her marriage to Frank Ronald in 1907. Thatline has continued Roman Catholic, but my grandfather and his brother'sline have been Anglicans. Ernest Runtz's background was Non-Conformist.Quite an ecumenical mix. It can be noted, in this context, that in 2007 alady member of the Munro family was ordained in the Church of England. In2008 she preached at Evensong in a college chapel in Oxford.

As the family fortunes grew, my great-grandparents moved out to Chigwell,then to Chigwell Row, and sent their sons to Chigwell School. Donald, thefather, himself became a Governor of the School in 1882. He was gazettedColonel of the Tower Hamlets in 1884, and had a full military funeral in1888 at the City of London Cemetery in Manor Park E12. In his Will heleft some ?25,000 to his widow.

The East End connection was maintained through my grandfather'sdirectorship of the Pavilion Theatre and his marriage in 1899 to DaisyWood, a younger sister of Marie Lloyd the music hall star. Daisy's ownsuccess on the Halls, to which she returned when grandfather's healthfailed around 1908 - he died in 1911 aged only 39 - was the saving of theprosperity built up by great-grandfather. She retired in 1928, having putmy father through public school and a spell at the London School ofEconomics. She and other members of the family lost heavily in the StockExchange crash of 1929 which hammered the family stockbroking firm, butshe lived on to 1961 in dignified comfort, with a great sense of humour.I have her press cuttings book still, and remember tales told to me as achild of Music Hall life. In 2004 a great-grandson achieved a ChoralAward at Oxford. From music hall to Oxford college chapel had taken alittle over 100 years.

I was fortunate in my early researches in the Mile End Library.Mr.Watton, particularly, was very helpful. I have seen three originaldeeds (the earliest 1863) to which great-grandfather was a party, andalso found mention of him in Vestry Minute books and other localgovernment records.

Great-grandfather's solicitor was a Henry Sadler Mitchell of 5 GreatPrescot Street, Whitechapel, who was Clerk to the Vestry, and to variousother Public Boards.
In the years since this short article was originally written contact hasbeen established with other branches of the family, the Runtzs andRonalds, descended from great-grandfather's first born daughter, who wereconnected to the Birkbeck Building Society & Bank and the Law Guarantee &Trust Society, two financial institutions of the Victorian era thatfailed in the early years of the 20th century. A comprehensive history ofthe family's links with these institutions entitled "Family Connections"was written by my cousin Joan Ronald in 1986, and a copy is deposited inthe libraries of the RIBA and Building Societies Association. Contact hasalso been made with Maurice Munro, descended from great-grandfather'sbrother Thomas (1835-73). Maurice's father, and the author's, were bothborn in 1902. As Third Cousins we share that coincidence.

My children, and nephews, now have available to them a substantial bodyof documentation, back to evidence of theirgreat-great-great-grandfather's marriage to Margaret MacLeod on 23December 1831. They were born in 1807 and 1806 respectively, he mostinterestingly in England, she in Tain. Margaret's birth is shown inparish records as 14 January 1806, but she lost a year on marriage. A notunknown occurrence. Her parents were Thomas MacLeod (weaver) andCatherine Matherson. The County of Ross has been the home of the ClanMunro (vassals to the Earls of Ross) for centuries. For nearly 150 years,however, all of William Munro's known direct descendants have been livingin England, where he was born.
Furthermore, my wife and I married on 23 December, not knowing then ofthe significance. They do say history repeats itself.

Ian Munro November 2008

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Whitechapel District - Metropolitan Board of Works
George Starkins Wallis 1855-1865
Thomas Brushfield 1865-75
Colonel Donald Munro (1875-1888). Munro took seat following death ofBrushfield, 8 October 1875

George Ilsey (1888-1889) . Ilsey took seat following death of Munro 18May 1888

MBW succeeded by London County Council 1889
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For Wikipedia entry refer to My Documents/ Family History / MetropolitanBoard of Works