Clayton

History

Ernest Charles Clayden was born at Clavering, Essex, in 1870, the second child of Charles Clayden and Mary Anne Clayden (neé Wright). His uncle, Thomas Wright, was a professional balloonist, and probably introduced his young nephew to ballooning and to the other notable balloonists of the era.

Throughout the 1890s Clayden appears to have been working as an actor. Soon after this he seems to have started a venture with "Professor Fleet" (Charles Horace Fleet, 1873–1944), a renowned parachutist and balloonist.

In 1903 (now as "Captain Clayton of Walthamstow" he staged his own ballooning event at an August Bank Holiday event at Hastings. He appears to have changed his business name from Ernest Clayden to Cecil Clayton around 1897; the title of "Captain" was simply adopted for business purposes.

Clayton continued ballooning, providing entertainers for local shows, fetes and garden-parties, but at the same time became particularly involved with the theatre company in Mansfield and Sutton in Ashfield and the building in 1905 of both the Grand Theatre, Mansfield, (also known as the Royal Opera House) and of the nearby King's Theatre, Sutton, was attributed to him.

In July 1909 he appeared at Pleasley Flower Show (near Mansfield) and 'narrowly escaped death by asphyxiation due to a gas leak. He is also known to have made balloon ascents at Dursley Fete, but that same month, Blériot flew the channel and Clayden/Claytons interest clearly turned towards powered flight. During 1909-10 he attended the Bleriot Training School at Pau, returning to England in spring with his own Blériot. The Duke of Portland has given him permission to use a large tract of land near Mansfield as a flying ground. There, he also set to building his own machine, a biplane fitted with a seven-cylinder rotary engine of 60 to 70 h.p. that, according to The Aero of 12 April 1910, “he expects to have it on trial in a few days”. By the 14 June 1910 edition, it was “practically finished, and is being fitted with a 70 h.p. Rotary Empress motor”, corrected the next week to “now being fitted with an Alvaston motor”. Mention of Claytons’ biplane can be found as late as November 1911, but there seems no evidence it flew.

Meanwhile he was arranging to provide flying displays at agricultural and other country-shows, the showman in Clayton finding he could arrange very profitable deals. He flew at other venues in summer 1910, sometimes successfully, sometimes not, but his appearance at Worcester in June 1910 was a disaster. Having a sprained ankle, Clayton allowed his mechanic, Ernest d'Artigan (real name Beresford) to fly instead. The plane veered into the crowd, killing a woman, and injuring other spectators. The inquest jury censured Clayton and Beresford, and the incident also led to an article in 'Flight' referring to “pseudo-aviators” who should not be allowed to endanger the public.

Despite this, and the fact he never had any form of Flying Certificate, Clayton kept flying for at least another year, but clearly his interest waned. Clayton became interested in the growing craze for cinema and, on 20th October 1913, he opened the Palace, originally known as the Electric Palace, the first cinema in Waltham Cross.

Ernest Charles Clayden died in 1958 in Wood Green, Middlesex, England, at the age of 88.

Company References

1. https://davidandkay.me.uk/misc/clayton.pdf
2. The Aero 12 April 1910
3. Flight 25 June 1910
4. https://www.hertsmemories.org.uk/content/herts-history/leisure/cinema/waltham-cross-cinemas

Project Data

Production Details and Type Description

Total Clayton Production1