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Barnett Nathan

Barnett Nathan
Caricature of Nathan from the satirical magazine The Man in the Moon (1847)
Born	1793 (1793) Canterbury, Great Britain
Died	6 December 1856(1856-12-06) (aged 62–63) London, United Kingdom
Burial place	Bancroft Road Jewish Cemetery, Covent Garden
Other names	Baron of Rosherville
Spouse	Caroline Buckley ​ (m. 1816)​
Relatives	Isaac Nathan (brother)

Barnett Nathan (1793 – 6 December 1856), known professionally as Baron Nathan, was an English impresario, entertainer, and dancing master. He acted for many years as master of ceremonies and managing director at Rosherville Gardens.^[1]

Biography[edit]

Barnett Nathan was born in Canterbury, the youngest child of Jewish parents Mary (née Goldsmid) and Menachem Mona (or Muna), and was given the Hebrew name Baruch ben Menachem.^[2] His Polish-born father was cantor of the local synagogue.^[3] Barnett's elder brother, Isaac Nathan, would come to be an accomplished musician and composer,^[4] and one sister would become a professional harpist.^[5] On 6 July 1816, he eloped with Caroline Buckley of Bristol, the sister of Isaac's second wife.^[6][2]

A venture into music publishing with Isaac ended in bankruptcy,^[7] and Nathan became a dancing instructorinKennington. There he opened a dance academy,^[8] and from 1834 he led dancing at the Tivoli GardensinMargate.^[3] In 1842, he was permanently installed as master of ceremonies and managing director at Rosherville GardensinGravesend, Kent,^[9][10] where he spent every summer until his death.^[11] On his benefit nights he would perform his famous 'egg dance', which consisted of dancing the hornpipe blindfolded on a stage that was covered in eggs and teaware.^[12]

He died at his home on 6 December 1856 from the rupture of a blood vessel in the head,^[13] and was buried at the Bancroft Road Jewish Cemetery in Covent Garden.^[14]

Parodies[edit]

Nathan was a well-known personality, who was frequently parodied in the satirical magazines Diogenes,^[15] The Puppet-Show,^[16] The Comic Almanack,^[17] and Punch.^{[18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25]}InRobin Hood and Richard Cœur de Lion, an opera burlesquebyJoachim Hayward Stocqueler, Shirley Brooks, and Charles Kenney, the titular character declares:

This ready courtesy's beyond belief.
A handsome hall! Baron, I vow you will
Eclipse your peer, the Lord of Rosherville,
The dancing nobleman, whose power we see
Makes even gents dance almost decently.^[26]

References[edit]

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Jacobs, Joseph; Lipkind, Goodman (1905). "Nathan, Barnett (known as Baron Nathan)". In Singer, Isidore; et al. (eds.). The Jewish Encyclopedia. Vol. 9. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. p. 178.