You can lead a horse to water but a pencil must be lead
Stan Laurel
“Another fine mess” aptly describes the grave of Margaret Jefferson in our local Cathcart Cemetery. Best known as Stan Laurel’s mum, Margaret was also an actress in her own right. Known as Madge she moved to Glasgow in 1901 after her husband Arthur landed the job of theatre manager at Glasgow’s Metropole. This was where their son Arthur Stanley Jefferson would get his first taste of show business. Aged just 16, the young Stan made his first steps into the spotlight, giving his debut performance at the city’s Panoptican in 1906. He later ditched his birthname, Arthur, and adopted his first stage name: Stan Jefferson. In 1921 he switched it again to Stan Laurel.
According to the GlasgowLive website Madge’s unmarked grave went unnoticed for over 100 years. I’m not sure what that means; I can only assume some research of the records uncovered the location. Around 2019 a makeshift memorial appeared. I’m afraid you can only read part of it now.
beware AI, this just in from ChatGPT …
Stan Laurel’s mother’s name was Margaret Jefferson. She was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1865 and later moved to England where she met and married Arthur Jefferson, Stan Laurel’s father. Margaret Jefferson was a stage actress and toured with a theater company, performing in various cities in England. However, when Stan was young, his parents separated, and Margaret moved to the United States with her two sons, Stan and his older brother, Gordon.In the US, Margaret continued to work as an actress and often performed alongside her son, Stan, in vaudeville shows. Despite their close working relationship, Margaret was reportedly a very demanding stage mother and pushed her son to succeed in show business. Margaret passed away in 1925, while Stan was working on the film “Half a Man.”
I came across so many conflicting dates and places when I looked into this, but I’d like to think this is the spot.
beyondtheratrace 