Sketches, Dispatches, Hull Tales and Ballads - University of Hull

100
The Hull and Yorkshire Times reports that it was nearly eleven years
before Dickens visited Hull again, on his final provincial reading
tour in 1869. Arrangements were made for two readings on 10th
and 12th of March, 1869, with a visit to York scheduled in between
on 11th March. The advertisement read:
MUSIC HALL, JARRATT ST
Messrs Chappell and Co beg to
announce that they have made
arrangements with
MR CHARLES DICKENS
for
TWO FAREWELL READINGS
The only readings Mr Dickens
will ever give in Hull
On Wednesday evening, March 10,
1869,
when he will read his
‘BOOTS AT THE HOLLY
TREE INN’,
Sikes and Nancy (from ‘OLIVER TWIST’), and Mrs Gamp
On Friday evening March 12,
1869,
‘DR MARIGOLD’
and Mr Bob Sawyer’s Party
(from ‘PICKWICK’)
The second reading was cancelled however as Dickens was called to
attend the London funeral of a friend.
The paper reports that the readings were disappointing this time
around. Bookings were not up to expectations and the response was
less enthusiastic than it had been in 1858. It would appear that the
fault lay partly with Dickens’ agent who not only raised the ticket
prices to 7s, 4s and 1s, but may well have made a mistake in thinking