Yvette Guilbert

GUILBERT, YVETTE (1869– ), French disease, was born in Paris. She soon won an immense vogue by her rendering of songs drawn from Parisian lower-class life, or from the humours of the Latin Quarter, les Quatre-z-Etudiants and the Hotel du numero trois being among her early triumphs. Her adoption of an habitual yellow dress and long black gloves, her studied sim plicity of diction, and her ingenuous delivery of songs charged with risque meaning, made her famous. She owed something to M. Xanrof, who for a long time composed songs especially for her, and perhaps still more to Aristide Bruant, who wrote many of her argot songs. She made successful tours in England, Germany and America. In 1895 she married Dr. M. Schiller. In later years she discarded something of her earlier manner, and sang songs of the "pompadour" and the "crinoline" period in costume.

She published the novels

La Vedette and Les Demi-vieilles, both in 19o2, and La Chanson de ma vie (mes memoires) in 1927. GUILDFORD, municipal borough and county town of Sur rey, England. Pop. 29 m. S.W. of London by the Southern railway. Guildford (Gyldeford, Geldeford), a pos session of King Alfred, was a royal borough throughout the middle ages. It owed its rise to its command of trade routes. It is first mentioned as a borough in 1131. Henry III. granted its inhabi tants in 1256, freedom from all toll throughout the kingdom and a county court. Elizabeth in 158o confirmed earlier privileges, and other charters were granted in 1603, 1626 and 1686. The borough was incorporated in 1486. During the middle ages the government of the town rested with a powerful merchant gild. Two members for Guildford sat in the parliament of 1295, and the borough continued to return two representatives until 1867. Edward II. granted two fairs, at the feast of St. Matthew (Sept. 21) and at Trinity respectively. Henry VII. granted fairs on the feast of St. Martin (Nov. 11) and St. George (April 23). Fairs in May for the sale of sheep and in November for the sale of cattle are still held. The market rights date at least from 1276, and three weekly markets are still held. The cloth trade which formed the staple industry at Guildford in the middle ages is now extinct.

Some old streets contain gabled houses, with quaint lattices and curious doorways. Well preserved ruins of a Norman castle stand above the town. The church of St. Mary is Norman and Early English, with later additions; its aisles retain their eastward apses. The churches of St. Nicholas and Holy Trinity are modern ones on ancient sites. The town hall dates from 1683. Abbot's hospital, founded by Archbishop Abbot in 1619, is a Tudor brick building. The Royal Free grammar school was founded in 1509, and incorporated by Edward VI. The town has flour mills and iron foundries, and a large trade in grain, and live stock fairs are held. Formerly a suffragan bishopric in the diocese of Win chester, Guildford was constituted a diocese in 1927.