Atlas & Vulcana History

Miriam Kate (Vulcana) Roberts , (1875-1946) was a famous lightweight strongwoman was born of Irish parents. She took the artistic name "Vulcana" when was performing with strength demonstrations in the English Music Hall. Although she weighed just 57 kilograms, she lifted 65 kilograms above the head with one hand. When she was young she loved running without rest, climbing to the trees and all those things that girls were not supposed to do.

Being a middle school student she surprised her classmates by carrying the school organ. Years later, in the Music Hall of London, her specialty was lifting men. Although her power stunts were not especially innovative, being the typical for strongwomen, Vulcana was the first woman who included in her repertoire the unique stunt, so-called "Tomb of Hercules" which had been performed just by few powerful men. This act consisted in supporting a big platform placing on the abdomen of the performer who leans backwards on the floor by the hands and legs. The wonder is that two horses with their attendants stood on that platform and leave it for a few seconds. It is said that once, in Paris, she caught a thief, grabbed him and took him to a police precinct. She convinced women to be in charge of their own physical development. She struggled against the custom of wearing corsets considering this part of women's equipment to be unnatural that was an instrument of torturing grandmothers of that epoch. There are a lot of legends about her strength and courage.

There are many other legends and stories about Vulcana's exploits. One story tells how dressed up Kate broke into a brawl between two drunk marines in a London restaurant. Allegedly, she seized the both scrappers by the collar and tossed them to the sides. One brawler disliked that and having risen from the floor pounced on Kate with fists. What the surprise was for everyone after the dressed up lady grabbed him by hand and twisted it so intense that he stuck to the floor by his nose. Another legendary incident happened on a circus show in Bristol when volunteers were called to wrestle a local male wrestler. Being incognito among spectators Miss Vulcana dressed as an ordinary woman volunteered for the wrestling. The wrestler was embarrassed and attempted to refuse but the audience demanded the match so zealously that the circus owner ordered him to go and to pretend wrestling. However, unexpectedly the femininely looking woman grabbed the luckless wrestler by waist, threw him over her head and dropped to the mat remaining on foot.
She married William (Atlas) Hedley Roberts (1864-1946) but they pretended to be brother and sister to preserve their act. They had six children William, Hedley, Augustus, Arthur, Nora and Mona. Daughter Nora Roberts became a small part actress and appeared in the early black and white HG Wells Sci Fi film 'Shape of things to come'.

Daughter Mona (1900 - 1946) married Haydon Vanderstay and had five children. Maurice, Michael, Robert, Valerie and Gloria. Maurice Vanderstay (b 1925) married Beryl Bickerton and had Three children. Susan, Jane and Belinda.

Son Hedley Roberts also married ? and had five children Colin, David, Ileen, Deirdre, and Donald.

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