Mabel Hardcastle (née Grimshaw) was an important figure in the history of Weatherfield. Mabel was the illegitimate child of a Hackney chambermaid called Beatrice. As a baby, she was left with Archie and Agnes Grimshaw and raised in an East London slum dwelling. At twelve, Mabel was told the truth about her parentage and left home to take over Agnes's sister's lodgings at the Bluebell Tavern in Poplar. Landlord Charles Deakin gave her a job as a skivvy and, thinking her a talented singer, invited her on stage, where she proved an immediate hit with the audience. Another fan of Mabel's voice was Louis Rambaud, owner of the Coronet Theatre in Hackney, who on hearing her singing in a music shop signed her up right away. As Rosa Hanbury, Mabel entertained large audiences in London's music halls