Carry on in the sense of making a fuss, I associate with cockneys. "She was carrying on summat chronic."

I would say it meant continue rather than persevere. Hence the titles of the Carry On series of films of the 1960s and 1970s. I understand they are not well known in foreign parts, so here is IMDB's list of some of them: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060214/recommendations



Bingley

Bingley