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Christopher Rich (theatre Manager)
Christopher Rich (1657–1714) was a lawyer and theatrical manager in London in the late 17th and early 18th century. Life Originally an attorney, Rich purchased, on 24 March 1688, from Alexander D'Avenant, who was co-patentee with Charles Killigrew, a share in the management of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, Theatre Royal. D'Avenant retired, while Killigrew allowed Rich to become the active partner. With the management of the Drury Lane theatre was combined that of the subordinate house in Dorset Garden. From the first Rich was involved in continual lawsuits and difficulties with the actors, the proprietors, and the lord chamberlain, but his legal training fitted him to cope. Christopher Rich managed the monopoly United Company from 1693, with such autocratic methods that the senior actors including Thomas Betterton, Elizabeth Barry, and Anne Bracegirdle rebelled. His difficulties were at their height in 1695, when Betterton obtained a patent for a new theatre in Lincoln's Inn F ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alexander D'Avenant
Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Aleksander and Aleksandr. Related names and diminutives include Iskandar, Alec, Alek, Alex, Alexandre (given name), Alexandre, Aleks (given name), Aleks, Aleksa (given name), Aleksa and Sander (name), Sander; feminine forms include Alexandra, Alexandria (given name), Alexandria, and Sasha (name), Sasha. Etymology The name ''Alexander'' originates from the (; 'defending men' or 'protector of men'). It is a compound of the verb (; 'to ward off, avert, defend') and the noun (, genetive, genitive: , ; meaning 'man'). It is an example of the widespread motif of Greek names expressing "battle-prowess", in this case the ability to withstand or push back an enemy shield wall, battle line. The earliest Attested langua ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Henry Brett (colonel)
Henry Brett (died 1724) was an English man about town, an army officer and Tory politician. He was involved in the theatrical world, and an associate of the playwrights Joseph Addison and Richard Steele. Life He was the eldest son of Henry Brett of Cowley, Gloucestershire. Colley Cibber, who was a close friend, says that the young Brett was sent to Oxford and entered at the Temple, but was an idler about town in 1700, when he married Anne, the divorced wife of Charles Gerard, 2nd Earl of Macclesfield, who succeeded to the title in 1693. She was daughter of Sir Richard Mason, knight, of Sutton, Surrey, and married the Earl of Macclesfield, then Lord Brandon, in 1683, but separated from him soon after. She had two illegitimate children, one of whom, by Richard Savage, 4th Earl Rivers, was possibly the poet Richard Savage. The countess was divorced in 1698, when her fortune was returned to her, and two years later she married Henry Brett. He was very handsome, and the lady's sympathy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anne Shadwell
Anne Shadwell was an English stage actor of the seventeenth century. She was one of the first English actresses to appear on stage following the Restoration She was one of six actors recruited in 1660 by William Davenant for the new Duke's Company, acting under her maiden name Anne Gibbs. Sometime between 1663 and 1667 she married the playwright Thomas Shadwell with whom she had four children. While some sources have her acting late into the century, it may be she effectively retired with the formation of the United Company in 1682. Her appearances had decreased since 1672. Following her husband's death in 1692 she was left the bulk of his estate. She had an investment in the Drury Lane Theatre in 1709, when she joined a petition to Queen Anne by the manager Christopher Rich, but nothing is known about her after this point.Highfill, Burnim & Langhans p.275-277 Selected roles * Lucia in ''The Cutter of Coleman Street'' by Abraham Cowley (1661) * Decio in '' The Slighted Maid'' by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Hervey, 1st Earl Of Bristol
John Hervey, 1st Earl of Bristol (27 August 1665 – 20 January 1751) was an English politician. John Hervey was born in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, the son of Sir Thomas Hervey. He was educated in Bury and at Clare College, Cambridge. He became one of the two Members of Parliament for the town five years after his father in March 1694. In March 1703 he was created 1st Baron Hervey, of Ickworth in the county of Suffolk, and in October 1714 was created 1st Earl of Bristol as a reward for his zeal in promoting the principles of the revolution and supporting the Hanoverian succession. Estates The principal estate owned by John Hervey was Ickworth which his ancestor Thomas Hervey (d. 1467) acquired following his marriage to Jane Drury, the sole heiress to Henry Drury. However when he married Elizabeth Felton, he acquired property in other parts of Suffolk: Tuddenham, Playford and Shotley following the death of her father Sir Thomas Felton, 4th Baronet in 1709. Marriages ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Francis North, 2nd Baron Guilford
Francis North, 2nd Baron Guilford PC (14 December 1673 – 17 October 1729) was a British peer and member of the House of Lords. Life In 1685, he succeeded his father Francis North as Baron Guilford. In 1701 he was one of five peers of the realm who voted against the Act of Settlement (which excluded the House of Stuart The House of Stuart, originally spelt Stewart, was a royal house of Scotland, England, Ireland and later Great Britain. The family name comes from the office of High Steward of Scotland, which had been held by the family progenitor Walter fi ... from the English throne) in the House of Lords, and who felt strongly enough to enter written protests in the House of Lords Journal.House of Lords Journal, Volume 16: 22 May 1701, in https://www.british-history.ac.uk/lords-jrnl/vol16/pp698-699#h3-0009. Retrieved 1 October 2019. From 1703 to 1705, Guilford was Lord Lieutenant of Essex. In 1712, he was appointed to the Privy Council of Great Britain, Privy Council ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Collier (MP)
William Collier may refer to: * William Collier Jr. (1902–1987), American actor * William Collier Sr. (1864–1944), American writer, director and actor * William Collier (colonist) (c. 1585–1671), English settler in Massachusetts * William Collier (MP), MP for Truro Truro (; kw, Truru) is a cathedral city and civil parish in Cornwall, England. It is Cornwall's county town, sole city and centre for administration, leisure and retail trading. Its population was 18,766 in the 2011 census. People of Truro ..., 1713–15, and manager of the Drury Lane Theatre * William Collier (footballer) (1890–?), Scottish footballer, played for Scotland in 1922 * William Miller Collier (1867–1956), American diplomat See also * William Collier Smithers (1795–1861), English author {{hndis, Collier, William ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charles D'Avenant
Charles Davenant (1656–1714) was an English mercantilist economist, politician, and pamphleteer. He was Tory member of Parliament for St Ives (Cornwall), and for Great Bedwyn. Life He was born in London as the eldest son of Sir William Davenant, the poet. He was educated at Cheam grammar school and Balliol College, Oxford, but left the university without taking a degree. He became manager of his father's theatre. Having taken the degree of LL.D., he became a member of Doctors' Commons. In 1678 Davenant was appointed Commissioner of the Excise, earning £500 per year (); taxes were collected using the "farming system". In 1683 when Britain ended the tax farming system, Davenant received £1000 per year as Commissioner. In 1685 he was elected to Parliament as M.P. for St Ives. However, the revolution of 1688 saw James II exiled to France and William of Orange installed as king by Parliament. In 1689 Davenant lost his position as Commissioner of the Excise, and his loan to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anne Oldfield
Anne Oldfield (168323 October 1730) was an English actress and one of the highest paid actresses of her time. Early life and discovery She was born in London in 1683. Her father was a soldier, James Oldfield. Her mother was either Anne or Elizabeth Blanchard. Her grandfather owned a tavern and left her father several properties, he however mortgaged these which resulted in Anne and her mother being placed in financial difficulty when he died young. It appears that Oldfield received some education because her biographers state that she read widely in her youth. Oldfield and her mother went to live with her aunt, Mrs Voss, in the Mitre tavern, St James. In 1699, she attracted George Farquhar's attention when he overheard her reciting lines from Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher's play ''The Scornful Lady'' (1616) in a back room of her tavern. Soon after, she was hired by Christopher Rich to join the cast of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Career A year later she was cast in he ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Mills (stage Actor)
John Mills (c.1670–1736) was a British stage actor. A long-standing part of the Drury Lane company from 1695 until his death, he appeared in both comedies and tragedies. His wife Margaret Mills was an actress, and his son William Mills also became an actor at Drury Lane. He was a friend of the playwright Richard Steele and Robert Wilks the lead actor and manager at Drury Lane with whom he frequently appeared on stage. He died on 17 December 1736, thirteen days after performing in his final role as the King in '' Henry IV, Part 2''.Highfill, Burnim & Langhans p.249 Selected roles * Pedro in '' Agnes de Castro'' by Catherine Trotter (1695) * Castillio in ''Neglected Virtue'' by Charles Hopkins (1696) * Pisano in ''The Unhappy Kindness'' by Thomas Scott (1696) * Lovewell in ''Love and a Bottle'' by George Farquhar (1698) * Colonel Darange in '' The Campaigners'' by Thomas D'Urfey (1698) * Vizard in ''The Constant Couple'' by George Farquhar (1699) * Don Duart in ''Love Makes a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Benefit Performance
A benefit performance is a type of live entertainment which is undertaken for a cause. In its original usage, benefit performances were opportunities for an actor to supplement his/her income. In its modern usage, benefit performances are given to raise money for or awareness of a humanitarian cause, or for the immediate benefit of an audience. As a benefit for performers The concept of a benefit performance originates in England where they were used from at least 1685 to about 1870. During this time, a theater performer would be hired with a contract typically stipulating at least one benefit performance a year. For this event, the actor's employer, the theater company, would offer the ''bénéficiaire'' (as the recipient was termed) 100% (in the case of a "clear" benefit) of the event's proceeds as a bonus pay. Other forms of the benefit were the "half-clear" benefit in which the artist was entitled to 50% of the proceeds. There were also instances of multiple actors appearin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Richard Estcourt
Richard Estcourt (1668–1712) was an English actor, who began by playing comedy parts in Dublin. His first London appearance was in 1704 as Dominick, in Dryden's ''Spanish Friar'', and he continued to take important parts at Drury Lane, being the original Pounce in Steele's ''Tender Husband'' (1705), Sergeant Kite in Farquhar Farquhar is a surname of Scotland, Scottish origin, derived from the Scottish Gaelic ''fearchar'', from ''fear'' ("man") and ''car'' ("beloved"). Farquharson is a further derivation of the name, meaning "son of Farquhar". The name originated as a g ...'s ''Recruiting Officer'', and Sir Francis Gripe in Mrs Centlivre's ''Busybody''. He was an excellent mimic and a great favourite socially. Estcourt wrote a comedy, ''The Fair Example, or the Modish Citizen'' (1703), and ''Prunella'' (1704), an interlude. He also was the first president of the first London Beefsteak Club.''Chambers's Journal'', 5 June 1869, p. 353 References 1668 births 1712 death ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robert Wilks
Robert Wilks (''c.'' 1665 – 27 September 1732) was a British actor and theatrical manager who was one of the leading managers of Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in its heyday of the 1710s. He was, with Colley Cibber and Thomas Doggett, one of the "triumvirate" of actor-managers that was denounced by Alexander Pope and caricatured by William Hogarth as leaders of the decline in theatrical standards and degradation of the stage's literary tradition. The family was based for many generations in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire. His great-uncle, Judge Wilks, had served Charles I of England during the English Civil War, for whom he raised a troop at his own expense. After Oliver Cromwell won the civil war, Wilks' father moved to Dublin, where Robert Wilks was born. He was a clerk to Robert Southwell until he joined the Williamite army. As soon as he was discharged from the army, he worked in the Smock Alley Theatre in Dublin from 1691 to 1693. According to Wilks's version of the story ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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