Edward Stirling (April 1809 – c. September 1894) was an English stage manager, actor and dramatist. He published around 200 works for the stage, many being adaptations of works by popular authors, notably

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'', ''Rob Roy (n ...

and

Harrison Ainsworth William Harrison Ainsworth (4 February 18053 January 1882) was an English historical novelist born at King Street in Manchester. He trained as a lawyer, but the legal profession held no attraction for him. While completing his legal studies in ...

, often within days of the novel's publication. He married an actress who went on to a long and illustrious career as Mrs Stirling.

History

Stirling was born Edward Stirling Lambert in

Thame Thame is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about east of the city of Oxford and southwest of Aylesbury. It derives its name from the River Thame which flows along the north side of the town and forms part of the county border wi ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

, and started working life as a banker's clerk. Around age 20 he began his stage career first as an actor in the provinces, then as actor/stage manager at the Adelphi, London for Frederick Henry Yates, later took on production at other theatres, finally at

Drury Lane Drury Lane is a street on the eastern boundary of the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster. Notable landmarks ...

Writing

His first successful work for the stage was ''Sadak and Kalasrade'', a spectacular drama. Apart from his original plays he "adapted" the latest novels of Dickens and other authors for the stage. His adaptation of '' The Cricket on the Hearth'' played at the Adelphi for over 90 performances. Among his numerous titles were: *''The Thirst for Gold, or the Sea of Ice''

T. W. Robertson Thomas William Robertson (9 January 1829 – 3 February 1871) was an English dramatist and stage director. Born to a theatrical family, Robertson began as an actor, but he was not a success and gave up acting in his late 20s. After earning a m ...

produced another version. *''The Ragpicker of Paris and the Dressmaker of St Antoine'' *''Aline, the Rose of Killarney'' (1843) adaptation of Gaetano Rossi's ''

Linda di Chamounix ''Linda di Chamounix'' is an operatic ''melodramma semiserio'' in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. The Italian libretto was written by Gaetano Rossi. It premiered in Vienna, at the Kärntnertortheater, on 19 May 1842. Performance history ''Li ...

''. C. Z. Barnett adapted the same libretto for his ''Linda, the Pearl of Savoy''. *''The Bohemians; or, After Dark in Paris'' *''Margaret Catchpole'' became the film ''

The Romantic Story of Margaret Catchpole ''The Romantic Story of Margaret Catchpole'', generally referred to as ''Margaret Catchpole'', is a 1911 Australian silent film directed by Raymond Longford and starring Lottie Lyell. It is based on the true story of Margaret Catchpole, an advent ...

'' Other titles include *''Above and Below'' *''The Anchor of Hope; or the Seaman's Star'' *''Bachelors Buttons'' *''Barnaby Rudge'' (Dickens) *''The Battle of Life'' (Dickens) *''The Bluejackets; or, Her Majesty's Service'' *''The Bohemians; or, The Rogues of Paris'' *''The Bould Soger Boy'' *''The Cabin Boy'' *''Captain Charlotte'' *''The Children in the Wood; or, Harlequin Nobody'' *''

A Christmas Carol; or, Past, Present, and Future ''A Christmas Carol; or, Past, Present, and Future'' is a play in three acts (or ‘Staves’) by Edward Stirling (playwright), Edward Stirling at the Adelphi Theatre in London on 5 February 1844.T. W. Robertson Thomas William Robertson (9 January 1829 – 3 February 1871) was an English dramatist and stage director. Born to a theatrical family, Robertson began as an actor, but he was not a success and gave up acting in his late 20s. After earning a m ...

produced another version. *''The Fortunes of Smike; or, A Sequel to Nicholas Nickleby'' (Dickens) *''The Giant of Palestine'' *''Grace Darling; or, The Wreck at Sea'' *''The Hand of Cards'' *''Harlequin Blue Beard; or, The Fairy of the Silver Crescent'' *''Industry and Indolence; or, The Orphan's Legacy'' *''Jane Lomax; or, A Mother's Curse'' *''The Jockey Club'' *''Knight of the Dragon and the Queen of Beauty'' *''Lestelle'' *''The Little Back Parlour'' *''The Love Gift; or, The Trials of Poverty'' *''A Lucky Hit'' *''The Miser's Daughter'' (Harrison Ainsworth) *''Nicholas Nickleby; or, Doings at Do-the-Boys Hall '' (Dickens) *''Norah Creina'' *''The Old Curiosity Shop; or, One Hour from Humphrey's Clock'' (Dickens) *''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'' (Dickens) *''On the Tiles'' *''Popping In and Out'' *''Rifle Volunteers; or, Riflemen! Riflemen! Riflemen! Form!'' *''The Rose of Corbeil; or the Forest of Senart'' *''The Serpent of the Nile; or, The Battle of Actium'' *''The Tower of London; or, Og, Gog, and Magog'' (Harrison Ainsworth) *''Ulrica; or, The Prisoner of State'' *''Wanted a Wife; or, London, Liverpool and Bristol'' *''The Wreck at Sea; or, The Fern Light'' *''Yankee Notes for English Circulation'' (Dickens) In 1881 he published a memoir: ''Old Drury Lane – Fifty Years' Recollections'' in 2 volumes, which at least one critic enjoyed but another found worthless as a history.

Marriage

Stirling married the actress Miss Fanny Clifton (29 July 1913 or July 1816 – December 1895) in 1832. Born Mary Ann Hehl, she was a daughter of Captain Hehl, a military secretary at the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

. Her career blossomed when she took

Helen Faucit Helena Saville Faucit, Lady Martin (11 October 1817 – 31 October 1898) was an English actress. Early life Born in London, she was the daughter of actors John Saville Faucit and Harriet Elizabeth Savill. Her parents separated when she was a g ...

's part in the role of Clara in Lytton’s play ''

Money Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are as ...

''. Their daughter, Miss Fanny Stirling, made her appearance on the stage about 1860, and gained some reputation as an actress. (Elsewhere her name is given as Pamela Stirling.) Mrs. Stirling retired from the stage in 1886, her last appearance being at The Lyceum as Martha in '' Faust'' in 1890. In 1894, six weeks after Stirling's death, she married Lieut-Colonel Sir Charles Hutton Gregory, a well-known civil and military engineer. She was 79 years of age and he was 78. The wedding was covered sympathetically by all the newspapers, whereas Stirling's death received no mention at the time, and later only in reference to this marriage, and in the most unflattering terms.

Notes and references

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stirling, Edward 1809 births 1894 deaths 19th-century English dramatists and playwrights Plays based on works by Charles Dickens