Edward Evans Townsend (1766–1809) was a Welsh stage actor and singer. After making his reputation as a touring actor in Yorkshire, notably at

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...

under the management of Tate Wilkinson, he was at the Theatre Royal, Norwich in the early 1790s. He also appeared in Ireland at the

Crow Street Theatre Crow Street Theatre was a theatre in Dublin, Ireland, originally opened in 1758 by the actor Spranger Barry. From 1788 until 1818 it was a patent theatre. History Spranger Barry and Henry Woodward The actor Spranger Barry (1719–1777), born ...

and the

Theatre Royal, Cork The Theatre Royal was a patent theatre located in Cork City, Ireland. History The Theatre Royal was founded by local actor Spranger Barry in 1760. It was modelled on the Crow Street Theatre, Dublin. In 1766 when he left for London, Barry contr ...

. On 14 November 1793 Townsend took the title role in the opera ''Robin Hood'' at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden in London's West End. He remained part of the Covent Garden company until 1802, appearing particularly in comic operas and pantomimes. He took over the Horns Tavern near Kennington Common in 1803, and continued to perform at Sadler's Wells and other London venues as a singer. He died at the Horns Tavern on 22 March 1809 and was buried at St Mary, Lambeth. His wife Elizabeth Townsend was an actress, who appeared at Covent Garden in the 1790s.Highfill, Burnim & Langhan p.89

Selected roles

* Major Drummond in ''Arrived in Portsmouth'' by William Pearce (1794) * Robin in '' Life's Vagaries'' by John O'Keeffe (1795) * Tim in ''

The Bank Note ''The Bank Note: Or Lessons for Ladies'' is a 1795 comedy play by the Irish writer and actor William Macready the Elder. Its plot draws inspiration from William Taverner's '' The Artful Husband'' as well as other earlier plays.Nicoll p.170 Macr ...

'' by

William Macready the Elder William Macready the Elder (1755–1829) was an Irish actor-manager. Early life The son of a Dublin upholsterer, Macready started his career playing in Irish country towns. He joined the Capel Street Theatre in Dublin in 1782, and the Crow Stree ...

(1795) * Devereux in ''

The Wicklow Mountains ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in En ...

'' by John O'Keeffe (1795) * Jack Junk in '' The Mouth of the Nile'' by Thomas John Dibdin (1798) * Costly in ''

Laugh When You Can ''Laugh When You Can'' is a 1798 comedy play by the British writer Frederick Reynolds. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden in London on 8 December 1798. The original cast included William Thomas Lewis as Gossamer, Joseph Shepherd ...

'' by Frederick Reynolds (1798)

References

Bibliography

* Greene, John C. ''Theatre in Dublin, 1745–1820: A Calendar of Performances''. Lehigh University Press, 2011. * Highfill, Philip H, Burnim, Kalman A. & Langhans, Edward A. ''A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Musicians, Dancers, Managers & Other Stage Personnel in London, 1660–1800, Volume 15''. SIU Press, 1993. 18th-century Welsh actors Welsh male stage actors 19th-century British male actors 18th-century British male actors 19th-century Welsh male actors 1766 births 1809 deaths {{UK-stage-actor-stub