Harriet Siddons (née Murray; 16 April 1783 2 November 1844), sometimes known as Mrs Henry Siddons, was a Scottish actress and theatre manager. Harriet Siddons Wood

Edinburgh referred to her as "Our" Mrs Siddons to distinguish her from her English mother-in-law,

Sarah Siddons Sarah Siddons (''née'' Kemble; 5 July 1755 – 8 June 1831) was a Welsh actress, the best-known tragedienne of the 18th century. Contemporaneous critic William Hazlitt dubbed Siddons as "tragedy personified". She was the elder sister of John ...

Life

She was born Harriet Murray, the daughter of actor

Charles Murray Charles Murray may refer to: Politicians *Charles Murray, 1st Earl of Dunmore (1661–1710), British peer *Charles Murray (author and diplomat) (1806–1895), British author and diplomat *Charles Murray, 7th Earl of Dunmore (1841–1907), Scotti ...

and his second wife Ann Murray born at

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

, Norfolk on 16April 1783. As a young child she appeared at

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

as Prince Arthur on 1July 1793. Her first London appearance was at

Covent Garden Theatre The Royal Opera House (ROH) is an opera house and major performing arts venue in Covent Garden, central London. The large building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. It is the home of The Royal Op ...

as Perdita in ''

The Winter's Tale ''The Winter's Tale'' is a play by William Shakespeare originally published in the First Folio of 1623. Although it was grouped among the comedies, many modern editors have relabelled the play as one of Shakespeare's late romances. Some criti ...

'', 12 May 1798. It was at Covent Garden in 1801 that she and Henry Siddons first appeared on stage together. They married the following year. The two remained at the theatre until the summer of 1805, when they joined the

Drury Lane Theatre The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Drur ...

Company together. She left it with him in 1809. At Covent Garden she played a range of parts, such as Rosalind, Viola, Lady Townly, Lucy Ashton, Desdemona, Beatrice, Portia, Lady Teazle, and Miss Hardcastle. At Drury Lane on 24 September 1805 she was Juliet to

Robert William Elliston Robert William Elliston (7 April 1774 – 7 July 1831) was an English actor and theatre manager. Life He was born in London, the son of a watchmaker. He was educated at St Paul's School, but ran away from home and made his first appearance on ...

's Romeo. After moving to

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

in 1809 with Henry, to take over the Theatre Royal at the east end of

Princes Street Princes Street ( gd, Sràid nam Prionnsan) is one of the major thoroughfares in central Edinburgh, Scotland and the main shopping street in the capital. It is the southernmost street of Edinburgh's New Town, stretching around 1.2 km (three ...

she helped her husband in his managerial work, and also appeared alongside him on stage. Her first Edinburgh role was on 9 November 1809 in the play "

The Honey Moon ''The Honey Moon'' is a play by John Tobin. History It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, on 31 January 1805; Maria Rebecca Davison played Juliana. It opened in Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of S ...

" in which she played Juliana. Together they first lived at 3 Maitland Street then at 3 Forth Street. In 1814 the Drury Lane management made her a tempting offer to play leading female parts to

Edmund Kean Edmund Kean (4 November 178715 May 1833) was a celebrated British Shakespearean stage actor born in England, who performed, among other places, in London, Belfast, New York, Quebec, and Paris. He was known for his short stature, tumultuo ...

, but she declined. When Henry Siddons died in 1815 the affairs of the Edinburgh Theatre were in a bad state, but, with her brother

William Henry Murray William Henry Wood Murray (1790–1852), a Scottish actor, manager and theatre owner in Edinburgh, was a friend of Walter Scott and particularly associated with dramatisations of Scott's Waverley Novels. Life Born in Bath on 26 August 1790, h ...

, she continued to steer clear of all difficulties, and eventually was able to retire at the end of her 21 years' lease of the theatre. The turning point in the fortunes of the house had been the production on 15 February 1819 of ''Rob Roy'', in which Charles Mackay made a hit as the Bailie. When the same piece was played by royal command before

George IV George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from the death of his father, King George III, on 29 January 1820, until his own death ten y ...

, on the occasion of his visit to Scotland, Siddons played, for that night only, the part of Diana Vernon. Due to English-Scottish tensions and post-Jacobite feelings, the promotion of Scots-based stories had to be placed in the past and labelled as fictions to disguise their anti-English stance and Sir Walter Scott wrote many pieces especially for the theatre. Scott was a close friend to Harriet. In 1827 Mrs Siddons moved to 23 Windsor Street, a handsome Georgian townhouse designed by

William Henry Playfair William Henry Playfair FRSE (15 July 1790 – 19 March 1857) was a prominent Scottish architect in the 19th century, who designed the Eastern, or Third, New Town and many of Edinburgh's neoclassical landmarks. Life Playfair was born on 15 ...

. The house lies around ten minutes walk from the site of the Theatre. In 1830 Mrs Siddons paid the final of 21 annual rental payments of £2000 to the trustees of the owner of the Theatre Royal, Mr John Jackson, and thereafter became outright owner of the theatre. Siddons' farewell benefit took place on 29 March 1830, and

Sir 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' ...

wrote for the occasion an address which she delivered. Her final role on this night was as Lady Townley in the play "

The Provoked Husband ''The Provoked Husband'' is a 1728 comedy play by the British writer and actor Colley Cibber, based on a fragment of play written by John Vanbrugh. It is also known by the longer title ''The Provok'd Husband: or, a Journey to London''. Vanbrugh ...

". Mrs Siddons continued to live in Edinburgh for the rest of her life and became a popular figure in Edinburgh society. The city was very proud of her and referred to her as "Our Mrs Siddons". She moved to 29 Abercromby Place in her final years - a more central location for society affairs.Edinburgh Post Office Directory 1844 She died at home on Abercromby Place on 2 November 1844 aged 61. She is buried with her husband in

Greyfriars Kirkyard Greyfriars Kirkyard is the graveyard surrounding Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland. It is located at the southern edge of the Old Town, adjacent to George Heriot's School. Burials have been taking place since the late 16th century, and a num ...

. The grave lies in the south-west corner next to the entrance to the "Covenanters Prison".

Epilogue

Her brother,

took out a 21 year lease on the theatre from Harriet in 1830 and ran the Theatre Royal as manager from 1830 to 1851. The use was relocated to Broughton Street soon after his retiral, built in a high Victorian style. It original theatre was demolished in 1895 to make way for the General Post Office Scottish headquarters building. All that remains of the original is a cast-iron hitching post on the pavement edge where riders would hitch their horses outside the Theatre.

Notes

;Bibliography * ;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Siddons, Harriet 1783 births 1844 deaths Scottish child actresses Scottish stage actresses Scottish theatre managers and producers 18th-century Scottish actresses 19th-century Scottish actresses 18th-century British actresses 19th-century British actresses Burials at Greyfriars Kirkyard 19th-century British businesspeople