Henrietta Amelia Leeson (1751 – 6 December 1826) was an English actress of the 18th-century. Known as Mrs Lewis after her marriage to the actor

William Thomas Lewis William Thomas Lewis (1748?–1811), known as "Gentleman" Lewis, due to his refined acting style, was an English actor. He was said to be "the most complete fop on the stage". In later life he went into theatrical management. Early days in Ir ...

In 1780, she appeared regularly with him at the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane 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 Dr ...

. She made over 100 appearances on the London stage between 1775 and 1791. Born in London, Leeson developed an early interest in the theatre through the encouragement and support of her friends exacerbated by the frequent absence of her father from the family home owing to the long hours he worked in his printer's business. The Irish actor Charles Macklin took her on as an apprentice and in 1771 she accompanied him to

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

where she made her début 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 i ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

. Leeson played a number of roles on her tour of Ireland with Macklin's company including

Portia Portia may refer to: Biology * ''Portia'' (spider), a genus of jumping spiders *'' Anaea troglodyta'' or Portia, a brush-footed butterfly *Portia tree, a plant native to Polynesia Medication A form of birth control made of ethinylestradiol/lev ...

in ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as ...

'' and Desdemona in ''

Othello ''Othello'' (full title: ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'') is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, probably in 1603, set in the contemporary Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) fought for the control of the Island of Cypru ...

''. On their return to Dublin Leeson continued to act in Macklin's company but he had become "deeply but fruitlessly infatuated with her" and he released her from her apprenticeship, following which she joined the Dawson Company at the

Capel Street Theatre Capel Street Theatre was an 18th-century theatre located on Capel Street in Dublin, Ireland. The Capel Street Theatre had two distinct periods in its history. The first theatre on the site was called the 'New Theatre in Capel Street' or 'City T ...

. She began to live with the actor William Thomas Lewis and went with him to England in 1775 where they married in about 1780. She appeared with Lewis at the

, at first as Mrs Leeson and later as Mrs Lewis. She joined her husband on his tours of the provinces.Roland Metcal
William Thomas Lewis
-

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

(2012) The quality of her acting was debated:

Joseph Haslewood Joseph Haslewood (5 November 1769 – 21 September 1833) was an English writer and antiquary. He was a founder of the Roxburghe Club. Life Haslewood was born in London, the son of Richard Haslewood and his wife Mary Dewsberry.Francis Haslewood Th ...

claimed her occasional appearances on the London stage (103 appearances between 1775 and 1791) were largely owing to her wanting to provide for her large family rather than through a desire to display her talent. However, another critic said of her first appearance at Covent Garden that 'there was an ease and nature in her deportment and dialogue that entitles her to encouragement', while

Tate Wilkinson Tate Wilkinson (27 October 173916 November 1803) was an English actor and manager. Life He was the son of a clergyman and was sent to Harrow. His first attempts at acting were badly received, and it was to his wonderful gift of mimicry that he ...

described her as 'an amiable handsome woman, and a pleasing actress'.

, ''The wandering patentee, or, A history of the Yorkshire theatres from 1770 to the present time'', 4 vols. (1795) With her husband she had five sons and three daughters: Harry Lewis (1780-); Thomas Lewis (1782-); Edward George Lewis (1783–); Henry Lewis (1784-); Rosa Frances Lewis (1784–1862); Thomas Denison Lewis (1787–1849); Henrietta Lenthal Lewis (1788–1842), and Frances Lewis (1789–1809). Her son Henry appeared at Covent Garden and played a few parts, with little success. He was then on the Dublin stage. In her later years Leeson lived in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

and here she died on 6 December 1826 aged 75.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leeson, Henrietta Amelia 1751 births 1826 deaths Actresses from London British Shakespearean actresses 18th-century English actresses English stage actresses English Shakespearean actresses British stage actresses