Isaac Pocock
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Isaac Pocock (2 March 1782 – 23 August 1835) was an English dramatist and painter of portraits and historical subjects. He wrote
melodrama A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exces ...
s,
farce Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical humor; the use of deliberate absurdity o ...
s and light operatic comedies, many being stage adaptations of existing novels. Of his 40 or so works, the most successful was ''Hit and Miss'' (1810), a musical farce.Christine L. Krueger, George Stade, Karen Karbiener. ''Encyclopedia of British Writers: 19th and 20th Centuries'' (Infobase Publishing, 2003) p. 274-5. The mariner Sir Isaac Pocock (1751–1810) was his uncle.


Life

Isaac Pocock was born in
Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
on 2 March 1782, the eldest son of
Nicholas Pocock Nicholas Pocock (2 March 1740 – 9 March 1821) was an English artist known for his many detailed paintings of naval battles during the age of sail. Birth and early career at sea Pocock was born in Bristol in 1740, the son of a seaman.Chatte ...
, marine painter, and Ann Evans (daughter of John Evans of Bristol). William Innes Pocock (1783–1836), a naval officer and author, was his brother. About 1798, Isaac became a pupil of George Romney, with
Thomas Alphonso Hayley Thomas Alphonso Hayley (5 October 1780 – 2 May 1800) was an English sculptor. Life Hayley, the natural son of William Hayley, was born in 1780, and showed in 1794 signs of a love for sculpture. He was encouraged to learn drawing by Joseph Wrigh ...
, son of the writer
William Hayley William Hayley (9 November 174512 November 1820) was an English writer, best known as the biographer of his friend William Cowper. Biography Born at Chichester, he was sent to Eton College, Eton in 1757, and to Trinity Hall, Cambridge, in 176 ...
, as a fellow student. After Romney's death in 1802, he studied under
Sir William Beechey Sir William Beechey (12 December 175328 January 1839) was an English portraitist during the golden age of British painting. Early life Beechey was born at Burford, Oxfordshire, on 12 December 1753, the son of William Beechey, a solicitor, an ...
.DNB, 1885–1900, vol. 46, p. 3. Between 1800 and 1805 Pocock exhibited subject-pictures and portraits at the
Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...
,
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, and occasionally showed portraits there over the next 15 years. In 1807 his ''Murder of St. Thomas à Becket'' was awarded a prize of £100 by the
British Institution The British Institution (in full, the British Institution for Promoting the Fine Arts in the United Kingdom; founded 1805, disbanded 1867) was a private 19th-century society in London formed to exhibit the works of living and dead artists; it w ...
. In 1812 Pocock became a member of the Liverpool Academy, and exhibited oils and water-colours there. His last historical painting was an altar-piece for a new chapel at
Maidenhead Maidenhead is a market town in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the county of Berkshire, England, on the southwestern bank of the River Thames. It had an estimated population of 70,374 and forms part of the border with southern Bu ...
. In 1818 Pocock inherited some property at
Maidenhead Maidenhead is a market town in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the county of Berkshire, England, on the southwestern bank of the River Thames. It had an estimated population of 70,374 and forms part of the border with southern Bu ...
after the death of his mariner uncle, Sir Isaac Pocock (1751–1810), and thereafter devoted himself to writing dramas. For some time he lived in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
and served in the Royal Westminster Volunteers, rising to the rank of
Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
. Later he became a
Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...
(JP) and Deputy Lieutenant (DL) for
Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...
, and was an active
magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...
. Pocock died at Ray Lodge, Maidenhead, on 23 August 1835, and was buried in the family vault at
Cookham Cookham is a historic River Thames, Thames-side village and civil parishes in England, civil parish on the north-eastern edge of Berkshire, England, north-north-east of Maidenhead and opposite the village of Bourne End, Buckinghamshire, Bourne ...
.


Dramatic works

Pocock's first dramatic work was a musical farce in two acts, entitled ''Yes or No?'', produced at the
Haymarket Theatre The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre on Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use. Samuel Foote ...
, in London on 31 August 1808, and performed ten times. It received mixed reviews. It was followed by many similar productions, of which ''Hit or Miss!'', with music by Charles Smith, was by far the most successful, opening at the Lyceum on 26 February 1810, and performed at least 33 times. Its success, it was said, was owed to the performance of
Charles Mathews Charles Mathews (28 June 1776, London – 28 June 1835, Devonport) was an English theatre manager and comic actor, well known during his time for his gift of impersonation and skill at table entertainment. His play ''At Home'', in which he pla ...
in the character "Dick Cypher". In 1815 Mathews appeared also in Pocock's ''Mr. Farce-Writer'' at the
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 ...
. ''Twenty Years Ago'', a melodramatic entertainment, was performed at the Lyceum Theatre in 1810. ''Anything New'', with overture and music by Charles Smith, was given on 1 July 1811, but the ''Green-eyed Monster'', produced on 14 October with
William Dowton William Dowton (1764–1851) was a British actor. Early life Dowton, the son of an innkeeper and grocer at Exeter, was born in that city on 25 April 1764. At an early age he worked with a marble cutter, but in 1780 was articled to an archite ...
,
William Oxberry William Oxberry (1784–1824) was an English actor. He also wrote extensively on the theatre, and was a printer and publisher. Early life Oxberry was the son of an auctioneer, born on 18 December 1784 in Moorfields, London, opposite Bedlam. Af ...
, and Miss Mellon in the cast, was harshly reviewed. Nevertheless, it was revived 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 ...
in 1828, when
William Farren William Farren (13 May 1786 – 24 September 1861) was an English actor, who was the son of an actor (born 1725) of the same name, who played leading roles from 1784 to 1795 at Theatre Royal, Covent Garden. Life Raised on Gower Street in Lo ...
and
Ellen Tree Ellen Kean (12 December 1805 – 20 August 1880) was an English actress. She was known as Ellen Tree until her marriage in 1842, after which she was known both privately and professionally as Mrs Charles Kean and always appeared in productions ...
played in it. The music was composed by Thomas Welsh. Shown the next season was a
burletta In theater and music history, a burletta (Italian, meaning "little joke", sometimes burla or burlettina) is a brief comic opera. In eighteenth-century Italy, a burletta was the comic intermezzo between the acts of an ''opera seria''. The extended w ...
by Pocock called "''Harry Le Roy''". Pocock's ''Miller and his Men'', a popular romantic melodrama with music by Henry Bishop, was still playing in 1835. ''For England Ho!'', a melodramatic opera, produced at Covent Garden on 15 December 1813, and acted some 11 times, was published in 1814. ''John of Paris'', a comic opera adapted from the French, was produced at Covent Garden on 12 October 1814, and performed 17 times. Liston played an innkeeper. When revived at the Haymarket in 1826,
Lucia Elizabeth Vestris Lucia Elizabeth Vestris (''née'' Elizabetta Lucia Bartolozzi; 3 March 1797 – 8 August 1856) was an English actress and a contralto opera singer, appearing in works by, among others, Mozart and Rossini. While popular in her time, she was more ...
was in the cast. It was again played at Covent Garden in 1835. ''Zembuca, or the Net-maker'', first given at Covent Garden, as "a holiday piece" on 27 March 1815, was played 28 times. The ''Magpie or the Maid'' (John Miller, 1815),
a drama in three acts, a second edition of which appeared in 1816, was adapted from the French of
Louis-Charles Caigniez Louis-Charles Caigniez (13 April 1762 – 19 February 1842) was a 19th-century French playwright. Biography Endowed with a real talent for the stage, Caigniez competed on the boulevard theaters with René Charles Guilbert de Pixérécourt and ...
and
Théodore Baudouin d'Aubigny Jean-Marie-Théodore Baudouin also d’Aubigny, born in Paris 19 August 1786 - died 1866, was a French playwright. Theatre * ''La Pie voleuse'', a play in collaboration with Louis-Charles Caigniez, based on an authentic event. Théâtre de la P ...
. It was first printed in 1814. "''Robinson Crusoe, or the Bold Buccaneers''", a romantic drama in two acts, was produced as an Easter piece at Covent Garden in 1817, with
Charles Farley Charles Farley (1771–1859) was an English actor and dramatist. Career Farley was born in London and entered the theatrical profession at an early age, making his first appearance as a page at Covent Garden Theatre, London, in 1782. He came to ...
in the title rôle and
Joseph Grimaldi Joseph Grimaldi (18 December 1778 – 31 May 1837) was an English actor, comedian and dancer, who became the most popular English entertainer of the Regency era.Byrne, Eugene"The patient" Historyextra.com, 13 April 2012 In the early 1800s, ...
as Friday. It was published, with remarks by George Daniel, and printed in Lacy's and Dick's ''Collections''. It was revived in 1826. Pocock later adapted some of the
Waverley novels The Waverley Novels are a long series of novels by Sir Walter Scott (1771–1832). For nearly a century, they were among the most popular and widely read novels in Europe. Because Scott did not publicly acknowledge authorship until 1827, the se ...
as operatic dramas. On 12 March 1818 his ''Rob Roy Macgregor, or Auld Lang Syne'', an operatic drama in three acts, was first played at Covent Garden.
William Charles Macready William Charles Macready (3 March 179327 April 1873) was an English actor. Life He was born in London the son of William Macready the elder, and actress Christina Ann Birch. Educated at Rugby School where he became headboy, and where now the t ...
took the title role,
John Liston John Liston (c. 1776 – 22 March 1846), English comedian, was born in London. He made his public debut on the stage at Weymouth as Lord Duberley in ''The Heir at Law''. After several dismal failures in tragic parts, some of them in supp ...
played Baillie Nicol Jarvie, and Miss Stephens Di Vernon. It was acted 34 times. It was played 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 ...
, for Farren's benefit, on 15 April 1815, when James Prescott Warde was successful as Rob Roy. In the revival of the following year Farren took Liston's place as the Baillie. This play and Pocock's ''John of Paris'' were given together at Bath on the occasion of Warde's farewell to the stage, on 5 June 1820.
James William Wallack James William Wallack (c. 1794–1864), commonly referred to as J. W. Wallack, was an Anglo-American actor and manager, born in London, and brother of Henry John Wallack. Life Wallack's father was named William Wallack and his sister was name ...
played in ''Rob Roy'' at Drury Lane in January 1826; and Madame Vestris impersonated Di Vernon at the Haymarket in October 1824. The play was published in 1818. ''Montrose, or the Children of the Mist'', three acts, produced at Covent Garden on 14 February 1822, was not so successful, though it was played 19 or 20 times. Liston appeared as Dugald Dalgetty. "''Woodstock''", five acts, first acted on 20 May 1826, was a comparative failure, though the cast included
Charles Kemble Charles Kemble (25 November 1775 – 12 November 1854) was a Welsh-born English actor of a prominent theatre family. Life Charles Kemble was one of 13 siblings and the youngest son of English Roman Catholic theatre manager/actor Roger Kemble ...
and Farren. ''Peveril of the Peak'', three acts, produced on 21 October of the same year, was acted nine times. ''The Antiquary'' was also unsuccessful. ''Home, Sweet Home, or the Ranz des Vaches'', a musical entertainment with the music by Henry Bishop, was produced at Covent Garden on 19 March 1829, with Madame Vestris and Keeley in the cast. Besides these plays, Pocock wrote ''The Heir of Veroni'' and ''The Libertine'', operas, in 1817, ''Husbands and Wives'', a farce in 1817, ''The Robber's Wife'', a romantic drama in two acts, adapted from the German in 1829 with music by F. Ries, ''The Corporal's Wedding'', a farce in 1830, ''The Omnibus'', an interlude, in 1831,I. Pocock.
The Omnibus
' (New York, Douglas, 1848).
''Country Quarters'' and ''The Clutterbucks'', farces in 1832, ''Scan Mag,'' a farce in 1833, ''The Ferry and the Mill'', a melodrama in 1833, and ''King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table'', a Christmas equestrian spectacle in 1834–1835. ‘''The Night Patrol'', a farce, and ''Cavaliers and Roundheads'', an adaptation of ''Old Mortality'', were played posthumously.


Family

Pocock married Louisa Hime in 1812. They had one son, Isaac John Innes Pocock (28 July 1819 – 28 May 1886), who was educated at
Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...
and
Merton College Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, ch ...
, Oxford (B.A. in 1842), and called to the bar on 19 November 1847. In 1872 he privately published ''Franklin, and Other Poems''. He married, on 4 April 1850, Louisa, second daughter of Benjamin Currey.


References

*


External links


Isaac Pocock online
(ArtCyclopedia) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pocock, Isaac 1782 births 1835 deaths 18th-century English painters English male painters 19th-century English painters English watercolourists English portrait painters English dramatists and playwrights People from Maidenhead English male dramatists and playwrights 19th-century English male artists 18th-century English male artists