Jane Powell or Mrs Powell (c. 1761 – 31 December 1831) was a British actress. She was also known as Mrs Renaud and Mrs Farmer.

Life

Powell made her debut as Alicia in Nicholas Rowe's ''

Jane Shore Elizabeth "Jane" Shore (née Lambert) (c. 1445 – c. 1527) was one of the many mistresses of King Edward IV of England. She became the best-known to history through being later accused of conspiracy by the future King Richard III, and compelled ...

'' to mixed reviews in 1787, but her name was uncredited. She came to notice when she appeared 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 the 1780s under the name of "Mrs Farmer" or "Mrs Palmer" as the papers failed to agree. She is thought to be the first woman to take the title role of

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

in London in 1796 when she appeared at Drury Lane. She then took the role of Edmunda in ''

Vortigern and Rowena ''Vortigern and Rowena'', or ''Vortigern, an Historical Play'', is a play that was touted as a newly discovered work by William Shakespeare when it first appeared in 1796. It was eventually revealed to be a Shakespeare hoax, the product of promi ...

'' after

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 ...

refused the role. The newly discovered play that was said to be by Shakespeare proved to be a forgery. Mrs Powell had a benefit at Drury Lane on 2 May 1795 when she played Young Norval. This role was recorded in Norval's death scene from Act V in a painting by

Samuel De Wilde Samuel De Wilde (1751–19 January 1832), born and died in London, was a portrait painter and etcher of Dutch descent famous for his theatrical paintings. He was the leading painter of actors and actresses between 1770 and 1820. He lived in Cla ...

. Samuel De Wilde had made a painting of her as Mary Queen of Scots and another of her as Boadicea. However the

Garrick Club The Garrick Club is a gentlemen's club in the heart of London founded in 1831. It is one of the oldest members' clubs in the world and, since its inception, has catered to members such as Charles Kean, Henry Irving, Herbert Beerbohm Tree, A ...

who own the paintings say that she never appeared in those roles in London. A foolish man kissing a ribbon and surrounded by sentimental Wellcome V0011316

A foolish man kissing a ribbon and surrounded by sentimental Wellcome V0011316

Up to 1811 she was a regular at

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 ...

until she moved her allegiance to 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 ...

. In 1812 her husband died and the following year she married John James Renaud and became Mrs Renaud. In 1814 the marriage was over but she kept the new name. In 1818 she moved to Edinburgh when she enjoyed being cast in leading productions. Powell died 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 ...

at the end of 1831. It was said that she was still being paid two pounds a week by her manager in Edinburgh.

Selected roles

* Marcella in ''

Marcella Marcella is a Roman cognomen and Italian given name, the feminine version of Marcello (Mark in English). Marcella means warlike, martial, and strong. It could also mean 'young warrior'. The origin of the name Marcella is Latin. Marcella may refer ...

'' by

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 ...

(1789) * Cornelia in '' The Conspiracy'' by

Robert Jephson Robert Jephson (1736 – 31 May 1803) was an Irish dramatist and politician. Life He was born in Ireland, a younger son of John Jephson, Archdeacon of Cloyne. He entered Trinity College, Dublin in 1751, but left without a degree. He then j ...

(1796) * Hamlet in ''

'' by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

(1796) * Edmunda in ''

'' by

William Henry Ireland William Henry Ireland (1775–1835) was an English forger of would-be Shakespearean documents and plays. He is less well known as a poet, writer of gothic novels and histories. Although he was apparently christened William-Henry, he was known a ...

(1796) * Victoria in '' Almeyda, Queen of Granada'' by

Sophia Lee Sophia Lee (1750 – 13 March 1824) was an English novelist, dramatist and educator. She was a formative writer of Gothic fiction. She and her sister Harriet also wrote a number of ''Canterbury Tales'' (1797). Life and literary production She ...

(1796) * Evelina in ''

The Castle Spectre ''The Castle Spectre'' is a 1797 dramatic romance in five acts by Matthew "Monk" Lewis. It is a Gothic drama set in medieval Conwy, Wales. ''The Castle Spectre'' was first performed at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, on 14 December 1797. The ori ...

'' by Matthew Lewis (1797) * Mrs. Ormond in ''

The East Indian ''The East Indian'' is a 1799 comedy play by the British writer Matthew Lewis. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on 22 April 1799. It was partly inspired by characters from Frances Burney's ''Cecilia'' while the playbill advertised it ...

'' by Matthew Lewis (1799) * Matilda in '' The Castle of Montval'' by Thomas Sedgwick Whalley (1799) * Arabella in '' Faulkener'' by

William Godwin William Godwin (3 March 1756 – 7 April 1836) was an English journalist, political philosopher and novelist. He is considered one of the first exponents of utilitarianism and the first modern proponent of anarchism. Godwin is most famous for ...

(1807) * Matilda in '' The Curfew'' by

John Tobin John Tobin may refer to: People * Sir John Tobin (1763–1851), Liverpool merchant * John Tobin (dramatist) (1770–1804), author of ''The Honey Moon'' * John F. Tobin (1880–1954), American football player and coach * Jack Tobin (1892–1969 ...

(1807) * Mrs Mordaunt in '' Grieving's a Folly'' by Richard Leigh (1809)

References

Bibliography

* Burnim, Kalman A. & Highfill, Philip H. ''John Bell, Patron of British Theatrical Portraiture: A Catalog of the Theatrical Portraits in His Editions of Bell's Shakespeare and Bell's British Theatre''. SIU Press, 1998. * Howard, Tony. ''Women as Hamlet: Performance and Interpretation in Theatre, Film and Fiction''. Cambridge University Press, 2007. {{DEFAULTSORT:Powell, Jane 1831 deaths Year of birth uncertain 18th-century English actresses 19th-century English actresses English stage actresses People from Cranbrook, Kent