![Mary Wells (actress) as Anne Lovely in A Bold Stroke for a Wife by Samuel de Wilde](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/Mary_Wells_%28actress%29_as_Anne_Lovely_in_A_Bold_Stroke_for_a_Wife_by_Samuel_de_Wilde.jpg)
Mary Wells, afterwards Mrs. Sumbel (16 December 1762 – 23 January 1829), was an English actress and memoirist.
Early life
She was the daughter of Thomas Davies, a carver and gilder who was born there on 16 December 1762 in Birmingham. Her father died whilst being held in a madhouse. Her widowed mother kept a tavern whose customers included the actor
Richard Yates. Yates arranged for Mary to appear in a
breeches role
A breeches role (also pants role or trouser role, or Hosenrolle) is one in which an actress appears in male clothing. Breeches, tight-fitting knee-length pants, were the standard male garment at the time these roles were introduced. The theatric ...
as the young
Duke of York
Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of English (later British) monarchs. The equivalent title in the Scottish peerage was Du ...
in ''
Richard III
Richard III (2 October 145222 August 1485) was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty. His defeat and death at the Battl ...
'' at the
Birmingham Theatre. She went to appear as Cupid in
William Whitehead's ''Trip to Scotland'', and as Arthur in ''
King John King John may refer to:
Rulers
* John, King of England (1166–1216)
* John I of Jerusalem (c. 1170–1237)
* John Balliol, King of Scotland (c. 1249–1314)
* John I of France (15–20 November 1316)
* John II of France (1319–1364)
* John I o ...
''. In Gloucester, she played Juliet and married the Mr Wells who played Romeo at Chad's Church in Shrewsbury. The marriage did not last long and she was abandoned.
On the London stage
On 1 June 1781, as Madge in
Isaac Bickerstaffe
Isaac Bickerstaffe or Bickerstaff (26 September 1733 – after 1808) was an Irish playwright and Librettist.
Early life
Isaac John Bickerstaff was born in Dublin, on 26 September 1733, where his father John Bickerstaff held a government posi ...
's ''Love in a Village'' and Mrs. Cadwallader in
Samuel Foote
Samuel Foote (January 1720 – 21 October 1777) was a British dramatist, actor and theatre manager. He was known for his comedic acting and writing, and for turning the loss of a leg in a riding accident in 1766 to comedic opportunity.
Early l ...
's ''Author'', she made her first appearance at the Haymarket.
John Genest
John Genest (1764–1839) was an English clergyman and theatre historian.
Life
He was the son of John Genest of Dunker's Hill, Devon. He was educated at Westminster School, entered 9 May 1780 as a pensioner at Trinity College, Cambridge, and gra ...
says that she was excellent in both characters. Jenny in ''Lionel and Clarissa'' (Bickerstaffe) followed, and on 3 September in
John O'Keeffe's ''Agreeable Surprise'' she was the first Cowslip, a name that stuck to her (though she is occasionally spoken of as 'Becky' Wells). Genest wrote that nothing could be superior to her acting as Cowslip and that of
John Edwin as Lingo.
![Mary Wells](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9e/Mary_Wells.jpg)
On 25 September, as Nancy in ''
Love in a Camp
''Patrick in Prussia, or Love in a Camp'' is a 1786 comic opera with music by William Shield and a libretto by John O'Keeffe. An afterpiece, it was a sequel to the 1783 hit ''The Poor Soldier'' with the characters now serving in the Prussian army ...
'', she made her first appearance at Drury Lane, where she also played on 29 October. Jenny in the ''Gentle Shepherd'', adapted from
Allan Ramsay Allan Ramsay may refer to:
*Allan Ramsay (poet) or Allan Ramsay the Elder (1686–1758), Scottish poet
*Allan Ramsay (artist) or Allan Ramsay the Younger (1713–1784), Scottish portrait painter
*Allan Ramsay (diplomat) (1937–2022), British diplom ...
by
Richard Tickell
Richard Tickell (1751–1793) was an English playwright and satirist.
He was the second son of the three sons and two daughters of John Tickell (1729–1782), a clerk in chancery, and magistrate in Dublin, and his wife Esther Pierson, and thus ...
. Harriet in the ''Jealous Wife'', Widow O'Grady in the ''Irish Widow'', Flora in ''
She Would and She Would Not
''She Would and She Would Not'' is a 1702 comedy play by the English actor-writer Colley Cibber.
The original Drury Lane cast included Cibber as Don Manuel, Benjamin Husband as Don Philip, John Mills (stage actor), John Mills as Octavio, William ...
'' (
Colley Cibber), and Jacintha in ''
The Suspicious Husband'' followed. At the Haymarket in 1782 her name appears to Molly in the ''English Merchant'' and Bridget in ''
The Chapter of Accidents
''The Chapter of Accidents'' is a 1780 comedy play by Sophia Lee. It was inspired by the play by '' Le Père de famille'' by Denis Diderot.
It premiered at the Haymarket in London on 5 August 1780. The original cast included John Palmer as Woodvi ...
'' (
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 ...
). She also, as she says, replaced
Mrs. Cargill, who had eloped, as Macheath in the ''
Beggar's Opera
''The Beggar's Opera'' is a ballad opera in three acts written in 1728 by John Gay with music arranged by Johann Christoph Pepusch. It is one of the watershed plays in Augustan drama and is the only example of the once thriving genre of satiri ...
'', with the male characters played by women and vice versa. She made a distinguished success, and was received with great enthusiasm. She played at Drury Lane Kitty Pry in ''
The Lying Valet
''The Lying Valet'' is a British play by David Garrick. A farce, it was first performed at the Goodman's Fields Theatre
Two 18th century theatres bearing the name Goodman's Fields Theatre were located on Alie Street, Whitechapel, London. T ...
'', and Jane Shore on 30 April 1783, her first appearance in tragedy. At the Haymarket she was on 6 July 1784 the original Fanny in
Elizabeth Inchbald
Elizabeth Inchbald (née Simpson, 15 October 1753 – 1 August 1821) was an English novelist, actress, dramatist, and translator. Her two novels, '' A Simple Story'' and '' Nature and Art'', have received particular critical attention.
Life
Bo ...
's ''Mogul's Tale'', on 6 September the first Maud in O'Keeffe's ''Peeping Tom'', the eponymous ''Isabella'', and Lady Randolph in ''
Douglas
Douglas may refer to:
People
* Douglas (given name)
* Douglas (surname)
Animals
*Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking
*Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...
''.
Nancy Buttercup, an original part in O'Keeffe's ''Beggar on Horseback'', was seen at the Haymarket on 16 June 1785. On 14 December she made her first appearance at Covent Garden as Jane Shore (in her own opinion, her best performance), playing also Laura in Edward Topham's farce ''The Fool'', which her acting commended to the public. After repeating Lady Randolph and Isabella, she was on 5 January 1786 Imogen in ''
Cymbeline'';
William Woodfall in the ''
Morning Chronicle
''The Morning Chronicle'' was a newspaper founded in 1769 in London. It was notable for having been the first steady employer of essayist William Hazlitt as a political reporter and the first steady employer of Charles Dickens as a journalist. It ...
'' awarded her praise for the performance. Andromache in the ''Distressed Mother'' (
Ambrose Philips
Ambrose Philips (167418 June 1749) was an English poet and politician. He feuded with other poets of his time, resulting in Henry Carey bestowing the nickname "Namby-Pamby" upon him, which came to mean affected, weak, and maudlin speech or verse. ...
) followed, and was succeeded by Shakespearean heroines (Rosalind, Portia), and Fidelia in the ''
Plain Dealer''; and she was on 24 April the first Eugenia in ''The Bird in a Cage, or Money works Wonders'', altered from
James Shirley. At the Haymarket in 1786 she played some unimportant original parts. When
John Palmer John Palmer may refer to:
People
Politicians
* John Palmer (fl. 1377–1394), English politician
*Sir John Palmer, 5th Baronet (1735–1817), British politician
*John Palmer (1785–1840), U.S. congressman from New York
*John Palmer (1842–1905) ...
made in 1787 his trial effort at the Royalty Theatre,
Wellclose Square, she gave her imitations of
Mrs. Siddons and other actresses, and was paid £50 a night.
She came back to Covent Garden, where she was on 17 September 1787 Mrs. Page in the ''
Merry Wives of Windsor'' and played Lady Percy, Lady in ''
Comus
In Greek mythology, Comus (; grc, Κῶμος, ''Kōmos'') is the god of festivity, revels and nocturnal dalliances. He is a son and a cup-bearer of the god Dionysus. He was represented as a winged youth or a child-like satyr and represents ana ...
'', Rosina, Anne Lovely, and Fatima in ''
Cymon''. Here she remained some time, acting in the summer at
Cheltenham
Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...
,
Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
, and
Weymouth, where she was favoured by royalty.
Personal troubles
She had three daughters with a writer named
Edward Topham
Edward Topham (1751–1820) was an English journalist and playwright, who publicized the Wold Cottage meteorite which fell on his property.
Education and military career
He was the son of Francis Topham, LL.D. (d. 15 October 1770), Master of F ...
. At the beginning of 1787 Topham started a newspaper called the ''World and Fashionable Advertiser''. Wells was at first lauded by the paper but as time went by she ended up managing it. She was a guarantor for her brother-in-law and this resulted in her being imprisoned for debt in the
Fleet Prison. Whilst there she met a Sephardic Jew named Joseph Sumbel who was imprisoned for contempt and they married in prison. She became a Jew and took the name Leah. Sumbel was a secretary to the ambassador from Morocco. Sumbel tried unsuccessfully to have the marriage annulled. She later became a Christian again.
Last years and death
She does not seem to have acted much later than 1790, though she gave her imitations at private houses; and once attempted to give them publicly during Lent, but was prevented by the bishop of London.
She spent her later years in lodgings with her aged mother. She also applied to the Covent Garden Theatrical Fund, and received an annuity of £55 until her death in London on 23 January 1829. She was buried in St Pancras, London.
Works
She published in 1811 ''Memoirs of the Life of Mrs. Sumbel, late Wells, of the Theatres Royal Drury Lane, Covent Garden, and Haymarket, written by herself'', (London, 3 vols.) The three volumes of this rambling autobiography are occupied principally with details of travels in search of her children, who refused to know her, or of friends. The remainder stock seems to have received a new title-page in 1828, when it appeared as ''Anecdotes and Correspondence of Celebrated Actors and Actresses, including Mr. Reynolds, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Kemble, Mr. Colman, Mrs. Siddons, &c. Also an Account of the Awful Death of Lord Lyttelton''.
Her portrait, in the character of Cowslip in the ''Agreeable Surprise'', was engraved by
John Downman
John Downman (1750 – 24 December 1824) was a Welsh portrait and subject painter.
Life and work
Downman is thought to have been born near Ruabon, Denbighshire, the son of Francis Downman, attorney, of St Neots, and Charlotte (née Goodsend, e ...
(Bromley, p. 447). A portrait of her by De Wilde, as Anne Lovely in ''A Bold Stroke for a Wife'', is in the Mathews collection in the Garrick Club.
An engraving by J. R. Smith from his own picture of her as Cowslip was published by Ackerman in 1802.
References
*
;Attribution
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wells, Mary
Actresses from Birmingham, West Midlands
1762 births
1829 deaths
18th-century English people
18th-century English actresses
19th-century English actresses
English stage actresses
18th-century British women writers
18th-century British writers
19th-century English women writers
19th-century English writers