Richard Usher (1785 – 23 September 1843) was an English

clown A clown is a person who performs comedy and arts in a state of open-mindedness using physical comedy, typically while wearing distinct makeup or costuming and reversing folkway-norms. History The most ancient clowns have been found in ...

and theatre designer. He performed for many years at

Astley's Amphitheatre Astley's Amphitheatre was a performance venue in London opened by Philip Astley in 1773, considered the first modern circus ring. It was burned and rebuilt several times, and went through many owners and managers. Despite no trace of the theatr ...

Early life and career

He was born in 1785. His father, the proprietor of a mechanical exhibition, travelled in the north of England and in Ireland. Richard took a share in the management of the exhibition, and inherited his father's talent in the construction of curious contrivances. With a friend he gave exhibitions in Newcastle, Manchester, Liverpool, and other towns. At Christmas 1807 he appeared at the Liverpool Amphitheatre as a clown, and was immediately successful. In 1809 he first appeared at

in London, and remained popular there for many years. His annual benefit was an occasion on which extraordinary performances took place both in and out of the theatre. The most remarkable of these took place in 1828, when in a washing-tub drawn by geese he sailed down the Thames from

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

Waterloo Bridge Waterloo Bridge () is a road and foot traffic bridge crossing the River Thames in London, between Blackfriars Bridge and Hungerford Bridge and Golden Jubilee Bridges. Its name commemorates the victory of the British, Dutch and Prussians at the ...

. He was then to have proceeded in a car drawn by eight cats to the Coburg Theatre, but the crowd in the Waterloo Road made this impossible, and he was carried to the theatre on the shoulders of several

watermen A waterman is a river worker who transfers passengers across and along city centre rivers and estuaries in the United Kingdom and its colonies. Most notable are those on the River Thames and River Medway in England, but other rivers such as the ...

. Usher was known in the profession as the John Kemble of his art, and in the ring was the counterpart of Grimaldi on the stage, never descending to coarseness or vulgarity; his manner was irresistibly comic, and his jokes remarkable for their point and originality. He was the writer and inventor of several stock pantomimes.

Later years

With increasing years he gave up clowning, and confined himself to invention and design.

William Batty William Batty (1801–1868) was an equestrian performer, circus proprietor, and longtime operator of Astley's Amphitheatre in London. Batty was one of the most successful circus proprietors in Victorian England and helped launch the career ...

purchased Astley's Amphitheatre and rebuilt the house in 1842; refusing to employ an architect, it was rebuilt according to Usher's plans and models. Usher died at Hercules Buildings,

Lambeth Lambeth () is a district in South London, England, in the London Borough of Lambeth, historically in the County of Surrey. It is situated south of Charing Cross. The population of the London Borough of Lambeth was 303,086 in 2011. The area expe ...

, London, on 23 September 1843. His obituary in the ''

Gentleman's Magazine ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' was a monthly magazine founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1922. It was the first to use the term ''magazine'' (from the French ''magazine'' ...

'' wrote: "For the last half century no man had contributed more to the amusement of the public… his name is familiar as a household word from to Cape Clear."

Family

He married firstly Mrs. Pincott (the mother of Leonora Pincott, wife of

Alfred Wigan Alfred Sydney Wigan (24 March 1814Some sources say 24 March 1818 – 29 November 1878) was an English actor-manager who took part in the first Royal Command Performance before Queen Victoria on 28 December 1848.Gillan, DonA History of the Ro ...

); secondly, a sister of

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 ...

, who survived him with a family. His son Alfred Usher was a violinist and orchestra leader, active in Sydney, Australia by 1857.Dr Graeme Skinner. ''A biographical register of Australian colonial musical personnel–U''.
University of Sydney, accessed 8 May 2017.

References

Attribution * {{DEFAULTSORT:Usher, Richard 1785 births 1843 deaths English clowns British theatre designers