Sarah Harlowe (1765–1852) was a popular

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...

of the

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stage around the turn of the 19th century.

Biography

Harlowe was born in London in 1765. Under the name of Mrs. Harlowe she made her first appearance on the stage at

Colnbrook Colnbrook is a village in the Slough district in Berkshire, England. It lies within the historic boundaries of Buckinghamshire, and straddles two distributaries of the Colne, the Colne Brook and Wraysbury River. These two streams have their conf ...

, near

Slough Slough () is a town and unparished area in the unitary authority of the same name in Berkshire, England, bordering west London. It lies in the Thames Valley, west of central London and north-east of Reading, at the intersection of the M4 ...

, in 1787, removing in the following year to

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

, where she met Francis Godolphin Waldron (1743–1818), and became his wife.

Stage life

Waldron was prompter of 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 ...

, London, manager of the Windsor and

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

theatres, a bookseller, an occasional actor at the Haymarket and

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 ...

, manager of the

Drury Lane Theatrical Fund The Drury Lane Theatrical Fund (DLTF) is a benevolent fund for established in 1766 by members of the Theatre Royal in London, England, "for the relief and support of such performers and other persons belonging to the said theater, as, through ag ...

, the writer of several comedies, and a

Shakespearean 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 ...

scholar. Through the interest of her husband Mrs. Harlowe obtained an engagement at

Sadler's Wells Sadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue in Clerkenwell, London, England located on Rosebery Avenue next to New River Head. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site since 1683. It consists of two performance spaces: a 1,500-sea ...

, where, as a singer, actor, and performer in

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment. It was developed in England and is performed throughout the United Kingdom, Ireland and (to a lesser extent) in other English-speaking ...

s, she gained some celebrity. She made her appearance at

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...

on 4 November 1790 in the ''Fugitive''. She was the original singer of ''Down in the country lived a lass'', the song generally introduced into ''Lady Bell''. In 1792 she was at the Haymarket, whence she went to Drury Lane, where she sustained the characters of smart chambermaids, romps, shrews, and old women, and then removed to the English Opera House. At the opening of the Royalty Theatre,

Wellclose Square Wellclose Square is a public square in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, between Cable Street to the north and The Highway to the south. The western edge, now called Ensign Street, was previously called Well Street. The southern edge was cal ...

, under the direction of

William Macready the elder William Macready the Elder (1755–1829) was an Irish actor-manager. Early life The son of a Dublin upholsterer, Macready started his career playing in Irish country towns. He joined the Capel Street Theatre in Dublin in 1782, and the Crow Stree ...

, on 27 November 1797, Mrs. Harlowe played in the musical sketch entitled ''Amurath the Fourth, or the Turkish Harem'', and also in the pantomime, the ''Festival of Hope, or Harlequin in a Bottle''. In 1816 she was playing Lady Sneerwell at Drury Lane. Her husband died in March 1818, in his seventy-fifth year. She was a low comedy actress, who without any splendid talent had such a complete knowledge of stage requirements that her services were most useful in any theatre. Her figure was neat, and she often assumed male characters. Her best parts were Lucy in the ''Rivals'', the Widow Warren in the ''Road to Ruin'', Miss Mac-Tab in ''

The Poor Gentleman ''The Poor Gentleman'' is an 1801 comedy play by the British writer George Colman the Younger. It premiered at London's Theatre Royal, Covent Garden on 11 February 1801.Nicoll p.282 The original cast included Charles Murray as Lieutenant Worthingt ...

'', and the old Lady Lambert in the ''Hypocrite''. She, however, essayed the majority of Mrs. Jordan's characters, and played them with considerable success. In 1826 she retired from the stage, having on 21 February in that year played Mrs. Foresight in the farce of ''

John Bull John Bull is a national personification of the United Kingdom in general and England in particular, especially in political cartoons and similar graphic works. He is usually depicted as a stout, middle-aged, country-dwelling, jolly and matter- ...

'' at Drury Lane. She was one of the original subscribers to the

, from which in 1827 she received an annuity of £140 per annum, which in 1837 was reduced to £112.

Death

She died suddenly of heart disease at her lodgings, 5 Albert Place,

Gravesend Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the Bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames and opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Ro ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, on 2 January 1852, aged 86, and her death was registered at

Somerset House Somerset House is a large Neoclassical complex situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadrangle was built on the site of a Tudor palace ("O ...

as that of "Sarah Waldron, annuitant".

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Harlowe, Sarah 1765 births 1852 deaths Shakespearean scholars 18th-century English actresses 19th-century English actresses English stage actresses