Theodosius Forrest (1728 – 1784) was an English author, balladeer, playwright and lawyer. Theodosius Forrest Hone

Life

Forrest was the son of

Ebenezer Forrest Ebenezer Forrest ( fl. 1774), was an English attorney. Forrest resided at George Street, York Buildings, London, and was intimate with William Hogarth and John Rich, proprietor of the Lincoln's Inn Theatre. He was the father of Theodosius Forr ...

, a solicitor, born in London. He studied drawing under George Lambert, and until a year or two before his death exhibited 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 ...

annually from 1762 to 1781. He entered his father's business; and became a steady solicitor, though with a passion for music. He was a member of the

Beefsteak Club Beefsteak Club is the name or nickname of several 18th- and 19th-century male dining clubs in Britain and Australia that celebrated the beefsteak as a symbol of patriotic and often Whig concepts of liberty and prosperity. The first beefsteak clu ...

, and associated with

David Garrick David Garrick (19 February 1717 – 20 January 1779) was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of European theatrical practice throughout the 18th century, and was a pupil and friend of Sa ...

and George Colman. As solicitor to

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 ...

, Forrest was thrown in with the dramatic profession, and he composed a musical entertainment, ''The Weathercock'', produced at Covent Garden 17 October 1775. It was said by

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 ...

to be "poor stuff". As a writer of songs, however, Forrest was more successful. He earned a reputation for the rendering of his own ballads. Towards the close of his life Forrest was afflicted with a painful nervous disorder, attended with a

black jaundice Leptospirosis is a blood infection caused by the bacteria ''Leptospira''. Signs and symptoms can range from none to mild ( headaches, muscle pains, and fevers) to severe ( bleeding in the lungs or meningitis). Weil's disease, the acute, sever ...

. He was thrown into a condition of deep melancholy, and on 5 November 1784 killed himself at his chambers in George Street, York Buildings, London.

References

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Forrest, Theodosius 1728 births 1784 deaths Writers from London English lawyers English male songwriters Suicides in Greater London