Thomas Hailes Lacy (1809 – 1 August 1873) was a British actor, playwright, theatrical manager, bookseller, and theatrical publisher.

Life

Lacy made his West End stage debut in 1828 but soon turned manager, a position he held from 1841 at The Theatre in

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...

(destroyed by fire in 1935). On 25 January 1842, Lacy married actress Frances Dalton who was an actress known as Fanny Cooper. She was taking leading parts at Covent Garden and the Haymarket. The marriage probably took place at St Paul's church in Covent Garden, but maybe in Sheffield. He and his wife toured England together. Lacy's roles included

Jacques Ancient and noble French family names, Jacques, Jacq, or James are believed to originate from the Middle Ages in the historic northwest Brittany region in France, and have since spread around the world over the centuries. To date, there are over ...

('' As You Like It'') and

Banquo Lord Banquo , the Thane of Lochaber, is a semi-historical character in William Shakespeare's 1606 play '' Macbeth''. In the play, he is at first an ally of Macbeth (both are generals in the King's army) and they meet the Three Witches togethe ...

('' Macbeth''). He would appear with his wife when she played Countess Wintersen in ''The Stranger'', Nerissa in ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as ...

'', and Virginia in

James Sheridan Knowles James Sheridan Knowles (12 May 1784 – 30 November 1862) was an Irish dramatist and actor. Biography Knowles was born in Cork. His father was the lexicographer James Knowles (1759–1840), cousin of Richard Brinsley Sheridan. The family mo ...

's '' Virginius''. In the mid-1840s, Lacy set up a business as a theatrical bookseller in London, at first in Wellington Street,

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 ...

and, from 1857, at 89

Strand Strand may refer to: Topography *The flat area of land bordering a body of water, a: ** Beach ** Shoreline * Strand swamp, a type of swamp habitat in Florida Places Africa * Strand, Western Cape, a seaside town in South Africa * Strand Street ...

. He also ventured into publishing with an innovative approach to playscripts, producing acting editions of recent plays so that each actor could have a full script to work from. Lacy's Acting Edition of Plays, published between 1848 and 1873, eventually ran to 99 volumes containing 1,485 individual pieces. In 1859, he made the acquaintance of American entrepreneur

Samuel French Samuel French (1821–1898) was an American entrepreneur who, together with British actor, playwright and theatrical manager Thomas Hailes Lacy, pioneered in the field of theatrical publishing and the licensing of plays. Biography French founde ...

, who had started a similar publishing business in New York City five years earlier and was visiting London. Lacy and French became partners, each acting as the other's agent across the Atlantic. In 1872, French decided to take up permanent residence in London, and when Lacy retired without any immediate heirs in 1873, he sold out to French for five thousand pounds. His wife died in 1872. They had a son but he was mentally ill and died in 1895. Thomas Hailes Lacy died at 1 August 1873 in

Sutton, Surrey Sutton is the principal town in the London Borough of Sutton in South London, England. It lies on the lower slopes of the North Downs, and is the administrative headquarters of the Outer London borough. It is south-south west of Charing Cross ...

. His disregard for copyright during his life meant that there was a claim for £700 for infringement of rights. His executors paid after they negotiated the bill down to £250.

Works by Lacy

* ''

The Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...

'' (play, 1840) (with

Thomas Higgie Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

) * '' The School for Daughters'' (comedy, 1843) (with Dennis Lawler) * ''

Martin Chuzzlewit ''The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit'' (commonly known as ''Martin Chuzzlewit'') is a novel by Charles Dickens, considered the last of his picaresque novels. It was originally serialised between 1842 and 1844. While he was writing it ...

'' (play, 1844) (with Thomas Higgie) * ''

Clarissa Harlowe ''Clarissa; or, The History of a Young Lady: Comprehending the Most Important Concerns of Private Life. And Particularly Shewing, the Distresses that May Attend the Misconduct Both of Parents and Children, In Relation to Marriage'' is an epist ...

'' (tragedy, 1846) (with John Courtney) * '' The Pickwickians; or the Peregrinations of Sam Weller'' (

farce Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical humor; the use of deliberate absurdity o ...

, 1850) - adapted from ''

Samuel Weller, or, The Pickwickians ''Samuel Weller, or, The Pickwickians'' is an 1837 comedy in three acts adapted from Dickens's novel ''The Pickwick Papers'' by William Thomas Moncrieff. It was first performed at the Royal Strand Theatre in London on 17 July 1837. W. T. Moncri ...

'' (1837) * '' A Silent Woman'' (

, 1851) * '' Belphegor; or, The Mountebank'' (drama, 1851, from the French (with Thomas Higgie) * '' Jeanette's Wedding Day'' (farce from '' Les Noces de Jeanette'', 1855).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lacy, Thomas Hailes 1809 births 1873 deaths English male stage actors British book publishers (people) British booksellers British dramatists and playwrights British theatre managers and producers 19th-century English male actors British male dramatists and playwrights 19th-century British dramatists and playwrights 19th-century British male writers 19th-century British businesspeople