![W J Hammond Sam Weller Dickens 1837](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/W_J_Hammond_Sam_Weller_Dickens_1837.jpg)
William John Hammond (1 July 1797–23 August 1848) was a British
actor-manager
An actor-manager is a leading actor who sets up their own permanent theatrical company and manages the business, sometimes taking over a theatre to perform select plays in which they usually star. It is a method of theatrical production used co ...
and singer of comic songs of the early 19th-century. He played
Sam Weller in ''
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. Moncr ...
'' in 1837.
Early life
![Actors by Daylight W J Hammond](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Actors_by_Daylight_W_J_Hammond.jpg)
W. J. Hammond was born in 1797 in
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century.
The area was develo ...
in London, the son of Anna Maria Lockhead (1767–1812) and Edward Hammond. As a youth he was apprenticed to a letter painter and decorator, but to the annoyance of his parents he turned his back on this career in favour of one on the stage, and left home at 19 to pursue it.
[''Actors by Daylight'']
J. Pattie, London, Vol. 1, Google Books, p. 98 A low comedian and singer, his first appearance on the London stage was as Lopez in
John Tobin John Tobin may refer to:
People
* Sir John Tobin (1763–1851), Liverpool merchant
* John Tobin (dramatist) (1770–1804), author of ''The Honey Moon''
* John F. Tobin (1880–1954), American football player and coach
* Jack Tobin (1892–1969 ...
's ''
The Honey Moon'', probably in early 1819. In July 1819 he joined a new stock company at
Walton-on-Thames
Walton-on-Thames, locally known as Walton, is a market town on the south bank of the Thames in the Elmbridge borough of Surrey, England. Walton forms part of the Greater London built-up area, within the KT postcode and is served by a wide ran ...
, while in September 1820 he was with Thomas Trotter's company at the Theatre Royal in
Worthing
Worthing () is a seaside town in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 111,400 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Brighton and Ho ...
before joining the acting company of John Brunton at
Brighton. Between 1820 and 1821 he variously appeared at the
Haymarket Theatre and with Penley's company while it was playing at
Worthing
Worthing () is a seaside town in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 111,400 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Brighton and Ho ...
,
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 ...
and
Coventry
Coventry ( or ) is a city in the West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its city status until the Middle Ages. The city is governed b ...
. He joined the company of
William Macready the Elder, the father of the tragedian
William Macready
William Charles Macready (3 March 179327 April 1873) was an English actor.
Life
He was born in London the son of William Macready the elder, and actress Christina Ann Birch. Educated at Rugby School where he became headboy, and where now the t ...
, at the
Theatre Royal in
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
before a short period at the
Olympic Theatre
The Olympic Theatre, sometimes known as the Royal Olympic Theatre, was a 19th-century London theatre, opened in 1806 and located at the junction of Drury Lane, Wych Street and Newcastle Street. The theatre specialised in comedies throughout ...
in London. Between 1823 and 1826 he toured the York circuit and during this early period in his career he gained success as Bob Acres in ''
The Rivals
''The Rivals'' is a comedy of manners by Richard Brinsley Sheridan in five acts which was first performed at Covent Garden Theatre on 17 January 1775. The story has been updated frequently, including a 1935 musical and a 1958 episode of the T ...
'' and as Tony Lumpkin in ''
She Stoops to Conquer
''She Stoops to Conquer'' is a comedy by Oliver Goldsmith, first performed in London in 1773. The play is a favourite for study by English literature and theatre classes in the English-speaking world. It is one of the few plays from the 18t ...
''.
[Taylor, C. M. P. Taylor]
Hammond, William John (1797x9–1848)
''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
'' (ODNB), 03 January 2008
On 13 August 1822 in London he married Jane Matilda Jerrold (1801–1866), the sister of the dramatist and writer
Douglas William Jerrold
Douglas William Jerrold (London 3 January 18038 June 1857 London) was an English dramatist and writer.
Biography
Jerrold's father, Samuel Jerrold, was an actor and lessee of the little theatre of Wilsby near Cranbrook in Kent. In 1807 Dougla ...
. She would later act as Mrs W. J. Hammond. Their children were: Mary Ann Hammond (born 1825); William John Hammond (1827–1903); Jane Matilda Hammond (1829–1842); Henry Holbrey Hammond (1833–1908); Fanny Elizabeth Hammond (1834–1878); Emily H Hammond (born 1836); Kate Hammond (1840–1902) and Susanna Hammond (born 1842). In May 1827 at the
York Theatre Royal
York Theatre Royal is a theatre in St Leonard's Place, in York, England, which dates back to 1744. The theatre currently seats 750 people. Whilst the theatre is traditionally a proscenium theatre, it was reconfigured for a season in 2011 to offe ...
he played Jack Junk, a British sailor, in ''Floating Beacon, or, Norwegian Wreckers'' while on the same bill his wife played Second Lady in the tragedy ''Foscari''.
Acting career
From 1826 to 1829 Hammond and his wife appeared at the Theatre Royal in
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
, while in 1829 he was one of a partnership running the Liverpool Pantheon, which he reopened as the Liver Theatre, remaining there until 1836. In April 1830 he took over the management of the York circuit which included the
Theatre Royal, Hull and the
Theatre Royal, York in addition to other theatres at
Doncaster
Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...
,
Leeds
Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...
and
Wakefield
Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...
. Although he was only manager of the circuit for a short period he attracted well-known actors of the day to the theatres, including
Edmund Kean
Edmund Kean (4 November 178715 May 1833) was a celebrated British Shakespearean stage actor born in England, who performed, among other places, in London, Belfast, New York, Quebec, and Paris. He was known for his short stature, tumultuo ...
,
Charles Mathews
Charles Mathews (28 June 1776, London – 28 June 1835, Devonport) was an English theatre manager and comic actor, well known during his time for his gift of impersonation and skill at table entertainment. His play ''At Home'', in which he pl ...
,
Frederick Henry Yates
Frederick Henry Yates (4 February 1797 – 21 June 1842) was an English actor and theatre manager.
Life
Yates was born in London, the youngest son of Thomas Yates, a tobacco manufacturer, of Thames Street and Russell Square. Frederick was educ ...
and
Madame Vestris. He gave up all but the theatre at Doncaster in 1832 when he could not negotiate a reduction in his rents at the other theatres. In Liverpool in 1834 he played the title role in Dowling's ''Othello by Act of Parliament'', a musical burlesque version of ''
Othello''.
[ At Doncaster he put on an annual autumn season until 1839, and took out a lease on the theatre at Sheffield from 1833 to 1839.][ He returned to Liverpool where he became well known to theatre audiences as an actor, comedian and theatre owner where he played in comedies and burlesque.][
]
Royal Strand Theatre
From 25 April 1836 for three years he and his brother-in-law Douglas Jerrold held the lease on the small Royal Strand Theatre
The Royal Strand Theatre was located in the Strand in the City of Westminster. The theatre was built on the site of a panorama in 1832, and in 1882 was rebuilt by the prolific theatre architect Charles J. Phipps. It was demolished in 1905 to ...
in London, enlarging the theatre in 1836 and adding a gallery in 1839. An early production was Jerrold's two-act comedy ''The Schoolfellows''.[ Their production of ''Poachers and Petticoats'' featured the actress ]Louisa Cranstoun Nisbett
Louisa Cranstoun Nisbett (1812 – 15 January 1858), English actress, was the daughter of Frederick Hayes Macnamara, an actor, whose stage name was Mordaunt.
As Miss Mordaunt she had considerable experience, especially in Shakespearean leading p ...
. A Freemason, he was initiated into the Bank of England Lodge No. 263 in April 1836 at which time he gave his occupation as 'Music Dealer' and his address as the Strand Theatre.
At the Strand Theatre he reprised his role in ''Othello by Act of Parliament'' and acted in a burlesques version of ''The Lady of Lyons
''The Lady of Lyons; or, Love and Pride'', commonly known as ''The Lady of Lyons'', is a five act romantic melodrama written in 1838 by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton. It was first produced in London at Covent Garden Theatre on 15 Februar ...
''. In 1837 as actor-manager
An actor-manager is a leading actor who sets up their own permanent theatrical company and manages the business, sometimes taking over a theatre to perform select plays in which they usually star. It is a method of theatrical production used co ...
he directed and played the lead role in ''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. Moncr ...
''.[W. J. Hammond]
The Hammond Family - Jerrold Family website Their management of the theatre was not successful, and the partnership was dissolved. However, while it lasted Jerrold wrote his only tragedy
Tragedy (from the grc-gre, τραγῳδία, ''tragōidia'', ''tragōidia'') is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a main character. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy ...
, ''The Painter of Ghent'', and himself appeared in the title role, without much success. The contemporary theatre journal ''Actors by Daylight'' (1838) referred to him as 'this favourite son of Momus’ and commented on his ‘agreeable quaintness’. A friend was the author Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
.[
]
Bankruptcy and prison
From October 1839 Hammond was the manager of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dr ...
but despite the patronage of Queen Victoria
Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...
the venture was a financial disaster leading to the failure of his management in March 1840 when he was declared bankrupt with debts of £8,000. He spent more than a year in debtors' prison and on his release he attempted to revive his previous success by appearing with provincial companies. The actor John Coleman (1831–1904) later recollected of Hammond that, 'He had wigs of all kinds and costumes of every description, but he was always Hammond in another wig and another coat.'[
]
Later years
By December 1842 Hammond and his family had returned once again to Liverpool where he briefly held the lease for the Theatre Royal, while later that month his daughter Jane Matilda, who was attending school in Boulogne, died aged 13 and was buried there.[ In 1846 he opened another Liverpool theatre as the Theatre Royal Adelphi, but this also proving unsuccessful in June 1848 he sailed for an acting engagement in the United States. In July 1848 he made his New York début at Niblo's Garden Theatre at ]Astor Place
Astor Place is a one-block street in NoHo/ East Village, in the lower part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It runs from Broadway in the west (just below East 8th Street) to Lafayette Street. The street encompasses two plazas at ...
where he sang from his repertoire of comic songs.[Quackenbos,George Payn (ed)]
''The Literary American''
Vol. 1, No. 1, 8 July 1848, Google Books, p. 96 In early August 1848 he appeared in various productions at Niblo's including playing Tony Lumpkin in ''She Stoops to Conquer
''She Stoops to Conquer'' is a comedy by Oliver Goldsmith, first performed in London in 1773. The play is a favourite for study by English literature and theatre classes in the English-speaking world. It is one of the few plays from the 18t ...
''. On the second night of his appearance in the title role in '' Paul Pry'' parts of his role were omitted owing to his fatigue.[
William John Hammond died of dysentry at the residence of a Mrs Black on ]Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
in New York on 23 August 1848 only five weeks after arriving in America.[Obituary in ''The Musical World'']
Published by W. S. Johnson (1848), Vol. 23, Google Books, p. 611 His personal belongings were auctioned including the scarlet frock coat he wore as Tony Lumpkin in his début at Niblo's Theatre, various other costumes, a number of wigs and the orchestral scores which singers provided for theatre orchestras.[ He received an obituary in '']The Illustrated London News
''The Illustrated London News'' appeared first on Saturday 14 May 1842, as the world's first illustrated weekly news magazine. Founded by Herbert Ingram, it appeared weekly until 1971, then less frequently thereafter, and ceased publication i ...
'' which stated:
This well known actor died recently in New York, leaving, we are sorry to say, his wife and family of seven children perfectly destitute. Mr Hammond was known through the country as one of the best low comedy actors of his day, and as a manager. In London he directed the Strand Theatre in its more palmy era and afterwards for a brief season, Drury Lane. A subscription, we understand, has been set on foot at Liverpool for the relief of his family; we trust the example may be followed in the metropolis.
Hammond's funeral service was held at St Mark's church in New York attended by various members of the acting profession and he was buried in Green-Wood Cemetery
Green-Wood Cemetery is a cemetery in the western portion of Brooklyn, New York City. The cemetery is located between South Slope/ Greenwood Heights, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Borough Park, Kensington, and Sunset Park, and lies several blo ...
.[ His son Henry Holbrey Hammond became a mining engineer in Peru and on his father's death he took on the financial responsibility for his mother and younger siblings. Having experienced at first hand the financial uncertainty connected with a theatrical career, he discouraged his own children from going on the stage.][
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hammond, William John
1797 births
1848 deaths
Actor-managers
People from Soho
People imprisoned for debt
Freemasons of the United Grand Lodge of England
English male stage actors
19th-century English male actors
19th-century theatre
19th-century theatre managers
Burials at Green-Wood Cemetery