William Thomas Moncrieff (24 August 1794 – 3 December 1857) commonly referred as W.T. Moncrieff was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

dramatist and author.

Biography

He was born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, the son of a Strand tradesman named Thomas. The name Moncrieff he assumed for theatrical purposes. Moncrieff's first success was at Astley's circus with ''The Dandy Family'' an equestrian drama, and in 1820 ''The Lear of Private Life'', with Junius Brutus Booth as hero, enjoyed a long run. He supplied

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 ...

with a romantic melodrama called ''The Cataract of the Ganges; or, The Rajah’s Daughter'' which gave the national theatre an opportunity of displaying upon its stage both real horses and a real waterfall. This work became very popular with performances at provincial theatres throughout England. His 1819 play, ''Wanted: a wife'', was a comedy that gently ridiculed "lonely heart" ads. In 1830, he conceived the operatic drama

Van Diemen's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania used by the British during the European exploration of Australia in the 19th century. A British settlement was established in Van Diemen's Land in 1803 before it became a sepa ...

, concerning the notorious bush-ranger Michael Howe. But his most popular production was ''

Tom and Jerry, or Life in London ''Tom and Jerry, or Life in London'', first staged in 1821 was one of several stage adaptations of Pierce Egan's popular book '' Life in London'', published earlier in that year. Its most successful production at the Adelphi Theatre in the Wes ...

'' (1821), a dramatisation of '' Life in London'' by Pierce Egan, whose ''Boxiana'' Moncrieff had begun to publish in 1818. ''Tom and Jerry'' was an outstanding success, becoming the first play to achieve a run of 100 performances. In 1818, he wrote ''The visitors' new guide to the spa of Leamington Priors and its vicinity''. Then in 1824, he wrote ''Excursion to Warwick'', and also, ''Excursion to Stratford upon Avon, ... with a compendious life of Shakspeare, ... account of the ... Jubilee, catalogue of the Shakspeare relics, etc''. He managed

Vauxhall Gardens Vauxhall Gardens is a public park in Kennington in the London Borough of Lambeth, England, on the south bank of the River Thames. Originally known as New Spring Gardens, it is believed to have opened before the Restoration of 1660, being ...

in 1827 and in 1833 leased the City Theatre. His play '' Samuel Weller, or, The Pickwickians'' was performed in London in 1837 starring

W. J. Hammond William John Hammond (1 July 1797–23 August 1848) was a British actor-manager and singer of comic songs of the early 19th-century. He played Sam Weller in ''Samuel Weller, or, The Pickwickians'' in 1837. Early life W. J. Hammond was born ...

as Sam Weller while Dickens was still writing '' The Pickwick Papers''. In 1837, he also had a very public feud with Dickens, over Montcrieff's unauthorised staging of Dicken's play ''Nicholas Nickleby''.Andrew Mangham (Editor) Soon afterward his sight failed, and in 1843 he became totally blind. The following year he entered the Charterhouse in London. Moncrieff's theatrical reminiscences were published in the ''Sunday Times'' in 1851. He edited ''Selections from Dramatic Works'' (London, 1850), containing 24 of his own plays.

References

Sources

* The New Century Cyclopedia of Names, ed. Clarence L. Barnhart (Appleton-Century-Crofts, New York, 1954). p. 2788 * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Moncrieff, William Thomas Writers from London 1794 births 1857 deaths English blind people English male dramatists and playwrights 19th-century English dramatists and playwrights 19th-century English male writers