Anne Marshall
Encyclopedia
Anne Marshall also Mrs. Anne Quin, was a leading English actress of the Restoration
era, one of the first generation of women performers to appear on the public stage in England.
John Downes
, in his Roscius Anglicanus (1708
), reports that Anne Marshall among the initial group of actresses employed by manager Thomas Killigrew
with his King's Company
. She has been nominated as possibly the "first English actress," the Desdemona
in the performance of Othello
on 8 December 1660
. [See: Margaret Hughes
; Katherine Corey
.] Marshall certainly played Desdemona in later performances.
Marshall is thought to have played Zempoalla in the Dryden
/Howard
collaboration The Indian Queen
in 1664
. She is known to have played the following roles with the King's Company:
Anne Marshall married an actor named Peter Quin, or Gwyn, probably in 1665; she resumed her stage career as Mrs. Quin once the theatres re-opened after the plague epidemic and the Great Fire
of 1665–66. She played:
Marshall retired from the stage in 1668; but she resumed her career nine years later, this time with the rival Duke's Company
under Thomas Betterton
. With that troupe, her first role was Angelica Bianca in Aphra Behn
's The Rover
in March 1677. (Coincidently, Marshall had been cast in the same role in the abortive all-female production of Thomas Killigrew's Thomaso
in 1664.) She also played:
— and other parts.
Anne Marshall had a younger sister, Rebecca Marshall
, who also was a noted actress in the same era. Their father was a clergyman, the chaplain of Lord Gerard
. Samuel Pepys
mentions both Marshalls frequently in his Diary. The sisters played together at least once, in The Maiden Queen.
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
era, one of the first generation of women performers to appear on the public stage in England.
John Downes
John Downes
John Downes may refer to:*John Downes , English commissioner convicted of regicide of Charles I of England at the restoration of Charles II*John Downes John Downes may refer to:*John Downes (regicide) (1609 – c. 1666), English commissioner convicted of regicide of Charles I of England at the...
, in his Roscius Anglicanus (1708
1708 in literature
The year 1708 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:* The Battle of Oudenarde* Joseph Trapp becomes Oxford Professor of Poetry.* Edward Lhuyd becomes a Fellow of the Royal Society.-New books:...
), reports that Anne Marshall among the initial group of actresses employed by manager Thomas Killigrew
Thomas Killigrew
Thomas Killigrew was an English dramatist and theatre manager. He was a witty, dissolute figure at the court of King Charles II of England.-Life and work:...
with his King's Company
King's Company
The King's Company was one of two enterprises granted the rights to mount theatrical productions in London at the start of the English Restoration. It existed from 1660 to 1682.-History:...
. She has been nominated as possibly the "first English actress," the Desdemona
Desdemona
Desdemona is a character in William Shakespeare's play Othello.Desdemona may also refer to:People* Desdemona , a soprano role in the 1816 opera Otello by Gioachino Rossini...
in the performance of Othello
Othello
The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1603, and based on the Italian short story "Un Capitano Moro" by Cinthio, a disciple of Boccaccio, first published in 1565...
on 8 December 1660
1660 in literature
The year 1660 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:* January 1 - Samuel Pepys starts his diary.* February - John Rhodes reopens the old Cockpit Theatre in London, forms a company of young actors and begins to stage plays...
. [See: Margaret Hughes
Margaret Hughes
Margaret Hughes , also Peg Hughes or Margaret Hewes, is often credited as the first professional actress on the English stage...
; Katherine Corey
Katherine Corey
Katherine Corey was an English actress of the Restoration era, one of the first generation of female performers to appear on the public stage in Britain. Corey played with the King's Company and the United Company, and had one of the longest careers of any actress in her generation...
.] Marshall certainly played Desdemona in later performances.
Marshall is thought to have played Zempoalla in the Dryden
John Dryden
John Dryden was an influential English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who dominated the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the period came to be known in literary circles as the Age of Dryden.Walter Scott called him "Glorious John." He was made Poet...
/Howard
Robert Howard
Robert Howard may refer to:*Sir Robert Howard , Royalist commander*Robert L. Howard , Medal of Honor recipient during the Vietnam War*Robert E...
collaboration The Indian Queen
The Indian Queen
The Indian Queen is a play by Sir Robert Howard, written in collaboration with John Dryden, his sister's husband. It was first performed in 1664 with incidental music by John Banister the elder...
in 1664
1664 in literature
The year 1664 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:* Sir William Davenant's "dramatic opera" Macbeth, adapted from Shakespeare's play, premiers on November 5....
. She is known to have played the following roles with the King's Company:
- Celia in Jonson'sBen JonsonBenjamin Jonson was an English Renaissance dramatist, poet and actor. A contemporary of William Shakespeare, he is best known for his satirical plays, particularly Volpone, The Alchemist, and Bartholomew Fair, which are considered his best, and his lyric poems...
VolponeVolponeVolpone is a comedy by Ben Jonson first produced in 1606, drawing on elements of city comedy, black comedy and beast fable... - the Lady in Beaumont and FletcherBeaumont and FletcherBeaumont and Fletcher were the English dramatists Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher, who collaborated in their writing during the reign of James I ....
's The Scornful LadyThe Scornful LadyThe Scornful Lady is a Jacobean era stage play, a comedy written by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher, and first published in 1616, the year of Beaumont's death... - Evadne in The Maid's TragedyThe Maid's TragedyThe Maid's Tragedy is a play by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher. It was first published in 1619.The play was one of the earliest works in the canon of Fletcher and his collaborators that was acted by the King's Men; Fletcher would spend most of his career as that company's regular playwright...
- Margarita in Fletcher'sJohn Fletcher (playwright)John Fletcher was a Jacobean playwright. Following William Shakespeare as house playwright for the King's Men, he was among the most prolific and influential dramatists of his day; both during his lifetime and in the early Restoration, his fame rivalled Shakespeare's...
Rule a Wife and Have a WifeRule a Wife and Have a WifeRule a Wife and Have a Wife is a late Jacobean stage play, a comedy written by John Fletcher. It was first performed in 1624 and first published in 1640.... - Edith in Rollo Duke of NormandyRollo Duke of NormandyRollo Duke of Normandy, also known as The Bloody Brother, is a play written in collaboration by John Fletcher, Philip Massinger, Ben Jonson, and George Chapman. Scholars have disputed almost everything about the play; but it was probably written sometime in the 1612–24 era and later revised,...
- Celia in The Humorous LieutenantThe Humorous LieutenantThe Humorous Lieutenant, also known as The Noble Enemies or Demetrius and Enanthe, is a Jacobean era stage play, a tragicomedy written by John Fletcher...
- Almeria in Dryden's The Indian EmperourThe Indian EmperourThe Indian Emperour, or the Conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards, being the Sequel of The Indian Queen is an English Restoration era stage play, a heroic drama written by John Dryden that was first performed in the Spring of 1665...
- Mrs. Double-Diligence in Wilson'sJohn Wilson (playwright)John Wilson was an English playwright.He was son of Aaron Wilson, a royalist divine, and was born in London in 1627. He matriculated from Exeter College, Oxford, in 1644, and entered Lincoln's Inn two years later, being called to the bar in 1649...
The Cheats - Celestina in Sir William Killigrew's The Siege of Urbin.
Anne Marshall married an actor named Peter Quin, or Gwyn, probably in 1665; she resumed her stage career as Mrs. Quin once the theatres re-opened after the plague epidemic and the Great Fire
Great Fire of London
The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of the English city of London, from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666. The fire gutted the medieval City of London inside the old Roman City Wall...
of 1665–66. She played:
- Candiope in Dryden's The Maiden QueenThe Maiden QueenSecret Love, or The Maiden Queen is a 1667 tragicomedy written by John Dryden. The play, commonly known by its more distinctive subtitle, was acted by the King's Company at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane . The premiere occurred on 2 March, and was a popular success...
- Aurelia in An Evening's LoveAn Evening's LoveAn Evening's Love, or The Mock Astrologer is a comedy in prose by John Dryden. It was first performed before Charles II and Queen Catherine by the King's Company at the Theatre Royal on Bridges Street, London, on Friday, 12 June 1668...
- Alizia Pearce in Boyle'sRoger Boyle, 1st Earl of OrreryRoger Boyle redirects here. For others of this name, see Roger Boyle Roger Boyle, 1st Earl of Orrery was a British soldier, statesman and dramatist. He was the third surviving son of Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork and Richard's second wife, Catherine Fenton. He was created Baron of Broghill on...
The Black PrinceThe Black Prince (play)The Black Prince is a Restoration era stage play, a historical tragedy written by Roger Boyle, 1st Earl of Orrery. It premiered on stage in 1667 and was first published in 1669...
.
Marshall retired from the stage in 1668; but she resumed her career nine years later, this time with the rival Duke's Company
Duke's Company
The Duke's Company was one of the two theatre companies that were chartered by King Charles II at the start of the English Restoration era, when the London theatres re-opened after their eighteen-year closure during the English Civil War and the Interregnum.The Duke's Company had the patronage of...
under Thomas Betterton
Thomas Betterton
Thomas Patrick Betterton , English actor, son of an under-cook to King Charles I, was born in London.-Apprentice and actor:...
. With that troupe, her first role was Angelica Bianca in Aphra Behn
Aphra Behn
Aphra Behn was a prolific dramatist of the English Restoration and was one of the first English professional female writers. Her writing contributed to the amatory fiction genre of British literature.-Early life:...
's The Rover
The Rover (play)
The Rover or The Banish'd Cavaliers is a play in two parts written by the English author Aphra Behn.Having famously worked as a spy for Charles II against the Dutch, Behn's meager incomes was lost when the king refused to pay her expenses. She turned to writing for an income.The Rover premiered...
in March 1677. (Coincidently, Marshall had been cast in the same role in the abortive all-female production of Thomas Killigrew's Thomaso
Thomaso
Thomaso, or the Wanderer is mid-seventeenth-century stage play, a two-part comedy written by Thomas Killigrew, The work was composed in Madrid, c. 1654...
in 1664.) She also played:
- Lady Knowell in Behn's Sir Patient Fancy
- Lady Squeamish in Otway'sThomas OtwayThomas Otway was an English dramatist of the Restoration period, best known for Venice Preserv'd, or A Plot Discover'd .-Life:...
Friendship in Fashion - Queen Elizabeth in Banks'sJohn Banks (playwright)John Banks was an English playwright of the Restoration era. His works concentrated on historical dramas, and his plays were twice suppressed because of their implications, or supposed implications, for the contemporaneous political situation....
The Unhappy Favourite - Sunamira in Southerne'sThomas SoutherneThomas Southerne , Irish dramatist, was born at Oxmantown, near Dublin, in 1660, and entered Trinity College, Dublin in 1676. Two years later he was entered at the Middle Temple, London....
The Loyal Brother
— and other parts.
Anne Marshall had a younger sister, Rebecca Marshall
Rebecca Marshall
Rebecca Marshall was a noted English actress of the Restoration era, one of the first generation of women performers on the public stage in Britain...
, who also was a noted actress in the same era. Their father was a clergyman, the chaplain of Lord Gerard
Charles Gerard, 1st Earl of Macclesfield
Charles Gerard, 1st Earl of Macclesfield PC was an English aristocrat, soldier and courtier.-Life:The eldest son of Sir Charles Gerard, he was a member of an old Lancashire family, his great-grandfather having been Sir Gilbert Gerard of Ince, in that county, one of the most distinguished judges...
. Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys FRS, MP, JP, was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament who is now most famous for the diary he kept for a decade while still a relatively young man...
mentions both Marshalls frequently in his Diary. The sisters played together at least once, in The Maiden Queen.