Fanny Fitzwilliam
Encyclopedia
Frances "Fanny" Elizabeth Fitzwilliam (née Copeland) (26 July 1801 – 11 September 1854) was the actress daughter of Robert Copeland
, manager of the Dover theatrical circuit.
As "Miss Copeland" she made her name at the Surrey Theatre
with Thomas John Dibdin
. After marrying the actor Edward Fitzwilliam
she performed as "Mrs. Fitzwilliam", becoming a leading London actress and theatre manager. For many years she was closely associated with John Baldwin Buckstone
who, after the death of her husband, she was due to marry in 1854.
On 11 September 1854, she died of cholera
at Richmond Lodge, Putney
, a month before her planned wedding to Buckstone. She was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery
, three days after her death.
Fanny had two children from her marriage to Edward - a son, musical composer Edward Francis Fitzwilliam
and a daughter, actress and singer Kathleen Fitzwilliam
.
, in his The Uncommercial Traveller
, for her part as Elise in Buckstone's Victorine at the Adelphi Theatre
. This is not surprising as Dickens enjoyed the theatre and was a close friend of John Buckstone
, her "partner".
Excerpt from The Uncommercial Traveller
CHAPTER XXXII - A SMALL STAR IN THE EAST
"This woman, like the last, was wofully shabby, and was degenerating to the Bosjesman complexion. But her figure, and the ghost of a certain vivacity about her, and the spectre of a dimple in her cheek, carried my memory strangely back to the old days of the Adelphi Theatre, London, when Mrs. Fitzwilliam was the friend of Victorine. "
Robert Copeland (Theatre Manager)
Robert Copeland was a theatre manager who managed the Dover theatre circuit in England in the early part of the 19th Century. The circuit initially included the theatres at Dover, Sandwich and Deal but in 1802 he added the Theatre Royal, Margate. Copeland was business like and practical and he...
, manager of the Dover theatrical circuit.
As "Miss Copeland" she made her name at the Surrey Theatre
Surrey Theatre
The Surrey Theatre began life in 1782 as the Royal Circus and Equestrian Philharmonic Academy, one of the many circuses that provided contemporary London entertainment of both horsemanship and drama...
with Thomas John Dibdin
Thomas John Dibdin
Thomas John Dibdin was an English dramatist and song-writer.Dibdin was the son of Charles Dibdin, a song-writer and theatre manager, and of Mrs Davenet, an actress whose real name was Harriet Pitt. He was apprenticed to his maternal uncle, a London upholsterer, and later to William Rawlins,...
. After marrying the actor Edward Fitzwilliam
Edward Fitzwilliam
Edward Fitzwilliam was an actor of Irish descent and the husband of noted actress Fanny Fitzwilliam.Fitzwilliam was born of Irish parents near Holborn in London on 8 Aug. 1788, In 1806 he was actor and property man with Trotter, manager of the theatres at Southend and Hythe. At Gosport in 1808 he...
she performed as "Mrs. Fitzwilliam", becoming a leading London actress and theatre manager. For many years she was closely associated with John Baldwin Buckstone
John Baldwin Buckstone
John Baldwin Buckstone was an English actor, playwright and comedian who wrote 150 plays, the first of which was produced in 1826....
who, after the death of her husband, she was due to marry in 1854.
On 11 September 1854, she died of cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
at Richmond Lodge, Putney
Putney
Putney is a district in south-west London, England, located in the London Borough of Wandsworth. It is situated south-west of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London....
, a month before her planned wedding to Buckstone. She was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery
Kensal Green Cemetery
Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in Kensal Green, in the west of London, England. It was immortalised in the lines of G. K. Chesterton's poem The Rolling English Road from his book The Flying Inn: "For there is good news yet to hear and fine things to be seen; Before we go to Paradise by way of...
, three days after her death.
Fanny had two children from her marriage to Edward - a son, musical composer Edward Francis Fitzwilliam
Edward Francis Fitzwilliam
Edward Francis Fitzwilliam was an English composer and music director.Fitzwilliam, born at Deal, Kent on 2 August 1824, was the son of Edward Fitzwilliam, an actor, by his wife, Fanny Elizabeth Fitzwilliam, actress....
and a daughter, actress and singer Kathleen Fitzwilliam
Kathleen Fitzwilliam
Kathleen Mary Fitzwilliam was the actress daughter of the noted actors Edward Fitzwilliam and Fanny Fitzwilliam....
.
Stage appearances
- 1802 As Fanny Copeland on stage at Dover Theatre at age 2 or 3 years in the "Stranger"
- 1813 Plays piano at age 12 in a concert at Margate
- 1816 As Norah in The Poor SoldierThe Poor SoldierThe Poor Soldier is a 1783 British play by John O'Keeffe. It was a comedy set around Irish soldiers returning home after fighting in the British army in the American War of Independence which formally ended that year with the Peace of Paris. One of the redcoats must fight for the love of Norah with...
becomes leading lady actress at the Dover Theatre - 1817 First appearance in London at the Haymarket TheatreHaymarket TheatreThe Theatre Royal Haymarket is a West End theatre in the Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use...
as Lucy in the "Review" , Cicely in the "Beehive" and the page (Cherubin) in "Follies of a Day"("Le Mariage de Figaro"). - 1818 Olympic TheatreOlympic TheatreThe 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 much of its existence...
playing the Countess of Lovelace in "Rochester" - 1819 (June) in Dibdin's "Florence Macarthy" at the Surrey Theatre is said to have displayed "distinguished merit" (Theatrical Inquisitor, xiv.468)
- 1819 Invited by T Dibdin to Surrey TheatreSurrey TheatreThe Surrey Theatre began life in 1782 as the Royal Circus and Equestrian Philharmonic Academy, one of the many circuses that provided contemporary London entertainment of both horsemanship and drama...
(see his reminiscences) to play Madge Wildfire in "Heart of Midlothian" - 1821 (August) Fanny COPELAND and Edward FITZWILLIAM appear in Rolla and Youth, Love & Foliy at the Surrey Theatre. Also Mr. Watkins Burroughs and Mr. Pitt(Dibdin)
- 1821 (December) Plays Fanny in Barham Livius's "Maid or Wife" in first appearance at Drury Lane.
- 1822 (February) Now married, Fanny Fitzwilliam is the original Adeline in Howard Payne's "Adeline or the Victim of Seduction" (See picture above)
- 1822 Plays in Dublin, in the country and at the Coburg(the old Royalty)
- 1825 (October) Appears at the Adelphi in a drama called "Killigrew"
- 1825 (October) Is the original Kate Plowden at the Adelphi in Fitzball's the "Pilot", an adaptation of a novel by Fenimore Cooper.
- 1825 Is the original Louisa Lovetrick at the Adelphi in the "Dead Shot"
- 1826 (31 January) With Mr Terry, Mr Yates, Miss Boden in THE PILOT and THE ANACONDA and THE THREE GOLDEN LAMPS at the Adelphi
- 1830 (c. 1–6 March) With John Reeve, Mr Wilkinson and Mrs Daly - THE HEART OF LONDON and THE ELEPHANT OF SIAM at the Theatre Royal, Adelphi
- 1830 (October) Plays Bella at the Adelphi in Buckstone's "Wreck Ashore". Achieves high popularity in many of Buckstone's dramas at the Adelphi.
- 1830 Manages Prince Of Wales Theatre
- 1832 At the Royal Clarence according to a US web site\book
- 1832 Becomes manager of Sadler's Wells
- 1832 Manages Sadler's Wells with W.H.WILLIAMS until 1833 when Honner takes over
- 1832 Undertakes the management of Sadler's Wells, transferring some the Adelphi success with "the Pet of the Petticoats", a ballad burletta.
- 1833 (c. 28 January) With John Reeve, Mr Yates and Mrs Daly in DON QUIXOTTE and OTHELLO and the pantomime HARLEQUIN AND THE KING OF CLUBS at the Theatre Royal, Adelphi
- 1835 At the Adelphi on Wednesdays and Fridays in Lent gave a monologue entitled "The Widow Wiggins".
- 1837 At the Adelphi in Billy Taylor! The Gay Young Fellow (27 March 1837 – 1 April 1837) EMICH
- 1837 At the Adelphi as Riverbelle (31) in King of the Danube and the Water Lily (27 March 1837 – 1 May 1837) EMICH
- 1837 At the Adelphi as Norah (24) in Peregrinations of Pickwick (3 April 1837 – 29 April 1837) EMICH
- 1837 At the Adelphi as Elise (3) in Victorine (1 May 1837 – 4 May 1837) EMICH
- 1837 At the Adelphi as Louisa Lovetrick (1) in Dead Shot (2 May 1837) EMICH
- 1837 (November) Plays 12 nights in Boston. Wemyss, ex-manager of the Chestnut Street TheatreChestnut Street TheatreThe Chestnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was the first theater in the United States built by entrepreneurs solely as a venue for paying audiences.-The New Theatre :...
, who saw her, predicted that she would make more money in the US than any actress with the exception of Fanny KembleFanny KembleFrances Anne Kemble , was a famous British actress and author in the early and mid nineteenth century.-Youth and acting career:...
.(See Wemyss Theatrical Biog p 263 ed. 1848) - 1837 Goes to the Haymarket with Benjamin Webster
- 1837 Goes to America and opens in New York as Peggy in the "Country Girl"
- c. 1840 Plays with Buckstone in New Orleans and Havannah
- c. 1840 Fanny Fitzwilliam tours England country towns
- 1842 (August) Nicoll lists the author of The Belle of the Hotel; or, American Sketches as unknown, and says it was the same piece acted at Niblo's Garden, New York (August 1842) "written to display the versatility of Fanny Fitzwilliam who was there on a visit." The bill, however, clearly gives John B. Buckstone as the author.
- 1844 At the Adelphi as The Belle (3) in Belle of the Hotel (28 September 1844 – 1 October 1844)
- 1844 At the Adelphi as Protea Snook (3) in Belle of the Hotel (28 September 1844 – 1 October 1844)
- 1844 At the Adelphi as Jerry Phoenix (3) in Belle of the Hotel (28 September 1844 – 1 October 1844)
- 1844 At the Adelphi as Mrs. Macscribblescrabble (3) in Belle of the Hotel (28 September 1844 – 1 October 1844)
- 1844 At the Adelphi as Signor Amoroso (3) in Belle of the Hotel (28 September 1844 – 1 October 1844)
- 1844 At the Adelphi as Shelah Mullins (3) in Belle of the Hotel (28 September 1844 – 1 October 1844)
- 1844 Returns to Adelphi in the "Belle of the Hotel", a monopolylogue.
- 1844 At the Adelphi as Angelique (32) in Fox and the Goose (2 October 1844 – 4 January 1845)
- 1844 At the Adelphi as Elise (12) in Victorine (18 November 1844 – 17 December 1844)
- 1844 At the Adelphi as Bella (6) in Wreck Ashore (25 November 1844 – 30 November 1844)
- 1844 At the Adelphi as Mrs. Matilda Tims (2) in Snapping Turtles (9 December 1844 – 13 March 1845)
- 1844 At the Adelphi as Mrs. O'Blarney (2) in Snapping Turtles (9 December 1844 – 13 March 1845)
- 1844 At the Adelphi as Mr. Fipkins Yaw-Yaw (2) in Snapping Turtles (9 December 1844 – 13 March 1845)
- 1845 (January) At the Adelphi as Nelly O'Neil in Buckstone's "Green Bushes".
- 1845 At the Adelphi as Nelly O'Neil (82) in Green Bushes (27 January 1845 – 10 May 1845)
- 1847 At the Adelphi as Nelly O'Neil (23) in Green Bushes (11 February 1847 – 10 March 1847) EMICH
- 1847 (March) At the Adelphi as Starlight Bess in Buckstone's "Flowers of the Forest". This raises her reputation to its height!
- 1847 At the Adelphi as Starlight Bess (79) in Flowers of the Forest! A Gipsy Story (11 March 1847 – 19 June 1847) EMICH
- 1847 At the Adelphi as Elise (1) in Victorine (10 May 1847) EMICH
- 1847 At the Adelphi as Nell (1) in Devil to Pay (12 May 1847) EMICH
- 1847 At the Adelphi as Mrs. Frederick Youngshusband (1) in Married Life (12 May 1847) EMICH
- 1847 At the Adelphi as Milly (21) in Maid with the Milking Pail (21 December 1846 – 6 March 1847) EMICH
- 1848 At the Lyceum with Madame Vestris and Buckstone in Scarecrow. Her daughter Kathleen also on the bill in Theseus and Ariadne or the Marriage of Bachus
- 1850 With Buckstone and Charles Kean - Playbill advertising HAMLET and THE ROUGH DIAMOND and BOX AND COX at the Theatre Royal, Hay-Market, 8 March 1850
- c. 1850 Plays Nan in "Good For Nothing" at the Haymarket.
- c. 1850 Plays Margery in "Rough Diamond" at the Haymarket.
- c. 1850 Plays Dorinne in a version of "Tartuffe" at the Haymarket.
- 1851 (February) With Buckstone, Howe and Parselle in PRESENTED AT COURT and GOOD FOR NOTHING and BLACK EYED SUSAN at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket, c. 19 February 1851
- 1854 (September) Her last performance, the same month as her death. At the Haymarket (Saturday).
External links
Miscellany
Fanny Fitzwilliam was remembered by Charles DickensCharles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
, in his The Uncommercial Traveller
The Uncommercial Traveller
The Uncommercial Traveller is a collection of literary sketches and reminiscences written by Charles Dickens.In 1859 Dickens founded a new journal called All the Year Round and the Uncommercial Traveller articles would be among his main contributions...
, for her part as Elise in Buckstone's Victorine at the Adelphi Theatre
Adelphi Theatre
The Adelphi Theatre is a 1500-seat West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiving house for a variety of productions, including many musicals...
. This is not surprising as Dickens enjoyed the theatre and was a close friend of John Buckstone
John Baldwin Buckstone
John Baldwin Buckstone was an English actor, playwright and comedian who wrote 150 plays, the first of which was produced in 1826....
, her "partner".
Excerpt from The Uncommercial Traveller
The Uncommercial Traveller
The Uncommercial Traveller is a collection of literary sketches and reminiscences written by Charles Dickens.In 1859 Dickens founded a new journal called All the Year Round and the Uncommercial Traveller articles would be among his main contributions...
CHAPTER XXXII - A SMALL STAR IN THE EAST
"This woman, like the last, was wofully shabby, and was degenerating to the Bosjesman complexion. But her figure, and the ghost of a certain vivacity about her, and the spectre of a dimple in her cheek, carried my memory strangely back to the old days of the Adelphi Theatre, London, when Mrs. Fitzwilliam was the friend of Victorine. "