Margaret Woffington
Encyclopedia
Margaret "Peg" Woffington (18 October 1720 – 28 March 1760) was a well-known Irish
actress in Georgian
London
.
production of The Beggar's Opera
. She danced and acted at various Dublin theatres until 1740, when her success as Sir Harry Wildair in The Constant Couple led to her being given her London debut at Covent Garden
; she became well known as an actress thereafter.
Woffington enjoyed success in the role of Sylvia in The Recruiting Officer. She performed at Drury Lane
for several years and later returned to Dublin, appearing in a variety of plays. Her most well-received performances were in comic roles, such as elegant women of fashion like Lady Betty Modish and Lady Townley, and breeches role
s. She was impeded in the performance of tragedy by a harsh tone in her voice that she strove to eliminate.
She lived openly with David Garrick
, the foremost actor of the day, and her other love affairs (including liaisons with Edward Bligh, 2nd Earl of Darnley
and MP Charles Hanbury Williams
) were numerous and notorious. She became friend and mentor to the socialite/actress sisters, Elizabeth
and Maria Gunning, and also shared the stage with the likes of Charles Macklin
, Kitty Clive
, and the tragedienne Susannah Maria Arne
(then known as Cibber, following her marriage to Theophilus Cibber
).
She was made president (and the only female member) of Thomas Sheridan's Beefsteak Club
in Dublin. She also educated and supported her sister Mary (usually known as Polly), and cared for and pensioned her mother.
For whatever reason, Woffington left Garrick in about 1744 and moved to Teddington
, into a house called Teddington Place. In 1754 she became the beneficiary of the will of the Irish impresario Owen Swiny
.
On 3 May 1757, she was playing the part of Rosalind in As You Like It
when she collapsed on stage. She rallied, but would never act again, lingering with a wasting illness until 1760. She built and endowed by will some almshouse
s at Teddington, and was buried in St. Mary's Church, the parish church.
in 1747, and John Lewis in 1753.
She was eulogised in a poetical sketch by the dramatist Henry Jones
.
She has been portrayed as a character in the stage play 'A Laughing Matter' by April de Angelis.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
actress in Georgian
Georgian era
The Georgian era is a period of British history which takes its name from, and is normally defined as spanning the reigns of, the first four Hanoverian kings of Great Britain : George I, George II, George III and George IV...
London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Early life
Woffington was born of humble origins in Dublin. Her father is thought to have been a bricklayer, and after his death, the family became impoverished. Her mother was obliged to take in washing while Peg sold watercress door to door.Acting career
As a child of ten, she was recruited by an Italian rope dancer called Violante and played Polly Peachum in a LilliputianLilliput and Blefuscu
Lilliput and Blefuscu are two fictional island nations that appear in the first part of the 1726 novel Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift. The two islands are neighbors in the South Indian Ocean, separated by a channel eight hundred yards wide. Both are inhabited by tiny people who are about...
production of The Beggar's Opera
The Beggar's Opera
The Beggar's Opera is a ballad opera in three acts written in 1728 by John Gay with music arranged by Johann Christoph Pepusch. It is one of the watershed plays in Augustan drama and is the only example of the once thriving genre of satirical ballad opera to remain popular today...
. She danced and acted at various Dublin theatres until 1740, when her success as Sir Harry Wildair in The Constant Couple led to her being given her London debut at Covent Garden
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 site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
; she became well known as an actress thereafter.
Woffington enjoyed success in the role of Sylvia in The Recruiting Officer. She performed at Drury Lane
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....
for several years and later returned to Dublin, appearing in a variety of plays. Her most well-received performances were in comic roles, such as elegant women of fashion like Lady Betty Modish and Lady Townley, and breeches role
Breeches role
A breeches role is a role in which an actress appears in male clothing .In opera it also refers to any male character that is sung and acted by a female singer...
s. She was impeded in the performance of tragedy by a harsh tone in her voice that she strove to eliminate.
She lived openly with David Garrick
David Garrick
David Garrick was an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of theatrical practice throughout the 18th century and was a pupil and friend of Dr Samuel Johnson...
, the foremost actor of the day, and her other love affairs (including liaisons with Edward Bligh, 2nd Earl of Darnley
Edward Bligh, 2nd Earl of Darnley
Edward Bligh, 2nd Earl of Darnley was an English peer.He was educated at Westminster and at Geneva. He succeeded his mother to become Baron Clifton in 1722 and, in 1728, succeeded his father as Earl of Darnley....
and MP Charles Hanbury Williams
Charles Hanbury Williams
Sir Charles Hanbury Williams, KB , diplomat, writer and satirist, son of John Hanbury, a Welsh ironmaster, assumed the name of Williams on succeeding to the estate of his godfather Charles Williams, in 1720....
) were numerous and notorious. She became friend and mentor to the socialite/actress sisters, Elizabeth
Elizabeth Campbell, 1st Baroness Hamilton
Elizabeth Campbell, Duchess of Argyll & 1st Baroness Hamilton of Hameldon was a celebrated Irish belle and society hostess.- Early life :...
and Maria Gunning, and also shared the stage with the likes of Charles Macklin
Charles Macklin
Charles Macklin , originally Cathal MacLochlainn , was an actor and dramatist born in Culdaff, a village on the scenic Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal, part of the Province of Ulster in the north of Ireland. He was one of the most distinguished actors of his day, equally in tragedy and comedy...
, Kitty Clive
Kitty Clive
Catherine "Kitty" Clive was a British actress of considerable repute on the stages of London.Most likely born in London, her father William Raftor was an Irishman and former officer in the French army under Louis XIV...
, and the tragedienne Susannah Maria Arne
Susannah Maria Arne
Susannah Maria Cibber , also known as Susannah Maria Arne, was a celebrated English singer and actress and the sister of the composer Thomas Arne. Although she began her career as a soprano, her voice lowered in the early part of her career to that of a true contralto...
(then known as Cibber, following her marriage to Theophilus Cibber
Theophilus Cibber
Theophilus Cibber was an English actor, playwright, author, and son of the actor-manager Colley Cibber.He began acting at an early age, and followed his father into theatrical management. In 1727, Alexander Pope satirized Theophilus Cibber in his Dunciad as a youth who "thrusts his person full...
).
She was made president (and the only female member) of Thomas Sheridan's Beefsteak Club
Beefsteak Club
Beefsteak Club is the name, nickname and historically common misnomer applied by sources to several 18th and 19th century male dining clubs that celebrated the beefsteak as a symbol of patriotic and often Whig concepts of liberty and prosperity....
in Dublin. She also educated and supported her sister Mary (usually known as Polly), and cared for and pensioned her mother.
For whatever reason, Woffington left Garrick in about 1744 and moved to Teddington
Teddington
Teddington is a suburban area in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in south west London, on the north bank of the River Thames, between Hampton Wick and Twickenham. It stretches inland from the River Thames to Bushy Park...
, into a house called Teddington Place. In 1754 she became the beneficiary of the will of the Irish impresario Owen Swiny
Owen Swiny
Owen Swiny was an Irish theatre impressario and art dealer active in London.-Life:Having attended Trinity College, Dublin from 1694, he was working at the Drury Lane Theatre by spring 1703 with Christopher Rich. He also adapted Molière's L'amour médecin as The Quacks, putting it on at the Drury...
.
On 3 May 1757, she was playing the part of Rosalind in As You Like It
As You Like It
As You Like It is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 or early 1600 and first published in the folio of 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has been suggested as a possibility...
when she collapsed on stage. She rallied, but would never act again, lingering with a wasting illness until 1760. She built and endowed by will some almshouse
Almshouse
Almshouses are charitable housing provided to enable people to live in a particular community...
s at Teddington, and was buried in St. Mary's Church, the parish church.
Portraits
Having a reputation for beauty, Woffington appeared in portraits and paintings by several artists of the day, including Jacobus Lovelace in 1744, Peter van BleeckPeter van Bleeck
Petrus Johannes van Bleeck was a Dutch portrait painter and engraver active in London, where he moved in 1723....
in 1747, and John Lewis in 1753.
She was eulogised in a poetical sketch by the dramatist Henry Jones
Henry Jones (poet)
-Life:Jones was born at Beaulieu, near Drogheda, co. Louth, in 1721. He was apprenticed to a bricklayer, but contrived to study privately. Some complimentary verses which he addressed to the corporation of Drogheda and some lines 'On Mr. Pope's Death,' attracted the attention of Lord-chief-justice...
.
She has been portrayed as a character in the stage play 'A Laughing Matter' by April de Angelis.
Trivia
- Peg Woffington's was also a nightclub on the junction of Kildare StreetKildare StreetKildare Street is a well-known street in Dublin, the capital city of Ireland close to the principal shopping area of Grafton Street and Dawson Street, to which it is joined by Molesworth Street. Some Irish government departments have their offices on this street but it is most famous for Leinster...
and Nassau Street (Dublin). This establishment is currently Club Nassau and has previously been known as Republica and Bar 47.
