Master Betty
Encyclopedia
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
– 24 August 1874, 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...
) was by far the most popular child actor of the nineteenth century. Both of his parents were very wealthy by inheritance. His mother inherited money from Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
and his father from North Ireland. It is said Betty’s father would frivolously spend his inheritance on anything resulting in losing a large portion of it.This loss might be a huge contribution to the extreme exploitation of his child prodigy. Master Betty first showed his desire and need for the stage at the age of eleven when he was first exposed to the art of theatre. In 1802 his father took the ambitious young boy to Belfast to watch Sheridan’s Pizarro, starring Sarah Siddons
Sarah Siddons
Sarah Siddons was a Welsh actress, the best-known tragedienne of the 18th century. She was the elder sister of John Philip Kemble, Charles Kemble, Stephen Kemble, Ann Hatton and Elizabeth Whitlock, and the aunt of Fanny Kemble. She was most famous for her portrayal of the Shakespearean character,...
in the role of Elvira. Her performance inspired him so much that Betty became infatuated with being on stage and performing, stating “I shall certainly die if I may not be a player.” Betty’s father, having witnessed his son’s willingness to become an actor, began making plans to turn his son’s dreams into reality. He introduced William to Michael Atkins, manager of the Belfast Theatre, to see if he saw any potential in the boy as a performer. After meeting the boy Atkins said, “I never dared to indulge in the hope of seeing another Garrick, but I have seen an Infant Garrick in Betty.”
This was William’s first step into stardom, and his career would take off from there. First, he had to meet with additional respected people if he wanted to make it big. Not long after meeting Michael, Betty was introduced to the Theatrical prompter Thomas Hough so he could direct, train, and mentor young William in the role of Osman in Voltaire
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet , better known by the pen name Voltaire , was a French Enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher famous for his wit and for his advocacy of civil liberties, including freedom of religion, free trade and separation of church and state...
’s Zair. While this is going on, there was an insurrection in Ireland which results in the closing of the Belfast theatre. Mr. Atkins knew he needed a huge attraction to bring in the crowds and he immediately thought of the young boy that was currently being trained by Mr. Hough. After some hard planning, it was settled and on August 11, 1803, the eleven-year-old William Henry was to debut on a professional stage as the well-known Osman. His appearance brought in a large crowd and reports state that his performance was flawless and received extremely well. After he played Osman, he played the role of Young Norval in Home's Douglas
Douglas (play)
Douglas is a blank verse tragedy by John Home. It was first performed in 1756 in EdinburghThe play was a big success in both Scotland and England for decades, attacting many notable actors of the period, such as Edmund Kean who made his debut in it. Peg Woffington played Lady Randolph, a part which...
. This role fit him much better since he was actually playing a child and, once again, he astonished people in the theatre and the word of mouth was spreading all around Europe. Master Betty’s stardom had grown beyond just Belfast, but to Dublin as well, where Betty’s father talked to a Mr. Jones of the Dublin Theatre. They were able to settle an agreement for Betty to appear again in Home's Douglas at the Theatre Royal
Theatre Royal
Theatre Royal is the name of many theatres, especially in the United Kingdom. The name was once an indication that the theatre was a patent theatre, with a Royal Patent without which performances of serious drama would be illegal.United Kingdom:...
. People of the Theatre Royal were fully aware that patrons would flock to the theatre to see his Theatre Royal Debut on November 28, 1803. There he also played Frederick in the drama Lover's Vows, Tancred in Tencred and Hamlet in William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
. The citizens of Dublin became so excited over Betty that the civil authorities extended the curfew an hour for those who were attending the theatre. His parents then had Betty tour in the summer of 1804, where he was treated with thunderous applauses as he reprised his past roles such as Young Norval in Douglas. His performances sold out and received nearly 850 pounds the last six nights. Homes, the writer of Douglas, came to watch Young William in one of those nights and claimed that he “considered it the only performance where Young Norval was played according to his conception of the character.” Now the biggest thing in Dublin and Belfast, Master Betty was ready for London. On December 1, 1804, guards were hired to tame the anxious crowd of people at the doors of the Covent Garden Theatre awaiting to get a glimpse of the Child Sensation. Some waited in line hours before the doors were open. Constables stood inside the theatre, ready to stop the awaiting chaos. Once the doors were open, people flooded inside to find seats creating a huge disorder. Clark Russell described the event:
"Shrieks and screams of choking, trampled people were terrible. Fights for places grew; Constables were beaten back, the boxes were invaded. The heat was so fearful that men all but lifeless were lifted and dragged through the boxes into the lobbies which had windows."
Master Betty played Selim in Browne’s Barborossa, an imitation of Voltaire’s Merope
Merope
Merope was originally the name of several, probably unrelated, characters in Greek mythology. The name may refer to:-Greek mythology:* Merope , one of the Heliades, daughter of Helios and Clymene...
. The boy did not come on stage until half way through the show and still was grandly received by his audience, including the Prince of Wales. The second night at the Covent Garden Theatre, the patrons began acting very violently and started a small riot injuring many of the audience members and also damaging the theatre itself. People could not get enough of Young William Betty. He dined with royalty after George III presented him to the Queen. His popularity so great, and his presence so loved, successful and well known actors such as John Philip Kemble
John Philip Kemble
John Philip Kemble was an English actor. He was born into a theatrical family as the eldest son of Roger Kemble, actor-manager of a touring troupe. His elder sister Sarah Siddons achieved fame with him on the stage of the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane...
and Sarah Siddons
Sarah Siddons
Sarah Siddons was a Welsh actress, the best-known tragedienne of the 18th century. She was the elder sister of John Philip Kemble, Charles Kemble, Stephen Kemble, Ann Hatton and Elizabeth Whitlock, and the aunt of Fanny Kemble. She was most famous for her portrayal of the Shakespearean character,...
were forced to have a brief retirement because they could not compete with Betty. Artists loved painting him on canvas, medals, and other prestigious things. Two large portraits were hung at the Royal Academy’s exhibition in 1805.
Finally, audiences began growing tired of seeing a boy on stage who could not hold up his fellow actress when she fainted. By 1806 Betty was no longer drawing in large audiences. His performance in Henry III
Henry III
Henry III may refer to:*Henry III, Duke of Bavaria *Henry III, Holy Roman Emperor *Henry the Lion, Henry III of Saxony, *Henry III of England *Henry III, Count of Champagne, , also King Henry I of Navarre...
was treated with hisses and cat calls, and the performance was a failure.The young man quit the stage in 1808 to attend Christ's College
Christ's College, Cambridge
Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge.With a reputation for high academic standards, Christ's College averaged top place in the Tompkins Table from 1980-2000 . In 2011, Christ's was placed sixth.-College history:...
in Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
. After graduation he lived with his family in the country and was invited back to the Covent Garden in 1812. The critics completely bashed his performance talking more about his fifteen minutes of fame than his performance at the age of twenty-one. This was an unsuccessful comeback, resulting in Betty never returning to perform in London again. Nine years later he tried to once again renew his acting career and failed, resulting in a suicide attempt at the age of thirty. After his complete retirement in 1824, William knew his theatre career had come to an end, but still had an itch for theatre and put his fifteen year old son, Henry, on stage in 1835, hoping to recreate the past. His son, however, was nowhere near Master Betty’s status. Betty finally retired from the stage for good in 1824 and devoted the remainder of his life to good works and theatrical charities. He died on 24 August 1874, in Ampthill Square, London.