Miles Peter Andrews
Encyclopedia
Miles Peter Andrews was an 18th century English playwright, gunpowder manufacturer and politician who sat in the House of Commons
from 1796 to 1814.
Andrews was the son of William Andrews, a drysalter of Watling Street and his wife Catherine Pigou. After helping his father in business in the day time, he was "accustomed to sally forth in the evening with sword and bag to Ranelagh
or some other public place". He gradually made useful social connections and became a constant companion of Lord Lyttelton
. He wrote plays musicals and operas. The first was performed at Drury Lane
in 1774. In 1775 the opera diva Ann Cargill
aged 15 ran away with him and she then had to be restrained at home by a court order. Andrews had several further plays performed at the Haymarket
. Andrews lived in a mansion at Green Park
where he entertained the fashionable society of London, and was a member of several clubs.
With his uncle Frederick Pigou
, a director of the British East India Company
, Andrews became the owner of an extensive gunpowder
factory at Hawley Mills on the River Darent
at Dartford
, Kent
.
George Colman the Younger
described Andrews as "one of the most persevering poetical pests", and his plays as "like his powder mills, particularly hazardous affairs, and in great danger of going off with a sudden and violent explosion". This was no idle comparison as an explosion occurred in October 1790.
In 1796 Andrews succeeded Lord Lyttleton as Member of Parliament
for Bewdley
which he represented until his death in 1814. There is a memorial to him in St James's Church, Piccadilly
.
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
from 1796 to 1814.
Biography
Ranelagh Gardens
Ranelagh Gardens were public pleasure gardens located in Chelsea, then just outside London, England in the 18th century.-History:The Ranelagh Gardens were so called because they occupied the site of Ranelagh House, built in 1688-89 by the first Earl of Ranelagh, Treasurer of Chelsea Hospital ,...
or some other public place". He gradually made useful social connections and became a constant companion of Lord Lyttelton
George Lyttelton, 2nd Baron Lyttelton
George Fulke Lyttelton, 2nd Baron Lyttelton was an Anglo-Irish peer and politician.He was the eldest son of the first baron. Between 1798 and 1800, Lyttelton represented Granard in the Irish House of Commons He succeeded his father as Member of Parliament for Bewdley in 1790 and to his title and...
. He wrote plays musicals and operas. The first was performed at Drury Lane
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a West End theatre in Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, a borough of London. The building faces Catherine Street and backs onto Drury Lane. The building standing today is the most recent in a line of four theatres at the same location dating back to 1663,...
in 1774. In 1775 the opera diva Ann Cargill
Ann Cargill
Ann Cargill was a British opera diva and celebrated beauty whose life and death were a sensation in London at the close of the 18th century.-Life:...
aged 15 ran away with him and she then had to be restrained at home by a court order. Andrews had several further plays performed at the Haymarket
Haymarket Theatre
The 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...
. Andrews lived in a mansion at Green Park
Green Park
-External links:*...
where he entertained the fashionable society of London, and was a member of several clubs.
With his uncle Frederick Pigou
Pigou
Pigou is an English surname of Hugenot derivation.The Pigou family originated from Amiens in France. The name was related to pique or pike, and the Pigou arms consist of three pike heads. Two sons of Lawrence Pigou of Amiens – Jacques and John - fled from persecution in France and settled with...
, a director of the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
, Andrews became the owner of an extensive gunpowder
Gunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
factory at Hawley Mills on the River Darent
River Darent
The River Darent or River Darenth is a Kentish tributary of the River Thames in England. Its name is believed to be from a Celtic word meaning 'river where oak-trees grow'...
at Dartford
Dartford
Dartford is the principal town in the borough of Dartford. It is situated in the northwest corner of Kent, England, east south-east of central London....
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
.
George Colman the Younger
George Colman the Younger
George Colman , known as "the Younger", English dramatist and miscellaneous writer, was the son of George Colman "the Elder".-Life:...
described Andrews as "one of the most persevering poetical pests", and his plays as "like his powder mills, particularly hazardous affairs, and in great danger of going off with a sudden and violent explosion". This was no idle comparison as an explosion occurred in October 1790.
- "Between four and five o'clock this afternoon (October 12th 1790) the people here, and in the neighbourhood, were terribly alarmed by the blowing up of Mr Pegu (sic)'s Powder Mills, within a short mile of this town.."
In 1796 Andrews succeeded Lord Lyttleton as Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Bewdley
Bewdley (UK Parliament constituency)
Bewdley was the name of a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1605 until 1950. Until 1885 it was a parliamentary borough in Worcestershire, represented by one Member of Parliament; the name was then transferred to a county constituency from 1885 until...
which he represented until his death in 1814. There is a memorial to him in St James's Church, Piccadilly
St James's Church, Piccadilly
St James’s Church, Piccadilly is an Anglican church on Piccadilly in the centre of London, UK. It was designed and built by Sir Christopher Wren....
.
Works
- The Conjuror - a farce - Drury LaneTheatre Royal, Drury LaneThe Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a West End theatre in Covent Garden, in the City of Westminster, a borough of London. The building faces Catherine Street and backs onto Drury Lane. The building standing today is the most recent in a line of four theatres at the same location dating back to 1663,...
1774 - The Election - a musical interlude - Drury Lane 1774
- Belphegor, or the Wishes, a comic opera - Drury Lane 1778
- Summer Amusement, or an Adventure at Margate, written with William Augustus Miles, - the HaymarketHaymarket 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...
1779 - Fire and Water, a ballad opera, - the Haymarket in 1780
- Dissipation, a comedy - Drury Lane 1781;
- The Baron KinkvervankotsdorsprakingatchdernThe Baron KinkvervankotsdorsprakingatchdernThe Baron Kinkvervankotsdorsprakingatchdern is an 18th century comic opera written by English composer Samuel Arnold and English playwright Miles Peter Andrews .The opera was based on a novel by Lady Craven...
, a musical comedy - the Haymarket 1781 - The Best Bidder, a farce - the Haymarket 1782
- Reparation, a comedy - Drury Lane 1784
- Better Late than Never - Drury Lane 1790
- The Mysteries of the Castle - Covent Garden 1795.