Peg Woffington | |
|---|---|
_Woffington_by_John_Lewis.jpg) Margaret Woffington, by John Lewis, 1753 | |
| Born | 18 October 1720  |
| Died | 28 March 1760 (aged 39) |
| Relatives | Mary Woffington |
Margaret Woffington (18 October 1720 – 28 March 1760),[1] was anIrishactress andsocialite of theGeorgian era.
Woffington was born of humble origins inDublin,Ireland yet excelled in playing women from the upper classes.[2] 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 soldwatercress door to door.Madame Violante, a famoustightrope walker took her on as her apprentice.[3] Her sisterMary Woffington was also an actress but she did not enjoy the same success.[4]
Around 1730, Madame Violante featured the young Woffington in her Lilliputian Theatre Company's production ofJohn Gay’sThe Beggar’s Opera. Her performance as Mackheath served as a springboard for continued fame in Dublin. She continued dancing and acting in the area – playing Dorinda in an adaptation ofThe Tempest as theTheatre Royal, Dublin in 1735[5] and later joining theSmock Alley Theatre to perform with the well known actor,David Garrick. She danced and acted at variousDublin theatres until her early twenties, when her reputation drew a handsome offer from John Rich, the manager of theCovent Garden Theatre, to perform on the stages ofLondon.[6] There, she found immediate success, in the role of Sylvia inThe Recruiting Officer byGeorge Farquhar.
She drew public attention when she was cast as Sir Harry Wildair inThe Constant Couple. Audiences were intrigued, as at the time the role was highly associated with actorRobert Wilks, who had died seven years earlier. Nonetheless, her performance was well received, and audiences enjoyed her new interpretation of the role.[7] She became well known as an actress thereafter. She performed atDrury Lane for several years and later returned to Dublin, appearing in a variety of plays. Her best-received performances were in comic roles, such as elegant women of fashion like Lady Betty Modish and Lady Townley, andbreeches roles. She was impeded in the performance of tragedy by a harsh tone in her voice that she strove to eliminate.
While in London, she began living with fellow actorCharles Macklin. During this time, she became well acquainted with the foremost actor of the dayDavid Garrick, and her other love affairs (including liaisons withEdward Bligh, 2nd Earl of Darnley and the MPCharles Hanbury Williams), were numerous and notorious. However, her affairs were not without controversy. One evening, Woffington and Garrick were almost caught in bed together by a visiting Noble Lord, who was believed to be enamoured with the actress. Upon fleeing, Garrick gathered his clothes, but noticed only once he had left the room that he had left behind his scratch wig. Woffington managed to evade the angry Lord's accusations by claiming the wig was her own, for an upcoming breeches role.[8]
Though she was popular with society figures, having entertained such illustrious names asSamuel Johnson andHenry Fielding,[3] Peg Woffington was not always favoured by her competition. She tended to create rivalries with similar-types of actresses at Drury Lane and Covent Garden. She even managed to offend “tragediennes for whom Peg’s comic powers posed no threat” with her “queenly ways”.[3] Her fiercest rivalry was with “equally peppery”[9] actressKitty Clive. According to Garrick's biographerThomas Davies, “No two women in high life ever hated each other more unreservedly than these two great dames of the stage.” When she returned toCovent Garden, rivalries with these women and with the manager, Mr. Rich, eventually sent her back to Dublin, where she was unrivalled and celebrated at the Smock Alley Theatre.[9]
_Woffington_from_NPG.jpg)
John Rich, manager ofCovent Garden in London, decided to start aBeefsteak Club in 1749, also known as the Sublime Society of Steaks or “the Club.” Some of its members included Garrick andWilliam Hogarth, as well as many other London celebrities. Not only was Peg Woffington the first female member of a (previously) all male dining club, in 1750 she became president of the club by election.[10] She also educated and supported her sister Mary (usually known as Polly), and cared for and pensioned her mother.
Woffington parted from Garrick around 1744, and thence moved to theThamesideMiddlesex village ofTeddington, into a house called 'Teddington Place' (the building was demolished in 1946, its former grounds now being occupied by Udney Hall Gardens park andSt Alban's Church, Teddington). In 1754 she became the beneficiary of the will of the Irish impresarioOwen Swiny. In 1756, she performed the part of Lady Randolph inDouglas, a part which found a later exponent inSarah Siddons.
On 3 May 1757, she was playing the part of Rosalind inAs 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 somealmshouses at Teddington, and after her death on 28 March 1760 in her 40th year her body was buried in the graveyard ofSt. Mary's Church there.[11] Though she was born into aCatholic family, she was buried a Protestant, having been received into theChurch of Ireland on 31 December 1753. Woffington died a woman of wealth and had left most of her fortune to her sister, Mary.[12]
Considered a society beauty of her era, Woffington was painted by several artists, including Jacobus Lovelace in 1744,Peter van Bleeck in 1747, and John Lewis in 1753. She was alsoeulogised in a poetical sketch by the dramatistHenry Jones.[13]
She has been portrayed as a character in the stage playsA Laughing Matter byApril De Angelis.[14] andMr Foote's Other Leg byIan Kelly.
In 1852Charles Reade andTom Taylor wrote a playMasks and Faces which featured Woffington as a central character. Following the play's success, Reade wrote a novelPeg Woffington in 1855.[15] A play byFrances Aymar Mathews,Pretty Peggy (1902), starredGrace George as Woffington.
Woffington featured in several films, particularly in thesilent era. These portrayals were largely based on the works of Reade and Taylor and includePeg Woffington (1910),Peg Woffington (1912) andMasks and Faces (1917). In 1935Anna Neagle played Woffington in the comedyPeg of Old Drury withCedric Hardwicke playing David Garrick. Her character appeared in the 2015 playMr Foote's Other Leg as a friend and colleague ofSamuel Foote.
Woffington is also mentioned in the Cyclops episode ofJames Joyce's Ulysses.
Woffington appears as the main character in the graphic novelLa pièce manquante ("The Missing Play", 2023) byJean Harambat [fr]. Wanting to go down into history with a great role, she becomes interested inWilliam Shakespeare's missing playThe History of Cardenio when her manager and close friendIgnatius Sancho tells her about it. She and Sancho then go on a quest to find it, but they also discover interests that try to keep them away from the play - includingDavid Garrick, who is both Woffington's competitor and unwelcomed suitor.[16]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Woffington, Margaret".Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.