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{{short description|English actress (1769–1808)}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
[[File:Anne Brunton.jpg|thumb|Anne Brunton Merry by [[Samuel De Wilde]]]]
[[File:Anne Brunton.jpg|thumb|Anne Brunton Merry by [[Samuel De Wilde]]]]
'''Ann Brunton Merry''' (b. [[Covent Garden]], England, 30 March 1769<ref>Born 30 March 1769, baptized at St Martin-In-The-Fields, 23 April 1769, daughter of John and Elizabeth</ref>; d. [[Alexandria, Virginia]], 28 June 1808) was an actress popular in the UK and later America.
'''Ann Brunton Merry''' (30 March 1769 – 28 June 1808) was an English actress popular in the Kingdom of Great Britain and later in the United States of America.


== Life ==
== Life ==
Ann (or Anne) Brunton was born 30 May 1769<ref>Born 30 March 1769, baptized at St Martin-In-The-Fields, 23 April 1769, daughter of John and Elizabeth</ref> in [[Covent Garden]], England, one of 14 children of John Brunton (b. 1741), an actor and [[theatre manager|manager]] of the [[Theatre Royal, Norwich]].<ref>{{cite news|title=John Brunton|newspaper=Bury and Norwich Post|date=21 May 1788|page=3}}</ref>
⚫
She was the daughter of John Brunton, an actor and [[theatre manager|manager]] of the [[Theatre Royal, Norwich]]. She was born on 30 May 1769 and she one of fourteen children. In February 1785, Miss Brunton first appeared at the theatre in Bath as Euphrasia in ''The Grecian Daughter'', which was followed by other leading parts, and on 17 October of the same year she made her debut at [[Royal Opera House|Covent Garden]] theatre in London as Horatio in ''The Roman Father''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://garrick.ssl.co.uk/names/SBR013|title=CollectionsOnline {{!}} Name|website=garrick.ssl.co.uk|language=en|access-date=2018-07-12}}</ref> Here she attained great distinction, and by many was rated second only to [[Sarah Siddons]].

⚫
In February 1785, she first appeared at the [[Theatre Royal, Bath]] as Euphrasia in ''[[The Grecian Daughter]]'', which was followed by other leading parts, and on 17 October of the same year she made her debut at [[Royal Opera House|Covent Garden]] theatre in London as Horatia in ''[[The Roman Father]]''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://garrick.ssl.co.uk/names/SBR013|title=CollectionsOnline {{!}} Name|website=garrick.ssl.co.uk|language=en|access-date=12 July 2018}}</ref> Here she attained great distinction, and by many was rated second only to [[Sarah Siddons]]. An illustration of her in the role of Horatia appeared in the July 1787 edition of Walker's Hibernian magazine.<ref>{{cite web|title=Miss Brunton|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433081671749&view=1up&seq=351&q1=Brunton|website=www.hathitrust.org|accessdate=16 July 2020}}</ref>
[[File:Ann Brunton Merry.jpg|left|thumb|Ann Brunton Merry]]
[[File:Ann Brunton Merry.jpg|left|thumb|Ann Brunton Merry]]
In 1791<ref>Married 26 August 1791, parish register Saint Martin In The Fields,Westminster,London</ref> Brunton married [[Robert Merry]], a poet and playwright known by his pen-name "Della Crusca". He had run through his patrimony, but at that time still figured in fashionable circles. She at once retired from the theatre, and went with her husband to Paris, but when their means were entirely exhausted she wished to return to her former occupation. Family considerations on the part of Mr. Merry prevented her return to the London stage, but an offer that was made through [[Thomas Wignell]], of the [[Chestnut Street Theatre|New Theatre, Philadelphia]], was readily accepted.
In 1791<ref>Married 26 August 1791, parish register Saint Martin in the Fields,Westminster,London</ref> Brunton married [[Robert Merry]], a poet and playwright known by his pen-name "Della Crusca". He had run through his patrimony, but at that time still figured in fashionable circles. She at once retired from the theatre, and went with her husband to Paris. They returned in 1792 and her husband's comic opera ''The Magician no Conjuror'' at Covent Garden was not a success.<ref>{{cite news|title=Thursday Evening|newspaper=Derby Mercury|date=9 February 1792|page=2}}</ref>


She performed the character Juliet, for the Benefit of her sister at Yarmouth theatre, and as Donna Violante in ''The Wonder'' for Mr. Waddy's Benefit, when she took her leave of the stage.<ref>{{cite news|title=Mrs Merry|newspaper=Bury and Norwich Post| date=12 September 1792|page=3}}</ref>
⚫
The couple arrived in New York City, 19 October 1796. Ann renewed her career at the playhouse in Philadelphia on 5 December of the same year as Juliet in ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]''. From 1797 until 1808 she performed with undiminished success in the large cities of the United States. Robert Merry died in 1798, and in 1803 his widow married [[Thomas Wignell]], who died three weeks later from an infection on his arm.<ref name=":0" /> In 1806 she became the wife of [[William Warren (elder actor)|William Warren]].<ref name=":0" /> Among her important roles were Calista in ''The Fair Penitent'', Alica in ''Jane Shore'', Isabella in ''The Fatal Dowry'', and Monominia in ''The Orphan''. She was the first actress of eminence that crossed the Atlantic, and easily held her own against all rivalry. His sister, [[Louisa Brunton]], with whom she is sometimes confused, was a distinguished performer on the London stage in later years, and became Countess of Craven.<ref>{{Citation|title=Brunton, Louisa [married name Louisa Craven, countess of Craven] (1782x5–1860), actress {{!}} Oxford Dictionary of National Biography|url=https://doi.org/10.1093/ref:odnb/6633|work=The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography|publisher=Oxford University Press|language=en|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/6633|access-date=2018-07-12}}</ref>
Mr Kemble was reported to wish to engage her for the Theatre-Royal, Newcastle in 1795.<ref>{{cite news|title=Theatre-Royal, Newcastle|newspaper=Newcastle Courant|date=22 August 1795|page=1}}</ref>

When their means were entirely exhausted she wished to return to her former occupation. Family considerations on the part of Mr Merry forced her to leave the London stage, but an offer that was made through [[Thomas Wignell]], of the [[Chestnut Street Theatre|New Theatre, Philadelphia]], was readily accepted. The terms were reported as 'one thousand guineas, and two clear benefits for the Philadelphia season alone, for three years', the expenses in passage out were defrayed by the manager.<ref>{{cite news|title=Mrs Merry|newspaper=Norfolk Chronicle|date=28 January 1797|page=2}}</ref>

⚫
The couple arrived in New York City, 19 October 1796. Ann renewed her career at the [[Chestnut Street Theatre]] in Philadelphia on 5 December of the same year as Juliet in ''[[Romeo and Juliet]]''. From 1797 until 1808 she performed with undiminished success in the large cities of the United States. Robert Merry died in 1798, and she returned to England and was engaged for the ensuing season at the Covent-Garden theatre in March 1800.<ref>{{cite news|title=Mrs Merry|newspaper=The Ipswich Journal|date=1 March 1800|page=2}}</ref> On 1 January 1803, Ann married [[Thomas Wignell]], who died seven weeks later from an infection on his arm.<ref name=":0" /> Their daughter, Elizabeth Ann (1803-1882), was born in September.<ref name="earlyamericanactresses.com">{{cite web|title=Mrs Anne Brunton Merry Wignell Warren|url= https://www.earlyamericanactresses.com/first-stars/mrs-anne-brunton-robert-merry/ |publisher=Early American Actresses |access-date=March 9, 2023}}</ref> From 1803 to 1805, she was the co-manager of her late husband's theatre company.<ref>Jane Kathleen Curry: ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=1GPiQjAnv6IC&dq=Sarah+kirby+Stark+actress&pg=PA36 Nineteenth-century American Women Theatre Managers]''</ref> In 1806, she became the wife of [[William Warren (elder actor)|William Warren]].<ref name=":0" /> Among her important roles were Calista in ''The Fair Penitent'', Alica in ''Jane Shore'', Isabella in ''The Fatal Dowry'', and Monominia in ''The Orphan''. She was the first actress of eminence that crossed the Atlantic, and easily held her own against all rivalry. A sister, [[Louisa Brunton]], with whom she is sometimes confused, was a distinguished performer on the London stage in later years, and became Countess of Craven.<ref>{{Cite ODNB|title=Brunton, Louisa [married name Louisa Craven, countess of Craven] (1782x5–1860), actress {{!}} Oxford Dictionary of National Biography|language=en|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/6633|year=2004}}</ref>

==Death==
Ann Merry Wignell died in [[Alexandria, Virginia]] on 28 June 1808, having delivered a stillborn son four days earlier at [[Gadsby's Tavern]]. She was buried in [[Christ Church (Alexandria, Virginia)|Christ Church, Alexandria]].<ref name="earlyamericanactresses.com"/>


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
* {{Cite Appletons'|wstitle=Merry, Ann|year=1900}}
* {{Cite Appletons'|wstitle=Merry, Ann|year=1900}}

== Further reading ==
* Young, Christopher J. "'That Eye Is Now Dim and Closed For Ever': The Purported Image of Mary K. Goddard,"Maryland Historical Magazine, 96, no. 2 (Summer 2001), 221-225. (This article focuses on a portrait of Anne Brunton Merry that was mistakenly thought to be that of Mary K. Goddard for decades. While the title focuses on Goddard, much of the article is about Anne Brunton Merry.)


==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline}}


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
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[[Category:1769 births]]
[[Category:1769 births]]
[[Category:1808 deaths]]
[[Category:1808 deaths]]
[[Category:English stage actresses]]
[[Category:English expatriate actresses in the United States]]
[[Category:British expatriate actresses in the United States]]
[[Category:18th-century English actresses]]
[[Category:18th-century English actresses]]
[[Category:19th-century British actresses]]
[[Category:English stage actresses]]
[[Category:British stage actresses]]
[[Category:British stage actresses]]
[[Category:18th-century American actresses]]
[[Category:19th-century American actresses]]
[[Category:American stage actresses]]
[[Category:19th-century theatre managers]]
[[Category:19th-century American businesswomen]]
[[Category:19th-century American businesspeople]]
[[Category:19th-century English actresses]]
[[Category:Burials at Old Christ Church Episcopal Cemetery (Alexandria, Virginia)]]

Latest revision as of 20:31, 28 July 2024

Anne Brunton Merry by Samuel De Wilde

Ann Brunton Merry (30 March 1769 – 28 June 1808) was an English actress popular in the Kingdom of Great Britain and later in the United States of America.

Life

[edit]

Ann (or Anne) Brunton was born 30 May 1769[1] in Covent Garden, England, one of 14 children of John Brunton (b. 1741), an actor and manager of the Theatre Royal, Norwich.[2]

In February 1785, she first appeared at the Theatre Royal, Bath as Euphrasia in The Grecian Daughter, which was followed by other leading parts, and on 17 October of the same year she made her debut at Covent Garden theatre in London as Horatia in The Roman Father.[3] Here she attained great distinction, and by many was rated second only to Sarah Siddons. An illustration of her in the role of Horatia appeared in the July 1787 edition of Walker's Hibernian magazine.[4]

Ann Brunton Merry

In 1791[5] Brunton married Robert Merry, a poet and playwright known by his pen-name "Della Crusca". He had run through his patrimony, but at that time still figured in fashionable circles. She at once retired from the theatre, and went with her husband to Paris. They returned in 1792 and her husband's comic opera The Magician no Conjuror at Covent Garden was not a success.[6]

She performed the character Juliet, for the Benefit of her sister at Yarmouth theatre, and as Donna Violante in The Wonder for Mr. Waddy's Benefit, when she took her leave of the stage.[7] Mr Kemble was reported to wish to engage her for the Theatre-Royal, Newcastle in 1795.[8]

When their means were entirely exhausted she wished to return to her former occupation. Family considerations on the part of Mr Merry forced her to leave the London stage, but an offer that was made through Thomas Wignell, of the New Theatre, Philadelphia, was readily accepted. The terms were reported as 'one thousand guineas, and two clear benefits for the Philadelphia season alone, for three years', the expenses in passage out were defrayed by the manager.[9]

The couple arrived in New York City, 19 October 1796. Ann renewed her career at the Chestnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia on 5 December of the same year as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. From 1797 until 1808 she performed with undiminished success in the large cities of the United States. Robert Merry died in 1798, and she returned to England and was engaged for the ensuing season at the Covent-Garden theatre in March 1800.[10] On 1 January 1803, Ann married Thomas Wignell, who died seven weeks later from an infection on his arm.[3] Their daughter, Elizabeth Ann (1803-1882), was born in September.[11] From 1803 to 1805, she was the co-manager of her late husband's theatre company.[12] In 1806, she became the wife of William Warren.[3] Among her important roles were Calista in The Fair Penitent, Alica in Jane Shore, Isabella in The Fatal Dowry, and Monominia in The Orphan. She was the first actress of eminence that crossed the Atlantic, and easily held her own against all rivalry. A sister, Louisa Brunton, with whom she is sometimes confused, was a distinguished performer on the London stage in later years, and became Countess of Craven.[13]

Death

[edit]

Ann Merry Wignell died in Alexandria, Virginia on 28 June 1808, having delivered a stillborn son four days earlier at Gadsby's Tavern. She was buried in Christ Church, Alexandria.[11]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Born 30 March 1769, baptized at St Martin-In-The-Fields, 23 April 1769, daughter of John and Elizabeth
  2. ^ "John Brunton". Bury and Norwich Post. 21 May 1788. p. 3.
  3. ^ a b c "CollectionsOnline | Name". garrick.ssl.co.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  4. ^ "Miss Brunton". www.hathitrust.org. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  5. ^ Married 26 August 1791, parish register Saint Martin in the Fields,Westminster,London
  6. ^ "Thursday Evening". Derby Mercury. 9 February 1792. p. 2.
  7. ^ "Mrs Merry". Bury and Norwich Post. 12 September 1792. p. 3.
  8. ^ "Theatre-Royal, Newcastle". Newcastle Courant. 22 August 1795. p. 1.
  9. ^ "Mrs Merry". Norfolk Chronicle. 28 January 1797. p. 2.
  10. ^ "Mrs Merry". The Ipswich Journal. 1 March 1800. p. 2.
  11. ^ a b "Mrs Anne Brunton Merry Wignell Warren". Early American Actresses. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  12. ^ Jane Kathleen Curry: Nineteenth-century American Women Theatre Managers
  13. ^ "Brunton, Louisa [married name Louisa Craven, countess of Craven] (1782x5–1860), actress | Oxford Dictionary of National Biography". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/6633. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)

Further reading

[edit]
  • Young, Christopher J. "'That Eye Is Now Dim and Closed For Ever': The Purported Image of Mary K. Goddard,"Maryland Historical Magazine, 96, no. 2 (Summer 2001), 221-225. (This article focuses on a portrait of Anne Brunton Merry that was mistakenly thought to be that of Mary K. Goddard for decades. While the title focuses on Goddard, much of the article is about Anne Brunton Merry.)


[edit]
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