My great 4x grandfather was a comedian in London. I found this information about him on-line:
"Birth: 1758
Death: Feb. 6, 1832
Actor, the son of a poulterer in Brook's Market, Leather Lane, Holborn, was born early in 1758, and was at the age of twelve in an apothecary's shop. Writing a good hand he was subsequently apprenticed to Mr. Druce, a law stationer in Chancery Lane. Prompted by his admiration for Garrick, he was in the habit of running away to join strolling companies, and was more than once brought home by his mother, In Liverpool he was engaged for a while at 10s. 6d. a week in the office of the town clerk, augmenting his income by appearing on the stage as a supernumerary. After playing with strollers at Rochdale, Chester, &c., and having the customary experience of hardship, he was engaged to play old men at Leatherhead. Thence he proceeded to Wallingford, Windsor, and Colnbrook, returned to London, took part in private performances at the Haymarket, and began to make his mark at Canterbury under Hurst, where in 1780 he was the original Faddle in Mrs. Burgess's comedy, 'The Oaks, or the Beauties of Canterbury.' In the company of Austin and Whitlock in Chester he held a recognised position, and he played at Brighton, Whitehaven, Newcastle, Lancaster, Preston, and Manchester. Money was then advanced to enable him to purchase the share of Austin in the management of the Chester, Newcastle, Lancaster, Preston, Warrington, and Sheffield theatres. At Covent Garden, with occasional summer appearances at the Haymarket, and frequent excursions into the country, he remained until 1811, rising gradually to the position of the most celebrated comedian of his day. In his first season he played Don Lewis in 'Love makes a Man,' Darby in the 'Poor Soldier,' Quidnunc in the 'Upholsterer,' Lazarillo in 'Two Strings to your Bow,' Level in 'High Life below Stairs,' Cassander in 'Alexander the Little,' Pedrillo in the 'Castle of Andalusia,' Daphne in 'Midas Reversed,' Tipple in the 'Flitch of Bacon,' and Camillo in the 'Double Falsehood.' On 4 Feb. 1791 he was the original Sir Samuel Sheepy in Holcroft's 'School for Arrogance,' an adaptation of 'Le Glorieux' of Destouches."
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| Joseph Shepherd Munden |
Burial:St George's Churchyard Gardens
St Pancras Greater London, England
Joseph made a name for himself as a man of many faces. He was regarded as a caricaturist, being able to change his countenance depending on the situation. He was also apparently quite generous until he nearly drowned on his way back to London from Dublin in 1803. After that he became miserly with his money, leaving his wife an inadequate amount in his will. This was all the more inappropriate considering she rescued him from bad publicity brought about through his previous de facto relationship with Mary Jones, my four times great grandmother.
Mary Jones, by all accounts, was good looking, which presumably attracted Joseph in the early days. She called herself Mrs Munden in the 1780s, and she was given minor roles in plays he was involved in. Despite the fact that she had been described as vulgar and illiterate, she and Joseph had four daughters before she left him for actor John Hodgkinson in 1789. Hodgkinson in turn left her for another actress, Miss Brett, with whom he emigrated to America.
Mary continued to tread the boards as Mrs Hodgkinson until her death at Tiverton in Bath in October 1792.
Joseph, as mentioned earlier, overcame the bad publicity brought about through his relationship with Mary, by marrying the actress Frances Butler in 1789. She had social position, inherited from her father, and it seems she supported Joseph rather than concentrate on her own career, for the duration of their marriage.
Of course, we don’t really know what went on in people’s lives in these times before social media, so I will concentrate on the positive sides of my forebears where possible, rather than being too judgmental.
