Sarah Maria Wilson

Sarah Maria Wilson (died 1786) was an English actress.

Early life

Her maiden name was Adcock. She acted in York, where, as Mrs. Weston, in the summer of 1773 she played Lucy Lockit in the Beggar's Opera, Miss Notable in the ‘Lady's Last Stake,’ and other comic parts.^[1]

The London stage

After appearing in Leeds, where she became a favourite, and in Glasgow in 1774, she came to London. There she came to know Richard Wilson, and as Mrs. Wilson she played at the Haymarket Theatre on 19 May 1775, Betsy Blossom in The Cozeners, and Lucy in the The Virgin Unmasked.^[2] She was seen in her first Haymarket season as Lucy in The Mirror, Nell in the ‘Devil to Pay,’ Lydia in the ‘Bankrupt,’ Sophy in the ‘Dutchman,’ and Juletta (an original part) in ‘Metamorphoses’ (26 August 1775).

On 30 April 1776 she was at Covent Garden, for Wilson's benefit, Hoyden in the ‘Man of Quality.’ In the summer of 1776 and that of 1777 she was in Liverpool.^[3] At Covent Garden she had played meanwhile Polly Honeycombe in Colman's piece so named, Mrs. Pinchwife in the ‘Country Wife,’ and Kitty in ‘High Life below Stairs.’ On 2 February 1780 she was the first Betsy Blossom in Pilon's ‘Deaf Lover,’ and on 5 August at the Haymarket the first Bridget in Miss Lee's ‘Chapter of Accidents.’^[4]

At the Haymarket Wilson was on 16 June 1781 the original Comfit in O'Keeffe's ‘Dead Alive,’ and played Filch in the ‘Beggar's Opera,’ with the male parts played by women and vice versa; she played also Nysa in ‘Midas’ (15 August), and Flippanta in the ‘Confederacy.’ ^[5]

Death

Wilson did not act after the 1785 season, and died in Edinburgh in 1786.

Family

Her husband, Richard Wilson (fl. 1774–1792), born in Durham, played over many years comic characters at Covent Garden and the Haymarket. He was a good actor in comedy, taking parts such as Hardcastle, Justice Woodcock, Sir Anthony Absolute, Tony Lumpkin, Malvolio, Touchstone, Falstaff, Ben in ‘Love for Love,’ Scapin, Shylock, Fluellen, Polonius, Sir Pertinax Macsycophant, and Sir Hugh Evans. His original parts included Don Jerome in the ‘Duenna,’ Lord Lumbercourt in the ‘Man of the World,’ Father Luke in the ‘Poor Soldier,’ Mayor in ‘Peeping Tom,’ John Dory in ‘Wild Oats,’ and Sulky in the ‘Road to Ruin.’ According to a barely credible account of Lee Lewes, he married in the country, as a seventh husband, a Mrs. Grace, who is said to have been the original Jenny in the ‘Provoked Husband.’ She was, in fact, Myrtilla, Mrs. Cibber playing Jenny. She must have been fifty years of age, and Wilson little over twenty. Wilson then married, it is said, a daughter of Charles Lee Lewes, and afterwards, it is to be presumed, Mrs. Weston.

Notes

↑ Lee, Sidney, ed. (1900). "Wilson, Mrs.". Dictionary of National Biography 62. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
↑ The name of Wilson she retained, but went sometimes as Mrs. Weston. Weston and Wilson were in the same company with her. Weston died in 1776, but he had left her quite soon after the marriage.
↑ Among many other parts, she enacted Miss Hardcastle in ‘She stoops to conquer,’ Lady Racket in ‘Three Weeks after Marriage,’ Mariana in the ‘Miser,’ Charlotte Rusport in the ‘West Indian,’ Jenny in the ‘Provoked Husband,’ Mrs. Sullen in the ‘Beaux' Stratagem,’ Estifania in ‘Rule a Wife and have a Wife,’ Phædra in ‘Amphitryon,’ Ophelia, Maria in the ‘Twelfth Night,’ Lady Harriet in the ‘Funeral,’ Garnet in the Good-natured Man,’ and Mrs. Sneak in the ‘Mayor of Garratt.’
↑ She was also seen at the Haymarket as Nerissa and Miss Prue in ‘Love for Love;’ and at Covent Garden as Jacintha in the ‘Mistake,’ Mrs. Page in the ‘Merry Wives of Windsor,’ Margery in ‘Love in a Village,’ Edging in the ‘Careless Husband,’ Damaris in ‘Barnaby Brittle’ on 18 April 1781, and on 10 May Betty Hint in the ‘Man of the World,’ the last two original parts.
↑ Miss Turnbull, an original part in Holcroft's ‘Duplicity,’ was seen at Covent Garden, 13 October; Kitty in Mrs. Cowley's ‘Which is the Man,’ 9 February 1782; Nancy in O'Keeffe's ‘Positive Man,’ 16 March; and Kitty Carrington in Cumberland's ‘Walloons,’ 20 April. She was also Miss Leeson in the ‘School for Wives,’ and Jenny in the ‘Provoked Husband.’ Her original parts in the next season (at Covent Garden) included Catalina in O'Keeffe's ‘Castle of Andalusia’ on 2 November, and Minette in Mrs. Cowley's ‘Bold Stroke for a Husband’ on 25 February 1783. She also appeared as Mrs. Cadwallader in the ‘Author,’ Floretta in the ‘Quaker,’ and Foible in the ‘Way of the World.’ Viletta in ‘She would and she would not,’ Fatima in ‘Cymon,’ Lucetta in ‘Two Gentleman of Verona,’ and Mrs. Haughty in ‘Epicœne,’ were given during the next season, in which she was on 8 Nov. the first Corisca in the ‘Magic Picture,’ altered from Massinger; Miss Juvenile in Mrs. Cowley's ‘More Ways than One’ (6 Dec.); and 17 April 1784, Annette in ‘Robin Hood.’ In 1784–5 she is credited with Tilburina in the ‘Critic,’ Muslin in the ‘Way to keep him,’ Parly in the ‘Constant Couple,’ Nell in the ‘Devil to Pay,’ and Fine Lady in ‘Lethe.’ She was on 29 March 1785 the original Mary the Buxom in Pilon's ‘Barataria,’ on 2 April Grace in Macnally's ‘Fashionable Levities,’ and on 22 Oct. Fish in Mrs. Inchbald's ‘Appearance is against them.’ She also played Lucetta in the ‘Suspicious Husband,’ Susan in ‘Follies of a Day,’ and Margery in ‘Love in a Village.’

Attribution