Anne Humby (born Anne Ayre) (flourished 1817–1863) was a British actress and singer frequently called "Mrs Humby".

Early career and time in Bath (1817-1820)

She studied under Domenico Corri. She debuted in '' Rosina'' in Kingston upon Hull. She married a man with the surname Humby. He was a

dentist A dentist, also known as a dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry (the diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the mouth, oral cavity and other aspects of the craniofaci ...

. The two married during her debut season. Next, Humby performed in

Bath, Somerset Bath () is a city in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary area in the county of Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. At the 2021 Census, the population was 101,557. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, ...

, on 4 November 1818. She played Rosetta in ''

Love in a Village ''Love in a Village'' is a ballad opera in three acts that was composed and arranged by Thomas Arne. A pastiche, the work contains 42 musical numbers of which only five were newly composed works by Arne. The other music is made up of 13 pieces bo ...

''. Between 1818 and 1819 she played Euphrosyne in '' Comus''. Luciana in '' The Comedy of Errors'', Araminta in ''Young Quaker'', Audrey in ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has b ...

'', Dorinda in an adaptation of '' The Tempest''.

Dublin and London (1820-1830)

Humby left Bath in 1820 to relocate to Dublin by 1821. She had a child by her husband. On 5 January 1822 she performed as Rosa in ''Rendezvous''. On 29 January the same year she performed as Lucy in '' The Beggar's Opera''. On 18 April 1825 she played Cowslip in ''

The Agreeable Surprise ''The Agreeable Surprise'' is a 1781 comic opera in two acts, with music composed by Samuel Arnold (composer), Samuel Arnold and the libretto by John O'Keeffe (Irish writer), John O'Keeffe. It was first performed at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket ( ...

''. That same year, she also played Dollalolla in '' Tom Thumb'', Maud in ''Peeping Tom'', Jenny in ''

The Provoked Husband ''The Provoked Husband'' is a 1728 comedy play by the British writer and actor Colley Cibber, based on a fragment of play written by John Vanbrugh. It is also known by the longer title ''The Provok'd Husband: or, a Journey to London''. Vanbrugh ...

'', and Cicely in ''

The Heir at Law ''The Heir at Law'' (1797) is a comedic play in five acts by George Colman the Younger that remained popular through the 19th century. It and ''John Bull'' (1803) were Colman's best known comedies.Dabundo, Laura (ed.Encyclopedia of Romanticism ...

''. She moved to London and performed at the

Haymarket Theatre The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre on Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in use. Samuel Foote ...

and at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. She became popular for her performance as

maid A maid, or housemaid or maidservant, is a female domestic worker. In the Victorian era domestic service was the second largest category of employment in England and Wales, after agricultural work. In developed Western nations, full-time maids ...

s. This includes playing the maid Patch in ''Busy Body'' and Kitty in '' High Life Below Stairs''. She was described, by ''The Dramatic Magazine'', as being a quality maid or hatmaker, but, lacking "refined and delicate manners" needed for other roles.

Later life

In 1837, William Macready committed to employ her at over six pounds a week but a dispute with another actor made her withdraw. Humby was still performing in the 1840s and in 1849, she was performing at the Lyceum Theatre. Her husband practiced dentistry in the Strand neighborhood of London. He died in

Guernsey Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency. It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...

. Humby eventually married Joseph Hammond and they settled in

Barnes Barnes may refer to: People * Barnes (name), a family name and a given name (includes lists of people with that name) Places United Kingdom *Barnes, London, England **Barnes railway station ** Barnes Bridge railway station ** Barnes Railway Bri ...

in London. She is thought to have died on 29 September 1863.Joseph Knight, ‘Humby , Anne (1800–1863?)’, rev. J. Gilliland, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 200
accessed 28 Jan 2015
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Humby, Anne 18th-century English actresses 19th-century English actresses English stage actresses British Shakespearean actresses English women singers 18th-century English singers Actresses from London Singers from London 1863 deaths