Mabel Gwynedd Terry-Lewis (born as Mabel Gwynedd Lewis) ( 28 October 1872 – 28 November 1957) was an English actress and a member of the Terry-Gielgud dynasty of actors of the 19th and 20th centuries. After a successful career in her twenties and thirties she married and retired from the stage in 1904. Her husband died in 1917 and she returned to the theatre in 1920, continuing to act on stage and in films until the late 1940s. Among her celebrated roles was Lady Bracknell in ''

The Importance of Being Earnest ''The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious ...

'', which she played opposite her nephew

John Gielgud Sir Arthur John Gielgud, (; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Brit ...

in 1930.

Life and career

Early years

Mabel Terry-Lewis was born in London, the youngest of the five children, four daughters, and one son, of Arthur James Lewis (1824–1901) and his wife, Kate (née) Terry. Lewis was a prosperous businessman, co-owner of the haberdashery firm of Lewis and Allenby, and an amateur painter, illustrator and musician. Before their marriage, Kate Terry had been a well-known actress; her younger siblings,

Ellen Ellen is a female given name, a diminutive of Elizabeth, Eleanor, Elena and Helen. Ellen was the 609th most popular name in the U.S. and the 17th in Sweden in 2004. People named Ellen include: *Ellen Adarna (born 1988), Filipino actress * Elle ...

, Marion, Florence and

Fred Fred may refer to: People * Fred (name), including a list of people and characters with the name Mononym * Fred (cartoonist) (1931–2013), pen name of Fred Othon Aristidès, French * Fred (footballer, born 1949) (1949–2022), Frederico Rod ...

all followed her into the acting profession. The Lewises had no wish for any of their daughters to act professionally, but amateur theatricals were encouraged when the children were young. The author

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet and mathematician. His most notable works are '' Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and its sequ ...

was a friend of Arthur Lewis, and on 24 January 1883 he visited the family home, Moray Lodge, for a performance of a comedietta titled ''Lady Barbara's Birthday'' given by the Lewis children and those of Ellen Terry. Also present on that occasion was

W. S. Gilbert Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (18 November 1836 – 29 May 1911) was an English dramatist, librettist, poet and illustrator best known for his collaboration with composer Arthur Sullivan, which produced fourteen comic operas. The most fam ...

. Carroll wrote of the event: It is perhaps little known that Mabel was also a painter of miniatures. Who's Who in 1935 recorded that she had exhibited miniatures at the Royal Academy, Grafton and New Galleries and at Liverpool, Glasgow and Manchester. One such miniature was of Minnie Terry aged 5 years, circa 1887, which can be seen at

Smallhythe Place Smallhythe Place in Small Hythe, near Tenterden in Kent, is a half-timbered house built in the late 15th or early 16th century and since 1947 cared for by the National Trust. The house was originally called 'Port House' and before the River R ...

in Kent, now a National Trust property, but once the home of actress

Ellen Terry Dame Alice Ellen Terry, (27 February 184721 July 1928), was a leading English actress of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born into a family of actors, Terry began performing as a child, acting in Shakespeare plays in London, and tour ...

who was briefly married to the painter George Frederic Watts. Two other examples are miniatures of the 'Silver King' George McCulloch and his wife who lived near Mabel's home in London; these were gifted to the Art Gallery of South Australia in Adelaide by McCulloch's widow in 1928. Mabel was the only one of the four Terry-Lewis daughters to pursue a theatrical career. Her first appearance on the professional stage was at the

Garrick Theatre The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play, ' ...

, in January 1895, as Lucy Lorimer in "A Pair of Spectacles," with John Hare. ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ( ...

'' commented, "Miss Lewis … is a tall, dark and graceful young lady, exhibiting few of the characteristics of the novice." ''

The Manchester Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the G ...

'' said that she "played the pretty little part with unaffected simplicity, and with more ease than might have been expected in a ''débutante''". At the Criterion in May 1897, she played Margaret Linfield in ''Threepenny Bits''. In the same year she played Bianca in ''

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunk ...

'' for the Oxford University Dramatic Society at

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. She was not seen again in London until April 1898, when she appeared at the

Globe A globe is a spherical model of Earth, of some other celestial body, or of the celestial sphere. Globes serve purposes similar to maps, but unlike maps, they do not distort the surface that they portray except to scale it down. A model glo ...

(now the Gielgud Theatre), in Hare's company, playing Mary Faber in ''The Master''; the production attracted considerable attention because Kate Terry came briefly out of retirement to appear alongside her daughter. Although Kate had the lion's share of the press notices, Mabel was praised for a touching performance. From then until 1904, Terry-Lewis had a successful stage career. She appeared at the Globe as Bella in ''School'' (January 1899), Blanche Haye in ''Ours'' (February 1899), Esther Eccles,

Marie Wilton Marie Effie Wilton, Lady Bancroft (1839–1921) was an English actress and theatre manager. She appeared onstage as Marie Wilton until after her marriage in December 1867 to Squire Bancroft, when she adopted his last name. Bancroft and her hus ...

's old part, in a revival of ''

Caste Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultur ...

'' (March 1899), and created the role of Muriel Eden in '' The Gay Lord Quex'' (April 1899). In 1900 she toured in ''The Mistress of Craignairn '' and '' Gudgeons '', and on her return to London she opened at the

Strand Strand may refer to: Topography *The flat area of land bordering a body of water, a: ** Beach ** Shoreline * Strand swamp, a type of swamp habitat in Florida Places Africa * Strand, Western Cape, a seaside town in South Africa * Strand Street ...

in May 1900, as Gloria Clandon in '' You Never Can Tell'', in which ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...

'' reviewer considered her acting superior to Bernard Shaw's play. After playing in a succession of ephemeral costume dramas, ending with the role of Sylvia Fitzallen in ''My Lady of Rosedale'', she retired from the stage on her marriage in 1904.Parker, pp. 569–570 Her only West End appearance during her marriage was in 1906, at her aunt Ellen Terry's jubilee celebration at

Drury Lane Drury Lane is a street on the eastern boundary of the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster. Notable landmarks T ...

, along with more than twenty other members of the Terry family. Her marriage, to Captain (later Major) Ralph Cecil Batley, was a happy one, and she enjoyed her quiet life on his country estate in

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...

. Her young nephew,

stayed there on occasions, and took part in the amateur dramatics she organised for the Women's Institute. Batley had to resign his commission in January 1917 because of ill health, and he died on 23 October 1917 aged 54. Writing in 1989 about his aunt, Gielgud was uncertain whether her return to the stage after being widowed was an outlet for her "boundless energies" or was for financial reasons.Gielgud (2000), p. 285

Second stage career

Terry-Lewis made her reappearance on the stage at the Prince of Wales Theatre on 10 February 1920, when she played Lady Sarah Aldine in ''The Young Person in Pink'', at a one-off charity matinée. Her return to the mainstream West End theatre was in April of the same year, in the role of Jane Stroud in " The Grain of Mustard Seed". ''The Times'' commented, "Miss Mabel Terry-Lewis, in the part of a grave, high-minded, somewhat ''désabusée'' patrician gives a performance of really exquisite beauty." In 1923 she toured America with

Cyril Maude Cyril Francis Maude (24 April 1862 — 20 February 1951) was an English actor-manager. Biography Maude was born in London and educated at Wixenford and Charterhouse School. In 1881, he was sent to Adelaide, South Australia, on the clipper ship ...

and Lydia Bilbrook in ''If Winter Comes'', playing at Chicago in April and New York in the autumn. During subsequent visits to the US she played for three seasons in such popular pieces as ''Aren't We All'', '' Easy Virtue'', and '' The Constant Wife''."Obituary – Miss Mabel Terry-Lewis", ''The Times'', 30 November 1957, p. 8 In the West End she appeared in new plays and revivals, including ''

'' as the formidable Lady Brackell to the John Worthing of Gielgud in 1930. ''The Times'' observed, "Mr Gielgud and Miss Terry-Lewis together are brilliant ... they have the supreme grace of always allowing Wilde to speak in his own voice.""Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith", ''The Times'', 8 June 1930, p. 12 Gielgud thought her performance was superb, although she had no sense of humour and never understood why audiences found her Lady Bracknell funny. Terry-Lewis's other plays included ''

The Skin Game The Skin Game may refer to: * ''The Skin Game'' (play), a play by John Galsworthy * ''The Skin Game'' (1921 film), a 1921 Dutch film, based on the play * ''The Skin Game'' (1931 film), a 1931 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, also based on the ...

'', ''Death Takes a Holiday'', '' Dinner at Eight'', ''

The Admirable Crichton ''The Admirable Crichton'' is a comic stage play written in 1902 by J. M. Barrie. Origins Barrie took the title from the sobriquet of a fellow Scot, the polymath James Crichton, a 16th-century genius and athlete. The epigram-loving Ernest is p ...

'', ''Distinguished Gathering'', '' Victoria Regina'', ''They Came to a City'' and '' Lady Windermere's Fan''. She also appeared in films, including ''

The Scarlet Pimpernel ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' is the first novel in a series of historical fiction by Baroness Orczy, published in 1905. It was written after her stage play of the same title (co-authored with Montague Barstow) enjoyed a long run in London, having ...

'' (1934), ''

The Third Clue ''The Third Clue'' is a 1934 British crime film directed by Albert Parker and starring Basil Sydney, Molly Lamont and Raymond Lovell. The film was based on Neil Gordon's novel ''The Shakespeare Murders'', which also inspired '' The Claydon T ...

'' (1934), ''

Dishonour Bright ''Dishonour Bright'' is a 1936 British comedy film directed by and starring Tom Walls. It also featured Eugene Pallette, Betty Stockfeld and Diana Churchill and was based on a story by Ben Travers. It was made at Denham Studios. The film's art ...

'' (1936), '' The Squeaker'' (1937), '' Jamaica Inn'' (1939), ''

The Adventures of Tartu ''The Adventures of Tartu'' (alternate British title and American release title: ''Sabotage Agent'', also known as ''Tartu'') is a 1943 British Second World War spy film directed by Harold S. Bucquet and starring Robert Donat. It was a morale b ...

'' (1943) and '' They Came to a City'' (1944). She died in London in 1957, aged 85.

Filmography

*''

Love Maggy ''Love Maggy'' is a 1921 British silent drama film directed by Fred LeRoy Granville and starring Peggy Hyland, Campbell Gullan and James Lindsay.Quinlan p.121 It was made at Isleworth Studios as a sequel to the 1920 film ''The Honeypot''. C ...

'' (1921) - Lady Shelford *''

Shirley Shirley may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Shirley'' (novel), an 1849 novel by Charlotte Brontë * ''Shirley'' (1922 film), a British silent film * ''Shirley'' (2020 film), an American film * ''Shirley'' (album), a 1961 album by Shirley Bas ...

'' (1922) - Mrs Prior *''

'' (1930) - Marquise *''

'' (1934) - Mr. Fuller *''

'' (1934) - Countess de Tournay *''

'' (1936) - Lady Melbury *'' The Squeaker'' (1937) - Mrs Stedman *'' Stolen Life'' (1939) - Aunt Helen *'' Jamaica Inn'' (1939) - Lady Beston *''

'' (1943) - Mrs Stevenson *'' They Came to a City'' (1944) - Lady Loxfield (final film role)

Notes

References

* * * *

External links

*
Terry-Lewis in the Gielgud Archive
at the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the Briti ...

Terry-Lewis
in '' They Came to a City'' at wickedlady.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Terry-Lewis, Mabel 1872 births 1957 deaths English stage actresses English film actresses 20th-century English actresses Terry family