Ann Pitt (1718 – 18 December 1799) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

actress.

Life

Pitt was born in 1718 to Elizabeth. Her father, John, was a warden for

London Bridge The name "London Bridge" refers to several historic crossings that have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark in central London since Roman Britain, Roman times. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 197 ...

and he sold fish. Her brother, Cecil, became rich dealing in dry goods whereas Ann's career led her to acting comic parts. She is first advertised as being in the cast in 1745 for a Drury Lane production. In 1752 she joined the

Covent Garden Theatre The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...

company. left, Mrs Pitt as Lady Wishfort Harriet Pitt was born to Ann Pitt in about 1748 whilst her mother was acting at

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Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

. The father's name is recorded as "Henry" but this is thought to be a convenient fiction. A second child Mary Ann (Pitt) Ritchards was born in 1759 and whilst still illegitimate the father was known as the scene painter

John Inigo Richards John Inigo Richards (1731– 18 December 1810) was a British Landscape art, landscapist who became one of the founding members of the Royal Academy in 1768, and was secretary to the Academy from 1788 until his death. Life He studied art at ...

. Mary Ann's father later married someone else but Richards acknowledged her as his daughter in his will and left her a snuff box decorated with Ann Pitt's portrait. In 1776 an engraving was published of Mrs Pitt playing ''Mrs Wishfort'' in

William Congreve William Congreve (24 January 1670 – 19 January 1729) was an English playwright, satirist, poet, and Whig politician. He spent most of his career between London and Dublin, and was noted for his highly polished style of writing, being regard ...

's ''

The Way of the World ''The Way of the World'' is a play written by the English playwright William Congreve. It premiered in early March 1700 in the theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields in London. It is widely regarded as one of the best works of Restoration comedy ev ...

''. The engraving was made by Daniel Dodd.Mrs Pitt as Lady Wishfort
Daniel Dodd, V & A, retrieved 8 February 2015 This was the highlight of her career and one of her proudest moments. Ann Pitt retired in 1792 and went live with her daughter in Islington. She died in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 1799 from natural causes. She was buried in

Islington Islington ( ) is an inner-city area of north London, England, within the wider London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's #Islington High Street, High Street to Highbury Fields ...

in a plot belonging to her grandson Charles Isaac Mungo Dibdin.Dwayne Brenna, ‘Pitt, Ann (c.1720–1799)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 201
accessed 9 Feb 2015
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pitt, Ann 1718 births 1799 deaths Actresses from London 18th-century English actresses English stage actresses