Benjamin Conquest (3 December 1803 - 5 July 1872), born Benjamin Oliver, was the manager of the Garrick and Grecian Theatres.

Early life and family

Conquest was born Benjamin Oliver 3 December 1803 and baptised on 8 January 1804 He married Clarissa Ann Roxbey née Bennett on the 4th March 1863 and their son was the playwright and manager

George Augustus Conquest George Augustus Oliver Conquest (4 May 1837Baptism of George Augustus Oliver (1838) - England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975–14 May 1901) was a playwright, theatrical manager, acrobat and pantomimist described as "the most stunn ...

(1837-1901). George had three sons who were also active in the theatre, George Conquest (1858-1926), Fred Conquest (1871-1941) and Arthur Conquest (1875-1945)."Conquest family" in

Career

Conquest was the manager of the Garrick Theatre in

Leman Street Leman Street, once known as Lemon Street, is a street in Tower Hamlets. It was built in the seventeenth century as part of the development of Goodman's Fields. It is named after John Leman who was responsible for this development, which also inc ...

, London. Following the retirement of Thomas Rouse in 1851, he became the proprietor of the Grecian Theatre and Eagle Tavern in the

City Road City Road or The City Road is a road that runs through central London. The northwestern extremity of the road is at Angel where it forms a continuation of Pentonville Road. Pentonville Road itself is the modern name for the eastern part of Lo ...

, Hackney, London. The theatre had previously produced light opera and was originally a

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was most popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850, through the World War I, Great War. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as Varie ...

, but Conquest switched to Shakespeare which was unsuccessful. He then tried melodrama which was more popular and he produced over 100 such shows written by his son George, often adapted from French productions. George was also an acrobat and pantomimist and produced nearly 50 pantomimes in collaboration with Henry Spry. The theatre was rebuilt in 1858.

Death

Conquest died at his home in the New North Road, London, on 5 July 1872, aged 68."DEATH OF MR. BENJAMIN CONQUEST"
'' East London Observer'', 13 July 1872, p. 5.

British Newspaper Archive The British Newspaper Archive website provides access to searchable digitized archives of British and Irish newspapers. It was launched in November 2011. History The British Library's Newspapers section was based in Colindale in north London ...

. Retrieved 10 September 2015. "Benjamin Oliver"
''England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966'', 1872, p. 17.

Ancestry.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. It is owned by The ...

. Retrieved 9 March 2025. He is buried at

Kensal Green Cemetery Kensal Green Cemetery is a cemetery in the Kensal Green area of North Kensington in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in London, England. Inspired by Père Lachaise Cemetery in P ...

in London.''Paths of Glory'', The Friends of Kensal Green Cemetery, London, 1997. George Augustus Conquest inherited the Grecian Theatre.

References

1800s births Year of birth uncertain 1872 deaths Burials at Kensal Green Cemetery British theatre managers and producers 19th-century British businesspeople {{England-bio-stub