Elizabeth Bannister or Miss Harper (1757–1849) was a British actress and singer.

Life

Bannister was born in 1757. She came from a notable family - her uncles were Francis Rundell, a successful actor and

Philip Rundell Philip Rundell (1746–1827) was a highly prosperous English jeweller, fine jewellery retailer and master jewellery makers' business proprietor, known for his association with royalty. With John Bridge, he ran and co-owned Rundell and Bridge, a f ...

who was a financially successful goldsmith. Her aunt was

Maria Eliza Rundell Maria Eliza Rundell (née Ketelby; 1745 – 16 December 1828) was an English writer. Little is known about most of her life, but in 1805, when she was over 60, she sent an unedited collection of recipes and household advice to John Murray, of ...

the early cookery writer. However her own mother had been disowned by that family. Her mother is only known by her married name as Mrs Harpur and that she was an entertainer. In 1777 she appeared singing at

Marylebone Gardens Marylebone Gardens or Marybone Gardens was a London pleasure garden sited in the grounds of the old manor house of Marylebone and frequented from the mid-17th century, when Marylebone was a village separated from London by fields and market gard ...

, where coincidentally

Charles Bannister Charles Bannister Comedian Charles Bannister (1738–1804) was an English actor, comedian and singer. Origins and debut Bannister was born in Gloucestershire. When he was seven his father moved to Deptford. He was possessed of 'a manly form, a ...

was also on the programme. She would in time marry his son. The following year she was at the

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

and she went from there to

George Colman the Elder George Colman (April 1732 – 14 August 1794) was an English dramatist and essayist, usually called "the Elder", and sometimes "George the First", to distinguish him from his son, George Colman the Younger. He also owned a theatre. Early life H ...

's Little Theatre. She was known for singing and playing the guitar but in 1778 she was also appearing in

The Beggar's Opera ''The Beggar's Opera'' is a ballad opera in three acts written in 1728 by John Gay with music arranged by Johann Christoph Pepusch. It is one of the watershed plays in Augustan drama and is the only example of the once thriving genre of sati ...

as Polly and The Flitch of Bacon as Eliza. In 1779 she was Rosina in Colman's version of BEAUMARCHAIS' Barber of Seville, first introduced on the English Stage as The Spanish Barber : or, The Fruitless Precaution. Bannister commanded high salaries of £12 a week and contracts worth "one thousand pounds" whilst also enjoying a genteel reputation. She was the principal soloist at the Haymarket where she was supported by Margaret Martyr, Giovanna Sestini and Mrs Kennedy, although it was said that they never found a male singer of the same quality of voice and appearance to sing with her. Bannister married Charles Bannister's son John Bannister on 26 January 1783 who was a skilled and successful actor. Her new husband was concerned about the rise of

John Philip Kemble John Philip Kemble (1 February 1757 – 26 February 1823) was a British actor. He was born into a theatrical family as the eldest son of Roger Kemble, actor-manager of a touring troupe. His elder sister Sarah Siddons achieved fame with him o ...

as a competitor and his Elizabeth taught John to sing to help him compete. They had four daughters and his wife retired in 1792 to concentrate on their family. In 1799 John Russell completed a pastel of her playing her guitar which is in the National Portrait Gallery. In 1827 she saw Paris whilst touring with her husband. She died a widow on 15 January 1849 at her home in St Giles in Middlesex and was buried with her husband.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bannister, Elizabeth 1757 births 1849 deaths 18th-century British actresses 18th-century British women singers British stage actresses Actresses from London