Essie Jenyns (5 October 1864 – 6 August 1920) was an Australian actress best known for her Shakespearean roles.

Birth and early life

Elizabeth Esther Ellen Jennings was born in

Brisbane, Queensland Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

in 1864. Her father, Charles Robert Merevale Jennings, was a chemist who died in 1871 when Jenyns was seven. To support the family, her mother, Emily Ann Jennings née Morse, became an actress in

W. J. Holloway William James Holloway (4 February 1843 – 7 April 1913), known professionally as W. J. Holloway, was an Australian actor and stage manager who after some successes moved to London, from where he made several tours of South Africa. He married ...

's company using the stage name "Kate Arden". In 1877 she married Holloway.

Career

Jenyns began her stage career in ''Leah, the Forsaken'' at the Theatre Royal in Hobart in January 1879. Her performance was reviewed as "childlike and natural as little Leah, and gave promise of future success in parts of this description". Next, in ''After Dark'', she "surprised everyone by her natural rendering of Johnny Williams, a 'sidewalk merchant prince'". At age 18 her Ophelia was described in ''

The Bulletin Bulletin or The Bulletin may refer to: Periodicals (newspapers, magazines, journals) * Bulletin (online newspaper), a Swedish online newspaper * ''The Bulletin'' (Australian periodical), an Australian magazine (1880–2008) ** Bulletin Debate, ...

'' as "a performance full of promise... We shall watch this young lady's career with interest". In 1884 she went Europe with her mother and step-father where she studied the acting techniques of Sara Bernhardt, Ellen Terry and Mary Anderson. Returning to Sydney in 1886 the Holloway theatre company opened at the

Opera House An opera house is a theater (structure), theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a Stage (theatre), stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and building sets. While some venu ...

for a 14-week season with Jenyns in the leading roles and playing to capacity audiences. This was followed by a further 16 weeks at the

Criterion Theatre The Criterion Theatre is a West End theatre at Piccadilly Circus in the City of Westminster, and is a Grade II* listed building. It has a seating capacity of 588. Building the theatre In 1870, the caterers Spiers and Pond began developmen ...

and a 14-week season at the

in Melbourne. Jenyns received acclaim for performances as Juliet in ''Romeo and Juliet,'' Viola in ''Twelfth Night'' and Portia in ''The Merchant of Venice'' and in other Shakespearean roles.''''

Personal

Jenyns married John "Jack" Robert Wood, a wealthy

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

brewer and interstate cricketer, at St. Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney on 5 December 1888. The wedding attracted so much attention that tickets were dispensed. However the Cathedral was overrun with press and members of the public and the wedding party had trouble making their way into the church. At the conclusion of the ceremony, a riot broke out and much of the church furniture was damaged or removed as souvenirs and Jenyns was carried out to her carriage in "a fainting condition". She retired from the stage and initially went to live in Jesmond House, Newcastle with her husband, where they were "well known for their many acts of charity ... founding the first free kindergarten in Newcastle". The family moved to London, and by 1908 they had a home, "Collington" in

Bexhill-on-Sea Bexhill-on-Sea (often shortened to Bexhill) is a seaside town and civil parish situated in the county of East Sussex in South East England. An ancient town and part of the local government district of Rother, Bexhill is home to a number of a ...

, where she had the companionship of a pair of

Australian Terrier The Australian Terrier is a small breed of dog of the terrier dog type. The breed was developed in Australia, although the ancestral types of dogs from which the breed descends were from Great Britain. Appearance The Australian Terrie ...

s. They later had a home in

Putney Putney () is a district of southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Putney is an ancient pa ...

. Despite efforts to persuade Jenyns to take up acting again, she declined all offers, with the occasional exception of appearing at performances for charities. While on a short holiday to Australia, Jenyns died in a private hospital in Killara, NSW on 6 August 1920 after an operation. The funeral took place at the Christ Church Cathedral before her burial at Sandgate Cemetery, near Newcastle. She was survived by her husband and two children — Lieut. John Morton Devereux Wood, M.C. and Esther Lyal Wood.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jenyns, Essie 1864 births 1920 deaths 19th-century Australian actresses Australian stage actresses Shakespearean actresses

Birth and early life

Career

Personal

Further reading

References