Sarah Sparks ( – 1837) was a British actress. She was born Sarah Mills into a theatrical family, although no evidence exists linking her to the earlier actors

John Mills Sir John Mills (born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills; 22 February 190823 April 2005) was an English actor who appeared in more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades. He excelled on camera as an appealing British everyman who often portray ...

or his son William Mills. Her first known performance was in Berwick in 1773, and she was married to the actor Hugh Sparks by 1776. From 1776 to 1794, she was a regular at the

Theatre Royal, Edinburgh The history of the Theatre Royal, Edinburgh involves two sites. The first building, on Princes Street, opened 1769 and was rebuilt in 1830 by Thomas Hosmer Shepherd. The second site was on Broughton Street. History The first Theatre Royal was ...

with her husband, as well as appearing in

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

and

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

. She came to London with her husband and acted together at the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and listed building, Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) an ...

, making her first appearance in '' The Old Maid'' on 26 October 1797. For the next twenty three years she was one of the leading

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

players of the Drury Lane company. Her career success came as her husband's declined, and by 1818 she was earning ten pounds a week. Hugh died in 1816 and she continued acting until 1820 when she retired with a pension from Drury Lane in addition to an

annuity In investment, an annuity is a series of payments made at equal intervals based on a contract with a lump sum of money. Insurance companies are common annuity providers and are used by clients for things like retirement or death benefits. Examples ...

given to her by her former fellow actress

Harriet Mellon Harriet Beauclerk, Duchess of St Albans (alternative spelling: Harriot; née Mellon; 11 November 1777 – 6 August 1837) was an Irish actress who starred at Drury Lane. She was successively the wife of banker Thomas Coutts and then of William B ...

. She died in

Farnham Farnham is a market town and civil parish in Surrey, England, around southwest of London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, close to the county border with Hampshire. The town is on the north branch of the River Wey, a tributary of the ...

in 1837 and was described by ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

'' as "an excellent woman, who was for many years one of the brightest ornaments of the national stage.Highfill, Burnim & Langhans p.208

Selected roles

* Clarissa in Lionel and Clarissa by

Isaac Bickerstaffe Isaac Bickerstaffe or Bickerstaff (26 September 1733 – after 1808) was an Irish playwright and librettist. Early life Isaac John Bickerstaff was born in Dublin, on 26 September 1733, where his father John Bickerstaff held a government pos ...

(1774) * Miss Harlow in '' The Old Maid'' by Arthur Murphy (1797) *Leonella in '' Aurelio and Miranda'' by

James Boaden James Boaden (23 May 1762 – 16 February 1839) was an English biographer, dramatist, and journalist. Biographer He was the son of William Boaden, a merchant in the Russia trade. He was born at Whitehaven, Cumberland, on 23 May 1762, and at an ...

(1798) * Mrs Harvey in '' The Marriage Promise'' by John Allingham (1803) * Mrs O'Bradleigh in '' Hearts of Oak'' by John Allingham (1803) * Mrs Doublecharge in '' The Land We Live In'' by

Francis Ludlow Holt Francis Ludlow Holt (1780 – 29 September 1844) was a legal and dramatic author. Life Francis Ludlow is cited as born in 1780, the son of the Rev. Ludlow Holt, LL.D., of Watford, Hertfordshire, the author of some sermons published in 1780–1. ...

(1804) * Mrs Hartshorn in '' The Sailor's Daughter'' by

Richard Cumberland Richard Cumberland may refer to: * Richard Cumberland (philosopher) Richard Cumberland (15 July 1631 (or 1632) – 9 October 1718) was an English philosopher, and Bishop of Peterborough from 1691. In 1672, he published his major work, ''De leg ...

(1804) * Mrs Bustle in '' Where to Find a Friend'' by Richard Leigh (1811) * Lady Anemone in '' First Impressions'' by

Horatio Smith Horace (born Horatio) Smith (31 December 1779 – 12 July 1849) was an English poet and novelist. In 1818, he participated in a sonnet-writing competition with Percy Bysshe Shelley. It was of Smith that Shelley said: "Is it not odd that the on ...

(1813) * Camilla in '' Rugantino'' by Matthew Lewis (1820)

References

Bibliography

* Highfill, Philip H, Burnim, Kalman A. & Langhans, Edward A. ''A Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Musicians, Dancers, Managers and Other Stage Personnel in London, 1660-1800: Cabanel to Cory''. SIU Press, 1975. 18th-century British actresses 19th-century British actresses 19th-century English actresses 1750s births 1837 deaths {{UK-stage-actor-stub