Susanna Verbruggen (née Percival) (c. 1667–1703), aka Susanna Mountfort, was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

working in London.

Life

She was the daughter of

Thomas Percival Thomas Percival (29 September 1740 – 30 August 1804) was an English physician, health reformer, ethicist and author who wrote an early code of medical ethics. He drew up a pamphlet with the code in 1794 and wrote an expanded version in 180 ...

, a member of the

Duke's Company The Duke's Company was a theatre company chartered by King Charles II at the start of the Restoration era, 1660. Sir William Davenant was manager of the company under the patronage of Prince James, Duke of York. During hats period, theatres b ...

for more than a decade. Her first recorded stage appearance may have been as early as 1681 in

D'Urfey Thomas d'Urfey (a.k.a. Tom Durfey; 165326 February 1723) was an English writer and wit. He wrote plays, songs, jokes, and poems. He was an important innovator and contributor in the evolution of the ballad opera. Life D'Urfey was born in Devon ...

's '' Sir Barnaby Whigg''. In 1686 she married the actor

William Mountfort William Mountfort (c. 1664 – 10 December 1692), English actor and dramatic writer, was the son of a Staffordshire gentleman. Biography His first stage appearance was with the Dorset Garden Theatre company about 1678, and by 1682 he was ...

, and after Mountfort's infamous murder in 1692, she married the actor

John Verbruggen John Baptista Verbruggen, d. 1708, was an English actor working in London. Verbruggen is first mentioned as a member of the United Company in a Lord Chamberlain's warrant in 1688. His name does not appear in any cast lists until October 1690. T ...

. She was a successful and popular comedian, known especially for her

breeches role A breeches role (also pants role or trouser role, or Hosenrolle) is one in which an actress appears in male clothing. Breeches, tight-fitting knee-length pants, were the standard male garment at the time these roles were introduced. The theatri ...

s. Her greatest success was as the main character Lucia in

Thomas Southerne Thomas Southerne (12 February 166026 May 1746) was an Irish dramatist. Biography Thomas Southerne, born on 12 February 1660, in Oxmantown, near Dublin, was an Irish dramatist. He was the son of Francis Southerne (a Dublin brewer) and Margaret ...

's ''Sir Anthony Love'', where Lucia partakes of the freedom of the roistering

Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration *Restoration ecology ...

rake by disguising herself as "Sir Anthony". Both men and women in the audience loved her performance in these types of roles. She was one of the leading actresses at the United Company, but when the company split in two in 1695 (see Restoration comedy) she was, however, not offered a share in the actors' cooperative, but merely a salary. This may have been the biggest tactical mistake the actors' company made: both the Verbruggens were dissatisfied with the offer, reasonably so since Susanna was extremely versatile and popular with audiences, and returned to the parent company, thereby substantially improving its odds in the competition between the companies (see

The Relapse ''The Relapse, or, Virtue in Danger'' is a Restoration comedy from 1696 written by John Vanbrugh. The play is a sequel to Colley Cibber's '' Love's Last Shift, or, The Fool in Fashion''. In Cibber's ''Love's Last Shift'', a free-living Rest ...

). Her daughter (also named Susanna Mountfort (1690-1720) was an actress at Drury Lane, beginning her career in 1703.

Selected roles

* Winifred in '' Sir Barnaby Whigg'' by

Thomas D'Urfey Thomas d'Urfey (a.k.a. Tom Durfey; 165326 February 1723) was an English writer and wit. He wrote plays, songs, jokes, and poems. He was an important innovator and contributor in the evolution of the ballad opera. Life D'Urfey was born in Devons ...

(1681) * Prudentia in ''

A Duke and No Duke ''A Duke and No Duke'' is a 1684 comedy play by the Irish writer Nahum Tate. It was originally staged by the United Company at the Drury Lane Theatre in London with a cast including John Wiltshire as Lavinio, Thomas Gillow as Barberino, Joseph ...

'' by

Nahum Tate Nahum Tate ( ; 1652 – 30 July 1715) was an Irish poet, hymnist and lyricist, who became Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate in 1692. Tate is best known for ''The History of King Lear'', his 1681 literary adaptation, adaptation ...

(1684) * Juliana in '' The Disappointment'' by

(1684) * Girtred in ''

Cuckold's Haven ''Cuckold's Haven; Or, An Alderman No Conjurer'' is a 1685 comedy play by the Irish writer Nahum Tate. It was first staged at the Dorset Garden Theatre in London by the United Company. It was a reworking of George Chapman, Ben Jonson and John M ...

'' by

(1685) * Nell in '' The Devil of a Wife'' by Thomas Jevon (1686) * Isabella in ''

The Squire of Alsatia ''The Squire of Alsatia'' is a 1688 comedy play by the English writer Thomas Shadwell. Alsatia was a nickname for the Whitefriars area of London, deriving from Alsace in northeastern France. A restoration comedy, it was performed at the Drury L ...

'' by

Thomas Shadwell Thomas Shadwell ( – 19 November 1692) was an English poet and playwright who was appointed Poet Laureate in 1689. Life Shadwell was born at either Bromehill Farm, Weeting-with-Broomhill or Santon House, Lynford, Norfolk, and educated at Bu ...

(1688) * Morayma in '' Don Sebastian'' by

John Dryden '' John Dryden (; – ) was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the p ...

(1689) * Mrs Gertrude in '' Bury Fair'' by

(1689) * Maria in '' The Fortune Hunters'' by John Carlile (1689) * Feliciana in '' The Successful Strangers'' by

(1690) * Sir Antony Love in '' Sir Anthony Love'' by

(1690) * Phaedra in ''

Amphitryon Amphitryon (; Ancient Greek: Ἀμφιτρύων, ''gen''.: Ἀμφιτρύωνος; usually interpreted as "harassing either side", Latin: Amphitruo), in Greek mythology, was a son of Alcaeus, king of Tiryns in Argolis. His mother was named e ...

'' by

(1690) * Florella in ''

Greenwich Park Greenwich Park is a former hunting park in Greenwich and one of the largest single green spaces in south-east London. One of the Royal Parks of London, and the first to be enclosed (in 1433), it covers , and is part of the Greenwich World Heri ...

'' by

(1691) * Mrs Wittwoud '' The Wives Excuse'' by

(1691) * Eugenia in '' The Volunteers'' by

(1692) * Belinda in '' The Old Bachelor'' by

William Congreve William Congreve (24 January 1670 – 19 January 1729) was an English playwright and poet of the Restoration period. He is known for his clever, satirical dialogue and influence on the comedy of manners style of that period. He was also a mi ...

(1693) * Catchat in '' The Female Virtuosos'' by Thomas Wright (1693) * Lady Susan Malepert in '' The Maid's Last Prayer'' by

(1693) * Annabella in '' A Very Good Wife'' by George Powell (1693) * Hillaria in '' The Canterbury Guests'' by Edward Ravenscroft (1694) * Dalinda in '' Love Triumphant'' by

(1694) * Lionell in '' The Married Beau'' by

John Crowne John Crowne (6 April 1641 – 1712) was a British dramatist. His father "Colonel" William Crowne, accompanied the earl of Arundel on a diplomatic mission to Vienna in 1637, and wrote an account of his journey. He emigrated to Nova Scotia where ...

(1694) * Ansilva in '' The Rival Sisters'' by

Robert Gould Robert Gould (1660? – 1708/1709) was a significant voice in Restoration poetry in England. He was born in the lower classes and orphaned when he was thirteen. It is possible that he had a sister, but her name and fate are unknown. Gou ...

(1695) * Olivia in '' The Younger Brother'' by

Aphra Behn Aphra Behn (; bapt. 14 December 1640 – 16 April 1689) was an English playwright, poet, prose writer and translator from the Restoration era. As one of the first English women to earn her living by her writing, she broke cultural barrie ...

(1696) * Berrinthia in ''

'' by

John Vanbrugh Sir John Vanbrugh (; 24 January 1664 (baptised) – 26 March 1726) was an English architect, dramatist and herald, perhaps best known as the designer of Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard. He wrote two argumentative and outspoken Restor ...

(1696) * Olivia in '' The Lost Lover'' by

Delarivier Manley Delarivier "Delia" Manley (1663 or c. 1670 – 24 July 1724) was an English author, playwright, and political pamphleteer. Manley is sometimes referred to, with Aphra Behn and Eliza Haywood, as one of " the fair triumvirate of wit", which is a ...

(1696) * Madam La Marquise in '' The Campaigners'' by

(1698) * Lady Lurewell in '' The Constant Couple'' by

George Farquhar George Farquhar (1677The explanation for the dual birth year appears in Louis A. Strauss, ed., A Discourse Upon Comedy, The Recruiting Officer, and The Beaux’ Stratagem by George Farquhar' (Boston: D.C. Heath & Co., 1914), p. v. Strauss notes ...

(1699) * Louisa in ''

Love Makes a Man ''Love Makes A Man; Or, The Fop's Fortune is a 1700 comedy play by the English writer Colley Cibber. It borrows elements from two Jacobean plays ''The Elder Brother'' and '' The Custom of the Country'' by John Fletcher. It was originally stage ...

'' by

Colley Cibber Colley Cibber (6 November 1671 – 11 December 1757) was an English actor-manager, playwright and Poet Laureate. His colourful memoir ''Apology for the Life of Colley Cibber'' (1740) describes his life in a personal, anecdotal and even rambling ...

(1700) * Gillian in ''

The Bath The Bath may refer to: * ''The Bath'' (play), a 1701 comedy play by Thomas d'Urfey * ''The Bath'' (EP), by electronica duo Lemon Jelly *''The Child's Bath'', a painting by Mary Cassatt (also known as ''The Bath'') *The Bath (short story), a short st ...

'' by

(1701) * Lady Lurewell in '' Sir Harry Wildair'' by

(1701) * Lady Cringe in ''

The Modish Husband ''The Modish Husband'' is a 1702 comedy play by the English writer William Burnaby. It is in the Restoration-style comedy of manners.Nicoll p.153 Staged at the Drury Lane Theatre in London, the cast included Robert Wilks as Lionel, Colley Cibb ...

'' by William Burnaby (1702) * Hypolita in '' She Would and She Would Not'' by

(1702) * Hillaria in '' Tunbridge Walks'' by Thomas Baker (1703) * Mrs Cringe in '' The Fair Example'' by Richard Estcourt (1703)

Notes

References

* *Highfill, Philip Jr, Burnim, Kalman A., and Langhans, Edward (1973–93). ''Biographical Dictionary of Actors, Actresses, Musicians, Dancers, Managers and Other Stage Personnel in London, 1660–1800''. 16 volumes. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press. {{DEFAULTSORT:Verbruggen, Susanna 1667 births 1703 deaths English stage actresses 17th-century English actresses 18th-century English actresses Actresses from London