Portrait of Thomas Caulfield - DPLA - 8e6c7f5f369d7cf8cc47ee9e2f31741c

Thomas Caulfield (1766–1815) was a British

stage actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

who after a period in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

's West End spent the later part of his career in the United States. He was the son of an engraver from

Clerkenwell Clerkenwell ( ) is an area of central London, England. Clerkenwell was an Civil Parish#Ancient parishes, ancient parish from the medieval period onwards, and now forms the south-western part of the London Borough of Islington. The St James's C ...

. Susan Caulfield the mistress of

John Burgoyne General (United Kingdom), General John "Gentleman Johnny" Burgoyne (24 February 1722 – 4 August 1792) was a British Army officer, playwright and politician who sat in the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1761 to 1792. He first saw acti ...

may have been his sister but she was not his mother nor was Burgoyne his father as some historical sources claimed. After appearing in the provinces, notably at

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

and

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

, he made his debut for the

Drury Lane Drury Lane is a street on the boundary between the Covent Garden and Holborn areas of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of London Borough of Camden, Camden and the southern part in the City o ...

company in 1791 in ''The Cave of Trophonius'' by Prince Hoare. He was a prolific figure in the West End, working at both Drury Lane and the Haymarket. Amongst his roles was that of Uter in ''

Vortigern and Rowena ''Vortigern and Rowena'', or ''Vortigern, an Historical Play'', is a play that was touted as a newly discovered work by William Shakespeare when it first appeared in 1796. It was eventually revealed to be a Shakespeare hoax, the product of promi ...

'' (1796) by

William Henry Ireland William Henry Ireland (1775–1835) was an English forger of would-be Shakespearean documents and plays. He is less well known as a poet, writer of gothic novels and histories. Although he was apparently christened William-Henry, he was known ...

, a play fraudently claimed to be by

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

. He attracted attention after beginning an affair with Maria Bland, a Drury Lane singer who left her husband actor George Bland, the brother of

Dorothea Jordan Dorothea Jordan (née Bland; 22 November 17615 July 1816) was an Anglo-Irish actress, as well as a courtesan. She was the long-time partner of Prince William, Duke of Clarence (later King William IV), and the mother of 10 illegitimate children ...

. He lived with Maria for a decade, during which time he also appeared at the new

Theatre Royal, Bath The Theatre Royal in Bath, England, was built in 1805. A Grade II* listed building, it has been described by the Theatres Trust as "One of the most important surviving examples of Georgian theatre architecture". It has a capacity for an audien ...

at Buckingham in ''

Richard III Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...

''. In 1807 Caulfield accepted an offer from John Bernard to appear at the

Federal Street Theatre The Federal Street Theatre (1793–1852), also known as the Boston Theatre, was located at the corner of Federal Street (Boston), Federal and Franklin Street (Boston), Franklin streets in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was "the first b ...

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, and left Maria behind in London. He was well received by American audiences in his first appearance, but he was ill-prepared for a role in

Rowe Rowe may refer to: Places *Rowe, Massachusetts, U.S. *Rowe, New Mexico, U.S. *Rowes Bay, Queensland, a suburb of Townsville Australia *Rowe, now Rówek, Poland Other *Rowe (surname) *Rowe (musician), solo project of Becky Louise Filip, former mem ...

's ''

Jane Shore Elizabeth "Jane" Shore (née Lambert; 1445 – c. 1527) was one of the many mistresses of King Edward IV of England. She became the best known in history by being later accused of conspiracy by the future King Richard III and compelled to do p ...

''. His lack of professionalism led to his ultimately being dismissed in 1809 after which he appeared in

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in some religions * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

and then in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint of South Carolina's coastline on Charleston Harbor, an inlet of the Atla ...

. He then acted in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

for several years. He ultimately died at the age of forty nine of overindulgence, although there are conflicting sources for his place of death as either

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

. A painting of Caulfield playing Mirable in ''

The Inconstant ''The Inconstant, or the Way to Win Him'' is a 1702 play by the Irish writer George Farquhar. It was a reworking of the Jacobean comedy ''The Wild Goose Chase'' by John Fletcher. A success, the play was revived a number of times during the eight ...

'' is owned by the

Garrick Club The Garrick Club is a private members' club in London, founded in 1831 as a club for "actors and men of refinement to meet on equal terms". It is one of the oldest members' clubs in the world. Its 1,500 members include many actors, writers, ...

.Highfill, Burnim & Langhans p.121

Selected roles

* Aletes in '' The Rival Sisters'' by Arthur Murphy (1793) * George Waterland in ''

The Box-Lobby Challenge ''The Box-Lobby Challenge'' is a comedy play by the British writer Richard Cumberland. It was first staged at the Haymarket Theatre in February 1794.Nicoll p.127 It is a farcical comedy of manners set amongst the working class. The original cast ...

'' 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 ...

(1794) * Naclo in ''

Zorinski ''Zorinski'', also known as ''Casimir, King of Poland'', is a 1795 historical tragedy in three acts by the British playwright Thomas Morton. It enjoyed considerable success. The play's plot was "founded on the adventures of Stanislaus." Shortl ...

'' by Thomas Morton (1795) * Ernulf in ''

Edwy and Elgiva ''Edwy and Elgiva'' is a historical play, historical tragedy by the English writer Fanny Burney. Written in 1790 it was first performed at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London on 21 March 1795. The original cast included John Philip Kemble as E ...

'' by

Fanny Burney Frances Burney (13 June 1752 – 6 January 1840), also known as Fanny Burney and later Madame d'Arblay, was an English satirical novelist, diarist and playwright. In 1786–1790 she held the post of "Keeper of the Robes" to Charlotte of Mecklen ...

(1795) * Nourassin in '' Almeyda, Queen of Granada'' by

Sophia Lee Sophia Lee (1750 – 13 March 1824) was an English novelist, dramatist and educator. She was a formative writer of Gothic fiction. Life and literary production She was the daughter of John Lee (died 1781), actor and theatrical manager, and was ...

(1796) * Tayo in '' Don Pedro'' by

(1796) * Lentulus in '' The Conspiracy'' by

Robert Jephson Robert Jephson (1736 – 31 May 1803) was an Irish dramatist and politician. Life He was born in Ireland, a younger son of John Jephson, Archdeacon of Cloyne. He entered Trinity College, Dublin in 1751, but left without a degree. He then jo ...

(1796) * Uter in ''

'' by

(1796) * George Ivey in '' The Last of the Family'' by

(1797) * Alguazil in '' The Inquisitor'' by

Thomas Holcroft Thomas Holcroft (10 December 174523 March 1809) was an English dramatist, miscellanist, poet, novelist and translator. He was sympathetic to the early ideas of the French Revolution and helped Thomas Paine to publish the first part of ''The Ri ...

(1798) * Mortimer in ''

Cambro-Britons ''Cambro-Britons'' is a 1798 historical play by the English writer James Boaden. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket in London on 21 July 1798.Greene p.4506 The original cast included William Barrymore as Llewellyn, Joseph Shepherd Mund ...

'' 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) * Almargo in ''

Pizarro Francisco Pizarro, Marquess of the Atabillos (; ; – 26 June 1541) was a Spanish ''conquistador'', best known for his expeditions that led to the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire. Born in Trujillo, Spain, to a poor family, Pizarro chose ...

'' by

Richard Brinsley Sheridan Richard Brinsley Butler Sheridan (30 October 17517 July 1816) was an Anglo-Irish playwright, writer and Whig politician who sat in the British House of Commons from 1780 to 1812, representing the constituencies of Stafford, Westminster and I ...

(1799) * Grimbald in '' De Monfort'' by

Joanna Baillie Joanna Baillie (11 September 1762 – 23 February 1851) was a Scottish poet and dramatist, known for such works as ''Plays on the Passions'' (three volumes, 1798–1812) and ''Fugitive Verses'' (1840). Her work shows an interest in moral philoso ...

(1800) * Singleton in '' The Sailor's Daughter'' by

(1804)

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. {{DEFAULTSORT:Caulfield, Thomas 1766 births 1815 deaths 18th-century English male actors 19th-century English male actors English emigrants to the United States English male stage actors Male actors from London