Thomas Harris (died 1820) was an English theatre manager, who became proprietor of

Covent Garden Theatre The Royal Opera House (ROH) is a theatre in Covent Garden, central London. The building is often referred to as simply Covent Garden, after a previous use of the site. The ROH is the main home of The Royal Opera, The Royal Ballet, and the Orch ...

Life

His background was in business. In the autumn of 1767, with

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 ...

, John Rutherford, and

William Powell William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 – March 5, 1984) was an American actor, known primarily for his film career. Under contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he was paired with Myrna Loy in 14 films, including the ''The Thin Man (film), Thin M ...

, he purchased from

John Beard John Beard may refer to: * John Beard (artist) (born 1943), Welsh artist and painter * John Beard (colonial administrator) (died 1685), Chief Agent and Governor of Bengal * John Beard (embryologist) (1858–1924), Scottish embryologist and anatomis ...

the patent of Covent Garden Theatre. The theatre opened 14 September 1767, with '' The Rehearsal'', in which Powell spoke a prologue by William Whitehead. Colman took on a management role, but a serious quarrel broke outbetween Harris and Colman arose during the first season, driven by the ambitions of Jane Lessingham, an actress with whom Harris lived. Colman, with whom Powell sided, barricaded the theatre, and Harris, supported by Rutherford, broke it forcibly open. Legal proceedings and a pamphlet war followed. On 23 July 1770 a legal decision of the commissioners of the

Great Seal A great seal is a seal used by a head of state, or someone authorised to do so on their behalf, to confirm formal documents, such as laws, treaties, appointments and letters of dispatch. It was and is used as a guarantee of the authenticity of ...

reinstated Colman as acting manager, subject to the advice and inspection, but not the control, of his fellows. Powell meanwhile had died 3 July 1769. On the resignation, 26 May 1774, by Colman of his post, Harris undertook the duties of stage-manager, which he held to until his death. He was accused of sacrificing to spectacle the artistic interests of the drama. He behaved generously to actors, however, and maintained a good reputation and some personal popularity. Harris died on 1 October 1820 at his cottage near

Wimbledon Wimbledon most often refers to: * Wimbledon, London, a district of southwest London * Wimbledon Championships, the oldest tennis tournament in the world and one of the four Grand Slam championships Wimbledon may also refer to: Places London * W ...

, and was buried in his family vault at

Hillingdon Hillingdon is an area of Uxbridge within the London Borough of Hillingdon, centred 14.2 miles (22.8 km) west of Charing Cross. It was an ancient parish in Middlesex that included the market town of Uxbridge. During the 1920s the civil pari ...

, near

Uxbridge Uxbridge () is a suburban town in west London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon, northwest of Charing Cross. Uxbridge formed part of the parish of Hillingdon in the county of Middlesex. As part ...

Family

His son, Henry Harris, lived with the actress

Nannette Johnston Nannette Johnston (born 1782) was a British stage actress and dancer active during the Regency era. She was born in London as the daughter the actor William Parker, but educated in Edinburgh where her father was working and began her career as a d ...

1811–14 after she left her husband

Henry Erskine Johnston Henry Erskine Johnston (1777–1838?) was a Scottish actor given the sobriquet The Edinburgh Roscius. Early life Born in Edinburgh in May 1777 the son of a former barber on the Royal Mile, High Street, his father was allegedly shaving Henry ...

, later divorcing him. Henry later married Elizabeth Logan, aka Mrs Carey, mistress of the

Duke of York Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of List of English monarchs, English (later List of British monarchs, British) monarchs ...

in Bath on 31 December 1832.Jenkins, Terry: "Mrs Carey (c.1773-1848): the other mistress of the Duke of York" ''Genealogists' Magazine'', vol. 33, no. 10 (June 2021), p. 358. A daughter of Harris died in 1802, aged 15, and a son, George, lived to be a captain in the Royal Navy. A sister of Harris married into the family of

Longmans Longman, also known as Pearson Longman, is a publishing company founded in 1724 in London, England, which is owned by Pearson PLC. Since 1968, Longman has been used primarily as an imprint by Pearson's Schools business. The Longman brand is ...

, the publishers.

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Thomas Year of birth missing 1820 deaths English theatre managers and producers