William Dimond
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William Fisher Peach Dimond (11 December 1781 – c1837) was a
playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...
of the early 19th-century who wrote about thirty works for the theatre, including plays, operas, musical entertainments and melodramas.


Life

He was born in
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 ...
in
Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...
in December 1781, the eldest surviving son of William Wyatt Dimond (1750–1812), an actor and theatrical manager, and his wife, Matilda Martha, ''née'' Baker (1757–1823). His father was the manager at the
Old Orchard Street Theatre Old Orchard Street Theatre in Bath, Somerset, England, was built as a provincial theatre before becoming a Roman Catholic church. Since 1865, it has been a Masonic Hall. It is a Grade II listed building. Theatre In 1705 the first theatre opened ...
and later the
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 ...
together with the Theatre Royal in
Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...
. William Dimond received his education from the Rev. James Morgan D.D.; and by 1807 was a member 'of the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple', having been articled in 1798. Dimon contributed Della Cruscan poems to the ''Morning Herald'' under the
pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...
'Castalio'. His work ''Petrarchal Sonnets, and Miscellaneous Poems'' was published in 1800 by private subscription and dedicated to the
Duchess of York Duchess of York is the principal courtesy title held by the wife of the Duke of York. Three of the eleven Dukes of York either did not marry or had already assumed the throne prior to marriage, while two of the Dukes married twice; therefore, th ...
; however, the book was "criticized for its immature extravagances of diction". In 1801 Dimond's comic opera ''The Sea-Side Story'' was performed as a benefit piece and proved somewhat of a success. The actress Sarah Egerton appeared at Bath in his ''The Hero of the North'' (1809), Daniel Terry played Bertrand in ''
The Foundling of the Forest ''The Foundling of the Forest'' is an 1809 melodrama by the British writer William Dimond, also featuring music composed by Michael Kelly. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket in London on 10 July 1809. The original Haymarket cast includ ...
'' (1809) in
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
, while Catherine Stephens was the original Donna Isidora in Dimond's ''
Brother and Sister "Brother and Sister" (also "Little Sister and Little Brother"; ) is a European fairy tale which was, among others, written down by the Brothers Grimm (KHM 11). It is a tale of Aarne–Thompson Type 450. In Russia the story was more commonly know ...
'' (1815). The actor and playwright
Thomas Hailes Lacy Thomas Hailes Lacy (1809 – 1 August 1873) was a British actor, playwright, theatrical manager, bookseller, and theatrical publisher. Life Lacy made his West End stage debut in 1828 but soon turned manager, a position he held from 1841 at The ...
made his London début in 1828 as Lenoir in Dimond's ''The Foundling of the Forest'' at the
Olympic Theatre Olympic Theater or Olympic Theatre may refer to: * Comedy Theatre, Melbourne, Australia, formerly Coppin's Olympic Theatre * National Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, converted to and renamed Olympic Theater in 1873 * Olympic Theatre (London), En ...
. When Dimond's father died in 1812 William Dimond took over the management of the
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 ...
and the
Theatre Royal, Bristol Bristol Old Vic is a British theatre company based at the Theatre Royal, Bristol. The present company was established in 1946 as an offshoot of the Old Vic in London. It is associated with the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, which became a fin ...
. By 1817 he was living in what had been the family home in Norfolk Crescent, Bath. He gave up the management of the Theatre Royal in Bath on the death of his mother in 1823.


Works

Described as a "prolific playwright of little quality and a theatrical manager of little more", Dimond wrote about thirty works for the theatre, including operas, musical entertainments and
melodrama A melodrama is a Drama, dramatic work in which plot, typically sensationalized for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodrama is "an exaggerated version of drama". Melodramas typically concentrate on ...
s, the latter including ''The Broken Sword'' (1816). The ''
Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...
'' claims that in ''The Broken Sword'' Dimond originated the term 'chestnut', now a common British
slang A slang is a vocabulary (words, phrases, and linguistic usages) of an informal register, common in everyday conversation but avoided in formal writing and speech. It also often refers to the language exclusively used by the members of pa ...
term for an old joke, often as 'old chestnut'. In his play one character keeps repeating the same stories, one of them about a
cork tree Cork tree or corktree may refer to: * Cork oak, ''Quercus suber'', the tree from which most cork is harvested * Chinese cork oak, ''Quercus variabilis'', a tree from which cork is occasionally harvested * Cork-tree, a species of '' Phellodendron'' * ...
, and is interrupted each time by another character who says: "Chestnut, you mean ... I have heard you tell the joke twenty-seven times and I am sure it was a chestnut". Most of Dimond's works were written for the
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 ...
, of which he assumed the management after the death of his father in 1812. His stage works "evinced a strong tendency towards the striking tableau, the exotic setting, and the picturesque pose". He adapted
Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824) was an English poet. He is one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, and is regarded as being among the greatest poets of the United Kingdom. Among his best-kno ...
's 1813 work ''
The Bride of Abydos ''The Bride of Abydos'' is a poem written by Lord Byron in 1813. One of his earlier works, ''The Bride of Abydos'' is considered to be one of his "Heroic Poems", along with ''The Giaour'', ''Lara, A Tale, Lara'', ''The Siege of Corinth (poem), ...
'' for the stage as a play of the same name (1818) for
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 ...
. It was one of three of Dimond's plays whose action takes place in Turkey, the other two being ''Abon Hassan'' (based on ''
One Thousand and One Nights ''One Thousand and One Nights'' (, ), is a collection of Middle Eastern folktales compiled in the Arabic language during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in English as ''The Arabian Nights'', from the first English-language edition ( ...
'') and ''Aethiop, or the Child of the Desert''. Dimond's play had an influence on
Percy Bysshe Shelley Percy Bysshe Shelley ( ; 4 August 1792 – 8 July 1822) was an English writer who is considered one of the major English Romantic poets. A radical in his poetry as well as in his political and social views, Shelley did not achieve fame durin ...
's ''Hellas''. ''
The British Critic The ''British Critic: A New Review'' was a quarterly publication, established in 1793 as a conservative and high-church review journal riding the tide of British reaction against the French Revolution. The headquarters was in London. The journ ...
'' approved of his ''Adrian and Orilla, or, A Mother's Vengeance'' but thought the dialogue "generally too florid, bordering frequently upon affectation, and occasionally … not far removed from nonsense". The review by the ''British Critic'' of Dimond's patriotic extravaganza ''The Royal Oak'' (1811) said:
We have often met with Mr. Dimond, and have always found something to praise and something to censure in him. It will never be better. The talents he received from nature have wanted the cultivation of good taste; and the offences against propriety which wild genius commits, will never be corrected by ill-judging audiences.
William Hazlitt William Hazlitt (10 April 177818 September 1830) was an English essayist, drama and literary criticism, literary critic, painter, social commentator, and philosopher. He is now considered one of the greatest critics and essayists in the history ...
found in Dimond's plays:
"... so strong a family likeness that, from having seen any one of them, we may form a tolerable correct idea of the rest … The author does not profess to provide a public entertainment at his own entire expense, and from his own proper funds, but contracts with the manager to get up a striking and impressive exhibition in conjunction with the scene-painter, the scene-shifter, the musical composer, the orchestra, the chorusses on the stage, and the lungs of the actors!"
In his play ''Stage Struck'' (1835) Dimond
burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.
d the then vogue for melodramatic styles of acting.


Hoaxer

Alfred Bunn Alfred Bunn (8 April 1796 in London20 December 1860 in Boulogne-sur-Mer) was an English theatrical manager. He married Margaret Somerville, a minor actress, in 1819. Biography Bunn was appointed stage manager of Drury Lane Theatre, London, in ...
stated that Dimond spent time in many jails (in Horsemonger Lane, under the name of James Bryant,) and tried in many courts, (he was said to have been tried at the Croydon Assizes under the name of William Driver,) "under many names, for heinous crimes — out of all of which he escaped by more miracles; his deeds at Bath, the early and great scene of his profligacy, would fit a volume in the narration". Bunn may indeed not have been being entirely truthful concerning the past of the recently deceased Dimond, who of course could not defend himself against the claims. Bunn had been hoaxed by Dimond in 1834 by some forged letters said to have been written by the actress Charlotte Mardyn, rumoured to have been a mistress of
Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824) was an English poet. He is one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, and is regarded as being among the greatest poets of the United Kingdom. Among his best-kno ...
, offering to come and perform Byron's work ''
Sardanapalus According to the Greek writer Ctesias, Sardanapalus ( ; ), sometimes spelled Sardanapallus (), was the last king of Assyria, although in fact Aššur-uballiṭ II (612–605 BC) holds that distinction. Ctesias' book ''Persica'' is lost, but we ...
'' as he had taught her for Bunn's production. Bunn printed that she would appear but 'Mrs Mardyn' withdrew from the production at the last minute "owing to ill health", and Bunn investigated to discover that Dimond had probably written the letters and sent them from Paris. J. C. Trewin
''The Journal of William Charles Macready, 1832-1851''
Longman (1967) - Google Books pg. 25
The fact that Mrs. Mardyn was widely known among theatrical circles to be largely illiterate should perhaps have served as a warning. Bunn recorded that William Dimond died in Paris in late 1837.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dimond, William 1781 births 1837 deaths Writers from Bath, Somerset British male dramatists and playwrights 19th-century British dramatists and playwrights 19th-century male writers British opera librettists