Anne Bracegirdle, (c. 1671 – September 12, 1748), was an English actress. The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and in those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... Events May 9 - Thomas Blood, disguised as a clergyman, attempts to steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London. ... September 12 is the 255th day of the year (256th in leap years). ... Events April 24 - A congress assembles at Aix-la-Chapelle with the intent to conclude the struggle known as the War of Austrian Succession - at October 18 - The Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle is signed to end the war Adam Smith begins to deliver public lectures in Edinburgh Building of... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Ethnicity... Actors in period costume sharing a joke whilst waiting between takes during location filming. ...

Little is known of Bracegirdle's early life. Her precise date of birth is a source of great dispute due to conflicting records of her life. She was baptised in Northampton on November 15, 1671, although her tombstone says that she died at the age of 85 (suggesting that she was born around 1663). She was probably raised by actors Thomas and Mary Betterton from an early age, and it is speculated that she was the "little girl" referred to several times in playbills before 1688 for the Duke's Company, where Thomas Betterton was the big star. Her name first appears in the Lord Chamberlain's accounts in 1688 as a member of the United Company (into which the Duke's Company had by then merged), and a few of her roles in the following years are known through surviving manuscript cast lists. She played Semernia in Aphra Behn's The Widow Ranter in 1689, a breeches role, a type of role she would often return to, and was by 1690 playing parts like Lady Anne in Shakespeare's Richard III and Desdemona in Othello. Soon, she had become one of the important members of the company and an audience favorite, indicated by the frequency with which she spoke prologues and epilogues. This article is about Northampton in England; for other places of the same name see Northampton (disambiguation) Northampton Guild Hall, built 1861-4, E.W. Godwin, architect Northampton is a large market town and a local government district in central England upon the River Nene, and the county town of... November 15 is the 319th day of the year (320th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 46 days remaining. ... Events May 9 - Thomas Blood, disguised as a clergyman, attempts to steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London. ... // Events Prix de Rome scholarship established for students of the arts. ... Thomas Betterton (c. ... // Events A high-powered conspiracy of notables, the Immortal Seven, invite William and Mary to depose James II of England. ... The Lord Chamberlain or Lord Chamberlain of the Household is one of the chief officers of the royal household in the United Kingdom, and is to be distinguished from the Lord Great Chamberlain, one of the great offices of state. ... // Events A high-powered conspiracy of notables, the Immortal Seven, invite William and Mary to depose James II of England. ... A sketch of Aphra Behn by George Scharf from a portrait believed to be lost. ... Events Louis XIV of France passed the Code Noir, allowing the full use of slaves in the French colonies. ... A breeches role (also pants role or trouser role) is a role in which an actress appears in male clothes (breeches being tight-fitting knee-length pants, the standard male garment at the time breeches roles were introduced). ... Events Giovanni Domenico Cassini observes differential rotation within Jupiters atmosphere. ... William Shakespeare—born April 1564; baptised April 26, 1564; died April 23, 1616 (O.S.), May 3, 1616 (N.S.)—has a reputation as the greatest of all writers in English. ... The Tragedy of Richard III is a play by William Shakespeare, in which the monarch Richard III of England is unflatteringly depicted. ... Othello and Desdemona in Venice by Théodore Chassériau (1819–1856) Othello: The Moor of Venice is a tragedy by Shakespeare written around 1603. ... A prologue (Greek πρόλογος, from προ~, pro~ - fore~, and lógos, word), or rarely prolog, is a prefatory piece of writing, usually composed to introduce a drama. ... Early 1990s progressive rock band from Stoke-on-Trent. ...

Colley Cibber described Bracegirdle in his autobiography as she appeared in 1690, when he first joined the company at Drury Lane: Colley Cibber, actor, playwright, Poet Laureate, first British actor-manager, and head Dunce of Alexander Popes Dunciad. ... The present-day Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, sketched when it was new, in 1813. ...

"She had no greater Claim to Beauty than what the most desirable Brunette might pretend to. But her Youth and lively Aspect threw out such a Glow of Health and Chearfulness, that on the Stage few Spectators that were not past it could behold her without Desire. It was even a Fashion among the Gay and Young to have a Taste or Tendre for Mrs. Bracegirdle… In all the chief Parts she acted, the Desirable was so predominant, that no Judge could be cold enough to consider from what other particular Excellence she became delightful."

Cibber was smitten. He describes his own highest acting ambition (never fulfilled) as a new and inconspicuous company employee to have been that of "playing a Lover with Mrs. Bracegirdle." In 1692, the "tendre" felt by both Captain Richard Hill and the actor William Mountfort, caused a celebrated tragedy. The jealous Hill and a gang of toughs led by the infamous Lord Mohun, attempted to abduct Anne and murdered Mountfort, her presumed lover, in the street. Hill made his escape from justice, but Mohun stood trial and was acquitted. Both died violent deaths years later. Events February 13 - Massacre of Glencoe March 1 - The Salem witch trials begin in Salem Village, Massachusetts Bay Colony with the charging of three women with witchcraft. ... William Mountfort (c. ... Charles Mohun painted by Sir Godfrey Kneller. ...

By 1694, Bracegirdle's skill as a high comedienne was fully developed and recognized, and William Congreve and others were writing roles especially for her. She frequently played the comedienne part of a tragic/comic heroine tandem together with the tragedienne Elizabeth Barry, offsetting Barry's passively suffering heroines with vivacious, breeches-wearing, guardian-tricking young women of great initiative, to bring audiences the typical Restoration drama tragic/comic rollercoaster experience (see Howe). Events February 6 - The colony Quilombo dos Palmares is destroyed. ... This article is about a writer. ... Elizabeth Barry changed like Nature which she represents, from Passion to Passion, from Extream to Extream, with piercing Force and with easy Grace. Elizabeth Barry (1658–November 7, 1713) was an English actress. ...

In 1695, the monopoly United Company was torn apart by actor/management conflict, and the disgruntled senior actors led by Betterton, Barry, and Bracegirdle then formed their own collaborative company. Bracegirdle, one of the original patent-holders of the actors' company, played Angelica when the new company opened business with the première of Congreve's Love For Love, the greatest hit of the 1690s. Congreve tailored Angelica to Bracegirdle's talents and stage presence, as he also did five years later with one of the most famous women's roles in British theatrical history, Millamant in The Way of the World (1700). Events January 27 - Change of emperor of the Ottoman Empire from Ahmed II to Mustafa II (1695-1703) July 17 - The Bank of Scotland is founded by an Act of Parliament of the old Scottish Parliament. ... Centuries: 16th century - 17th century - 18th century Decades: 1640s 1650s 1660s 1670s 1680s - 1690s - 1700s 1710s 1720s 1730s 1740s Years: 1690 1691 1692 1693 1694 1695 1696 1697 1698 1699 Events and Trends World Leaders King Christian V of Denmark (1670 - 1699). ... Oxford Playhouse production of The Way of the World; 13 to 17 April, 2004 The Way of the World is a play written by British playwright William Congreve. ... Events January 1 - Russia accepts Julian calendar. ...

In contrast to Betterton and Barry, Bracegirdle quitted the stage early, in 1706. She was discreet in her private life, but rumor inevitably coupled her name with that of Congreve, who left her a legacy when he died in 1729. Events March 27 - Concluding that Emperor Iyasus I of Ethiopia had abdicated by retiring to a monastery, a council of high officials appoint Tekle Haymanot I Emperor of Ethiopia May 23 - Battle of Ramillies November 5 - The Dublin Gazette publishes its first edition. ... Events July 30 - Baltimore, Maryland is founded. ...

References

• Cibber, Colley (first published 1740, ed. Robert Lowe, 1889). An Apology for the Life of Colley Cibber, vol.1, vol 2. London.
• 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, Illinois: Southern Illinois University Press.
• Howe, Elizabeth (1992). The First English Actresses: Women and Drama 1660–1700. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.