Mary Woffington

Mary Woffington was born in Dublin in 1729. Nicknamed Polly, she was the second daughter of Catholic bricklayer Arthur/John Woffington and his wife Hannah.[1][2] Her older sister, Margaret "Peg" Woffington, would later become a successful stage actress in Ireland and England. Little is known about Mary's youth, but it is likely that she had minor roles in her sister's productions, including nearly one hundred performances of The Beggar's Opera at the New Booth Theatre in Dublin. Her father died when she was young, and she remained in Ireland with her mother while her sister pursued an acting career in England.[1] Woffington joined her sister in London in 1740. On 20 April 1741, she had a minor role as a child dancer in a performance of The Double Gallant at the Covent Garden Theatre. Later that year, her sister funded her education at a Catholic convent school in Paris.[3]

Woffington returned to England in the summer of 1744, aged 15. She moved into her sister's country house at Teddington, where she began courting members of the local gentry. During this period, she determined to become an actress like her sister, with fortune-tellers predicting a successful career. Peg aided Mary by staging a practice performance of The Distrest Mother at Teddington, assisted by David Garrick, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, George Anne Bellamy, and others. Woffington's professional debut occurred on 30 March 1745, in which she performed the role of the maidservant Cherry in The Beaux' Stratagem at Drury Lane Theatre. Her performance was mediocre, though the critics and audience were "indulgent" and "courteous". After this, she lost interest in acting and did not take to the stage again.[4][5]

Following her brief acting career, Woffington returned to Teddington and continued to court the local gentry. By the summer of 1746, she courted Robert Cholmondeley, a disgraced[note 1] captain in the 3rd Foot Guards and the second son of George Cholmondeley, 3rd Earl of Cholmondeley.[4][5] The couple married on 30 November 1746 at St Anne's Church in Soho without the approval of either of their families. The marriage was initially opposed by Earl Cholmondeley and Horace Walpole, Robert's maternal uncle. In a letter to the Duke of Newcastle, the already-impoverished Earl Cholmondeley wrote that the marriage had alarmed his creditors, forcing him to sell much of his remaining real estate.[4][6] Similarly, Walpole wrote to Sir Horace Mann: "My family has just undergone a severe trial: my nephew has married the sister of a play-actress", and stated that the marriage threatened to ruin the Cholmondeley family.[4][5] Upon meeting her, however, Walpole was charmed by "her beauty, grace, and wit", even insisting on introducing her to the Dauphin of France. Earl Cholmondeley was convinced by Peg, who quipped: "My lord, I have much more reason to be offended at it than your lordship, for I had before but one beggar to maintain, and now I have two", as the couple lived in a house in Westminster rented and furnished by her.[5]

Historian Ethna Byrne-Costigan describes Woffington as "more beautiful than her sister ... as vivacious as she was playful in her conversation. Lively, amusing, full of life, she succeeded in attracting people. Well fitted to fascinate those she moved among, she could be serious, grave, even austere when she judged such an attitude necessary to win a good opinion for herself. Above all she excelled in subtle flattery, not going out of her way to be complimentary, but it was quite natural, quite uncalculating. On every possible occasion when she was with friends she would praise the absent".[7] Woffington was quickly welcomed into high society, becoming close friends with Frances Burney and Samuel Johnson.[2][5] Through Johnson, she became associated with other members of The Club, including Oliver Goldsmith and Sir Joshua Reynolds; frequently dining at Reynolds's house, she was acquainted with "scholars, artists, bluestockings, and clergymen".[4][8] Woffington was popular in London drawing rooms for her "engaging personality and quick intelligence", as well as her connections in theatrical and intellectual circles, and she herself came to have a "modest salon".[9] A frequent subject of Walpole's letters, he squired her France and introduced her to Madame du Deffand, who in turn sponsored her in Parisian high society. After spending a year in France, she became disinterested in high society, preferring to be "in the company of artists, actors, and literary folk". She and Johnson maintained their close friendship until his death in 1784.[10]

According to Byrne-Costigan, her husband "adored her and treated her like a spoiled child".[5] After leaving the army, he declared himself a "man of peace" and became a priest in the Church of England.[4][5] Through his family, he was able to acquire two church livings in Hertfordshire, which allowed the couple to financially prosper.[4] In addition, he was also appointed to the lay office Auditor-General of the Revenues of America.[11] They were also able to acquire wealth through their family's wills. As Peg's designated heir, Woffington received the majority of her sister's property after her death in 1760. Through Walpole's will, she and her family received a total of ₤1,500, while Earl Cholmondeley – whose finances had partly recovered – made her sons residual legatees of some real estate in London in his will.[10]

Painting of Woffington and her family by Arthur Devis, c. 1750

Woffington and Cholmondeley had ten children together, though there are conflicting accounts of how many survived into adulthood. Byrne-Costigan states that nine of the ten "made splendid marriages",[5] while Philip H. Highfill and John Doran write that only four and five, respectively, survived past infancy.[10][12] Of these five, three died relatively young: one daughter, Henrietta Maria, died as a child sometime after 1760;[10] another daughter was killed in a carriage accident at Leatherhead in 1806 while serving as the lady-in-waiting for Crown Princess Caroline of Brunswick;[5][12] and their second son Robert Francis travelled to the East Indies in 1772 and died there on 29 April 1777.[10] Of the remaining two known children: their daughter Hester Frances married Sir William Bellingham, while their eldest son George James Cholmondeley was married three times; his fathers-in-law were John Pitt of Encombe, Sir Philip Francis, and the Viscount Sydney.[10]

Robert Cholmondeley died on 6 June 1804. Woffington died in England on 4 April 1811 following a long illness,[2][10] outliving her sister by 51 years.[5] In her will, she ensured that her son George was "amply provided for", and transferred all the property she received in her sister's will to her daughter Hester.[10]

Woffington is a character in the stage play Pretty Peggy, written in 1902 by Frances Aymar Mathews and based on the life of her sister.[13][14] Among the actresses who portrayed her were Lucile Gleason,[15] Mabel Van Buren,[16] Evelyn D'Alroy,[17] and Margaret Mayo.[18]