Author: Harley, George Davies
Biography:
HARLEY, George Davies (c. 1762-1811: findmypast.com)
His age at death was recorded as 49, which indicates a birthdate of about 1762. His name at birth was George Davies but he added “Harley” when he went on the stage; he was known and buried as “Harley.” He is first recorded working as an insurance clerk in London—very probably his birthplace—where he encountered the Covent Garden actor John Henderson (q.v.) and followed him in choosing a theatrical career. In 1785 he joined the company of the Theatre Royal in Norwich, where he was given leading roles from the start. In 1789 he accepted a place at Covent Garden Theatre, where he continued to play Richard III and Lear as well as major villains such as Shylock and Iago, but as time passed his reputation faded and after 1793 he took less important roles. He had maintained contacts in the provincial theatre circuit and was able to move in 1796 to Bath and Bristol and later to Birmingham, Manchester, and other cities. On 14 Mar. 1788, while still a member of the Norwich company, he had married Susanna Hargrave Griffith at St. Mary the Virgin, Chelmsford. There has been some confusion about this marriage, the name of the bride being sometimes given as Elizabeth, but newspaper announcements of the time are quite clear. They had at least three children, two of them named George because one of them died in infancy. He died in Leicester on 28 Oct. 1811 and was buried there on 1 Nov. either at St. Peter’s, Belgrave (where he is identified as “George Davies Hartley” [sic] and “a Comedian”) or at St. Martin’s (as “George Davis Harley”). His widow Susanna inherited all his property. The brief obituary in GM describes him as “a comedian of much provincial celebrity.” (Highfill 7: 105-9; findmypast.com 2 Feb. 2022; Essex Record Office; Bury and Norwich Post 19 Mar. 1788; Ipswich Journal 15 Mar. 1788; contributions from AA) HJ
Other Names:
- G. D. Harley