Author: Hull, Thomas
Biography:
HULL, Thomas (1728-1808: ODNB)
He was the son of Richard Hull, an apothecary with premises in the Strand, London, and his wife Anna Maria Lancaster. Hull studied at Charterhouse School where he developed his interest in writing and acting in plays, and he later chose to pursue a career in the theatre. In the early to mid 1750s he acted in Thomas Sheridan’s Smock Alley theatre in Dublin before joining a theatrical company at Bath (1754-58). The Bath engagement ended in a disagreement with the theatre manager and Hull went to London where he worked at Covent Garden and provincial theatres. No record has been located but by Apr. 1766 he had married a dancer and actor, Anna Maria Morrison; they had at least one child. He stayed at Covent Garden, served as acting manager 1775-81, and was successful as an actor and playwright. All his plays are either loosely based on others or close adaptations. Other publications include A Collection of Poems and Translations (1758?) and Genuine Letters from a Gentleman to a Young Lady his Pupil (1772); a novel, The History of Sir William Harrington (1771), is sometimes attributed to him. He helped to establish the Covent Garden Theatrical Fund to provide pensions for retired or ill actors. Anna Maria Hull died on 23 Oct. 1805 and on his death at home near Dean's Yard, Westminster, on 22 Apr. 1808 Hull was buried with her in the churchyard of St. Margaret’s, Westminster. (ODNB 17 Mar. 2021; ancestry.co.uk 17 Mar. 2021; Highfill) SR
Other Names:
- Mr. [Thomas] Hull