Author: Reynolds, Frederick
Biography:
REYNOLDS, Frederick (1764-1841: ODNB)
He was born in Lime Street, London, to John Reynolds, a prosperous attorney who owned an estate in Kent and a Dominican sugar plantation, and his wife Elizabeth West. He was educated at a school in Walthamstow before entering Westminster School in Jan. 1776. He worked in his father’s office and was admitted to the Middle Temple in 1782. However, he had been introduced to the theatre while at school and this was his first love. He began by writing two tragedies which proved unprofitable so he switched to comedy and became one of the most prolific writers of his time. In his later years he also helped with the management of theatres, including Covent Garden and Drury Lane. He married Elizabeth Mansel, an actor, on 16 Mar. 1799; they had three sons but just two survived to adulthood. Frederick Mansel Reynolds, their eldest son, was editor of The Keepsake. Reynolds was financially successful and owned property in London and at Woodham Walter, Essex. He died at home on Warren Street, Fitzroy Square, on 16 Apr. 1841 and was buried in Kensal Green cemetery. Aside from his numerous plays, he also wrote a novel, A Playwright’s Adventures (1831). He is best remembered now for his two-volume The Life and Times of Frederick Reynolds (1826). (ODNB 13 Oct. 2021; ancestry.co.uk 13 Oct. 2021; The Life and Times of Frederick Reynolds [1826]; Weekly Chronicle 25 Apr. 1841)
Other Names:
- F. Reynolds