1727 - 1793 (65 years)
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| Name |
GRIFFITH, Elizabeth |
- Maiden name and married name both GRIFFITH
|
| Born |
11 Oct 1727 |
Glamorgan, Glamorganshire, Wales  |
| Gender |
Female |
| Died |
5 Jan 1793 |
Millicent House, Kildare, Ireland |
| Association |
GRIFFITH, Richard (Relationship: Husband) |
| Person ID |
I0003 |
Casey Family Tree | Cooper |
| Last Modified |
13 Apr 2013 |
| Family |
GRIFFITH, Richard, b. 17 Mar 1714, Maiden Hall, Kilkenny, Ireland , d. 1788 (Age 73 years) |
| Married |
1751 |
| Children |
|
| Last Modified |
30 Dec 2012 |
| Family ID |
F5 |
Group Sheet |
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| Notes |
- Actress & playwight - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Griffith
Elizabeth was married in secret to Richard Griffith (no relation). Richard's parents did not approve of the match, as they had wished their son to marry a wealthy woman, and Richard attempted to take Elizabeth as his mistress. She refused, holding out for marriage. After the clandestine wedding, Elizabeth left the theatre (though there are reports that she took on minor roles in later years for purposes of income), and gave birth to two children, Catherine and Richard.
Her husband travelled once the couple had married, and was absent for extended periods. The marriage was rumoured to have been deeply troubled, with Richard taking a mistress for a period during the marriage; Elizabeths increasing celebrity was also cause for conflict and separations between the two, as Richard's own career floundered. He had borrowed a large sum of money to develop a linen business, which went bankrupt in 1756. During this time, and while Richard was avoiding debtor?s court, income generated by Elizabeth's writing sustained the family, and eventually she opted to move alone to London (leaving the children in the care of her mother) to earn more money producing her plays.
Though Griffith?s first plays were deeply critical of the treatment of women, her work underwent a shift soon after her move to London. Griffith found herself attacked by London critics, and she was seen as audacious for demanding respect for women. The need to earn money to support her husband and children led her to conform to contemporary sexual stereotypes; she could not afford to challenge expected norms if it meant losing audiences and pounds. She never fully lost her focus on women?s issues, and her female characters are always the moral superiors of their male counterparts.
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Maintained by Nicky Casey
http://casey.net.nz/tree
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