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Bertie Bertie Greatheed by John Jackson in 1821

Bertie Greatheed (1759-1826). Portrait by John Jackson (1778-1831), 1821. Courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Bertie Greatheed (19 October 1759 - 16 January 1826) was an English poet and playwright.[1]

Life[]

Greatheed was the son of Samuel Greatheed (1710-1765) of Guy's Cliffe, near Warwick, by his wife Lady Mary Bertie, daughter of Peregrine, second duke of Ancaster.[1]

When residing in Florence he became a member of the society called 'Gli Oziosi' and a contributor to their privately printed collection of fugitive pieces entitled The Arno Miscellany, 8vo, Florence, 1784. The following year he contributed to The Florence Miscellany, 8vo, Florence, 1785, a collection of poems by the 'Della Cruscans,' for which he was termed by Gifford the Reuben of that school in the Baviad and Mæviad.[1]

A blank verse tragedy by him called The Regent was brought out at Drury Lane Theatre on 1 April 1788, but, though supported by John Kemble and Mrs. Siddons, was withdrawn after 9 nights.[2] The epilogue was furnished by Mrs. Piozzi. The author afterwards published it with a dedication to Mrs. Siddons, who had once been an attendant upon his mother, and was his frequent guest at Guy's Cliffe. The play is less foolish than might be supposed; though Manuel, the hero, requests Gomez to 'go to the puddled market-place, and there dissect his heart upon the public shambles.'[1]

Greatheed died at Guy's Cliffe aged 66.[3]

His only son, also named Bertie Greatheed, who died at Vicenza in Italy on 8 Oct. 1804, aged 23,[4] was an amateur artist of some talent. The younger Greatheed had married in France, and his only daughter became, on 20 March 1823, the wife of Lord Charles Percy, son of the Earl of Beverley.[1]

Publications[]

Play[]

  • The Regent: A tragedy. London: J. Robson / W. Clarke, 1788.

Journal[]

  • An Englishman in Paris, 1803: The journal of Bertie Greatheed (edited by J.P.T. Bury & J.C. Barry). London: Geoffrey Bles, 1953.

Anthologized[]

  • The Arno Miscellany. Florence, Italy: privately published, printed in Stamperia Bonducciana, 1784.
  • The Florence Miscellany. Florence, Italy: Gaetano Cambiagi, 1785.


Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.[5]

See also[]

References[]

  • PD-icon Goodwin, Gordon (1890) "Greatheed, Bertie" in Stephen, Leslie; Lee, Sidney Dictionary of National Biography 23 London: Smith, Elder, p. 32 . Wikisource, Web, June 30, 2016.

Notes[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Goodwin, 32.
  2. Genest, Hist. of the Stage, vi. 477-478
  3. Gentlemans Magazine 1826, pt. i. pp. 367-368
  4. Gentlemans Magazine 1804, pt. ii. pp. 1073, 1236.
  5. Search results = au:Bertie Greatheed, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, July 2, 2016.

External links[]

Poems
Books
About

PD-icon This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain, the Dictionary of National Biography (edited by Leslie Stephen). London: Smith, Elder, 1885-1900. Original article is at: Greatheed, Bertie

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