| Images | |
 The grave of Ada Cavendish (with the broken cross) at Kensal Green Cemetery, London. Picture by Androom (14 Aug 1997) |
 The grave of Ada Cavendish at Kensal Green Cemetery, London. Picture by Androom (26 Jun 2009) |
Cavendish, Ada |
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BORN 1847 - DIED 5 Oct 1895, London: thurloe Square GRAVE LOCATION London: Kensal Green Cemetery, Harrow Road, Kensal Green (085/2 (25502)) |
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Ada Cavendish studied for the stage under Fanny Stirling and Mrs. Walter Lacy. She debuted under the name of Selina Squeers on 31 Aug 1863 in "The Pirates of Putney" at the New Royalty Theatre, that was under management of the Misses Pelham at the time. In 1865 she played the leading part in "Pirithous, the son of Ixion" by F.C. Burnand and on 15 Feb 1866 she first performed at the Haymarket Theatre in "A Romantic Attachment". She played Juliet, Beatrice, Rosalind and many other roles in theatres in England. In 1872 she managed the Olympic theatre. She also played in the stage adaption of Wilkie Collins' stories, portraying Mercy Merrick in "New Magdalen" in 1873 and Miss Lydia Gwilt in the play of the same name in 1876. She became close friends with Collins. In 1878 she went to the United States, where she successfully played Mercy Merrick at the Broadway Theatre in New York. She toured the country and appeared in various parts in San Francisco, Chicago, St. Louis and other cities. She returned to England in 1881 and in In 1883 she appeared as Lady Clare before William Gladstone. This marked the end of her active acting career. In 1885 she married the dramatic author Frank Marshall (1840-1889), the son of William Marshall, MP for Carlisle and later East Cumberland. Frank Marshall published a scholarly Shakespeare edition. In 1894 she fell in the Serpentine lake in Hyde Park after her dog suddenly seized a stick that she held in her hands. She was seriously ill afterwards an she died in 1895. Like many other people at the time she was afraid of being buried alive. She left left instructions for her jugular vein to be severed before her burial. She was buried in Kensal Green Cemetery in London in 1895. According to some sources she was born in 1839 and to others in 1847. Her gravestone states that she died in het 49th year. If that is true than she was born in 1845 of 1846. Related persons • was a friend of Collins, Wilkie • was pupil of Stirling, Fanny Events |
| 15/4/1876 | First performance in London of Wilkie Collins' play "Miss Gwilt" at the Globe Theatre. Ada Cavendish played the title part and Mr Darch was played by A.W. Pinero. [Collins, Wilkie] |
| 5/6/1879 | Ada Cavendish plays Miss Gwilt in New York at Wallack's Theatre. "Miss Gwilt" was the stage adaption of Wilkie Collins' novel "Armadale". The play was produced for three weeks and didn't return after that. In London it had been staged for twelve weeks. [Collins, Wilkie] |
| 27/9/1889 | Wilkie Collins is buried at Kensal Green Cemetery. According to his wishes he was buried in a simple grave. Among those present were his niece Jane Ward, Holman-Hunt, Pigott, George Redford, Edmund Yates, Charles Dickens the Younger, Frank Beard, Caroline Graves, Ada Cavendish, Arthur Pinero, Squire Bancroft, Sebastian Schlesinger, Andrew Chatto, A.P. Watt, Hall Caine and Edmund Gosse. In 1895 Caroline Graves was buried in the same grave. [Bancroft, Squire ][Collins, Wilkie][Dickens, Charles Culliford Boz][Graves, Caroline Elizabeth][Hunt, William Holman][Schlesinger, Sebastian] |
| Images | |
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The grave of Ada Cavendish (with the broken cross) at Kensal Green Cemetery, London. Picture by Androom (14 Aug 1997) |
The grave of Ada Cavendish at Kensal Green Cemetery, London. Picture by Androom (26 Jun 2009) |
Sources • Peters, Catherine, The King of Inventors, A Life of Wilkie Collins, Seeker & Warburg, London, 1991 • Ada Cavendish - Wikipedia (EN) • Dictionary of National Biography - Wikisource, the free online library • ARMADALE |
