Wilson Barrett Company
This collection includes photographs, posters, programmes and scripts.
William Henry Barrett, actor and playwright, was born on 18 February 1846 at Manor House Farm, Chelmsford, Essex, the second child and eldest son of George Barrett, a farmer, and his wife, Charlotte Mary, née Wood. He began his professional stage career as a ‘general utility’ actor at the Theatre Royal, Halifax, in 1864. After a series of temporary engagements at Nottingham and Liverpool he joined the company in Aberdeen, where he met Caroline Heath. She was an experienced performer and, despite her family's objections to the fact that she was more than ten years older than Barrett, they were married on 21 July 1866.
To begin with, this company (which was founded in 1938) was based in London, although its tours included venues in Scotland. Following the bombing of their London base during the war, however, they moved north and made their headquarters in Edinburgh. They played in Edinburgh and Glasgow and occasionally in Aberdeen. It was a useful training ground for Scottish actors including Walter Carr and Edith Macarthur. The company was active until 1955.
See also the James Inglis & Menie Jamieson collections for photographic records of the company.
How to find material relating to the Wilson Barrett Company
- Browse through documents or events associated with the Wilson Barrett Company or use the Name Search option theScottish Theatre Archive Search
