Margaret Hughes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Margaret Hughes
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Portrait by Sir Peter Lely, 1672
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| Born | 29 May 1630 |
| Died | 1 October 1719 (aged 89) Eltham, Kent, England
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| Occupation | Actress |
| Partner(s) | Prince Rupert of the Rhine |
| Children | 2 |
Margaret Hughes (born May 29, 1630 – died October 1, 1719), also known as Peg Hughes, was an English actress. Many people believe she was the very first professional actress on the English stage. This is because of her performance on December 8, 1660. Margaret Hughes was a close companion of Prince Rupert of the Rhine, a famous general from the English Civil War.
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Women on the English Stage
Margaret Hughes became an actress during a time of big changes for English theater. Plays had been stopped during the English Civil War and a period called the Interregnum. The Puritan Parliament had banned them in 1642.
This ban was finally lifted when King Charles II returned to power in England. King Charles loved the theater. He quickly gave special permission to two men, Sir Thomas Killigrew and Sir William Davenant, to start new theater companies.
Before this time, during the Renaissance, women did not act on stage. Instead, male actors played all the female roles. King Charles II decided this needed to change. In 1662, he issued a royal order saying that only women should play female roles.
Killigrew and Davenant started hiring women almost right away. Once women began acting professionally in the early 1660s, audiences quickly accepted them. Killigrew even put on a play called The Parson's Wedding in 1664 and again in 1672, where all the actors were women.
The First Actress?
Margaret Hughes was 30 years old when she made theater history. On December 8, 1660, she became the first woman known to perform on an English stage. She played the role of Desdemona in William Shakespeare's play Othello. This play was put on by Thomas Killigrew's new King's Company at their Vere Street theater.
Some historians think that Anne Marshall might have been the first actress. However, many studies of early records, especially those from John Downes, support Margaret Hughes' claim.
Margaret Hughes' Life Story
Margaret Hughes was known for her charm as an actress. A famous diarist named Samuel Pepys called her "a mighty pretty woman." People said she was "a great beauty, with dark ringletted hair, a fine figure, and particularly good legs."
Pepys also suggested she was a companion of Sir Charles Sedley, a well-known writer, in the 1660s. She was also reportedly involved with King Charles II himself for a short time. It is believed that Margaret Hughes had a son named Arthur, but there is no definite proof.
Her Relationship with Prince Rupert
Most famously, Margaret Hughes became the companion of Prince Rupert of the Rhine. Prince Rupert fell in love with her in the late 1660s. Margaret seemed to take her time before agreeing to a relationship. She likely wanted to make sure she would be well taken care of.
Prince Rupert was a very important member of the royal family. Because of his support, Margaret quickly gained a higher status. By 1669, she became a member of the King's Company. This gave her special status and protected her from being arrested for debts. She was also painted four times by Sir Peter Lely, who was the most important court artist at the time.
Even though he was encouraged to, Prince Rupert did not officially marry Margaret Hughes. However, he recognized their daughter, Ruperta, who was born in 1673. Margaret lived a fancy lifestyle in the 1670s. She enjoyed playing games and wearing jewels. Rupert gave her jewelry worth at least £20,000 during their time together. This included some items from the royal collection of the Electoral Palatinate.
The two seemed very close. Prince Rupert's older brother, Charles Louis, once asked Rupert if he would go back to his home country and marry someone suitable. But Rupert said no. Margaret continued to act even after Ruperta was born. She returned to the stage in 1676 with the famous Duke's Company at the Dorset Garden Theatre in London. The next year, Rupert set up Margaret in a "grand building" in Hammersmith. He bought it for £25,000.
Life After Prince Rupert
Prince Rupert died in 1682. He left most of his money, about £12,000, equally to Margaret Hughes and Ruperta. Margaret faced challenges after Rupert's death without his support. She had to sell some valuable items that Rupert had given her. For example, earrings from Elizabeth of Bohemia were sold to the Duchess of Marlborough. A pearl necklace given by Rupert's father to Margaret was sold to another actress, Nell Gwyn.
Margaret sold the house in Hammersmith to two London merchants. Eventually, it was bought by the Margrave of Brandenburg-Anspach and became known as Brandenburg House. Margaret's daughter, Ruperta, later married Emanuel Scrope Howe, who became a Member of Parliament and an English general.
Margaret Hughes died in 1719.
Margaret Hughes' Acting Roles
Margaret Hughes definitely played Desdemona in a performance of Othello that Samuel Pepys saw on February 6, 1669. She also played:
- St Catherine in John Dryden's Tyrannick Love
- Panura in John Fletcher's The Island Princess.
She probably played:
- Theodocia in Dryden's An Evening's Love
- Angellina in James Shirley's The Sisters.
Margaret Hughes left the stage to be with Prince Rupert in 1669 or 1670. In 1676, she came out of retirement for one busy year with the Duke's Company. For that company, she played:
- Octavia in Edward Ravenscroft's The Wrangling Lovers
- Gerana in Elkanah Settle's Pastor Fido
- Mirva in Elkanah Settle's Ibrahim
- Mrs Moneylove in Thomas Rawlins's Tom Essence
- Charmion in Sir Charles Sedley's Antony and Cleopatra
- Valeria in Aphra Behn's The Rover
- Leonora in Thomas Porter's The French Conjuror
- Cordelia in Thomas d'Urfey's A Fond Husband
