John Courtney (1804–1865) was a Victorian playwright, dramatic actor, and comedian. Courtney was the stage name of John Fuller. He wrote over 60 plays, including the popular dramas Time Tries All first performed in 1848, which attained great success around the UK and also in the US from the 1850s to at least the 1880s, and Eustice Baudin (1854), which attained even greater success in the USA through to at least the 1890s. He wrote the first theatrical adaptation of Charlotte Brontë's novel Jane Eyre (1848) which was rediscovered in 2009. One of his early acting performances was in 1829 as Colonel Freelove in The Day after the Wedding or A Wife's First Lesson adapted by Maria Theresa Kemble from the original French comedy.
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Life and work
John Courtney was born at St James’s, Westminster on 29 August 1804 as John Fuller but when he became an actor he wished to be known as John Courtney and this was the name he used throughout his life. His death certificate records him as "John Fuller otherwise Courtney" and his descendants have all been Courtneys. He worked as an actor on the London stage between 1829 and 1862. In 1848 Courtney wrote a stage adaptation of Jane Eyre titled Jane Eyre or The Secrets of Thornfield Manor, which was shown at the Victoria Theatre. In 1850 he was employed as a "stock author" for £2 per week by Mr Shepherd of the Surrey Theatre. In 1852 he received expenses for a visit to Paris for the sole purpose of spotting suitable plays for adaptation, for example Old Joe and Young Joe. According to The Era, the dramatic and music hall newspaper of the time:
he was originally intended for a commercial life, but his love for the Drama speedily changed the directions of his pursuits. For some years he was a light comedian at the Birmingham and other country Theatres, and in 1840 he was engaged by Mr Rouse at the Grecian Saloon. Though he never entirely gave up the Stage as a profession, having been a member of the Haymarket company up to the time of his decease, it will as an industrious playwright for the minor Theatres that his name will be most familiar to the public. For the Surrey and Victoria Theatres he wrote a considerable number of pieces, and his very interesting and original drama of Time Tries All, produced at the Olympic Theatre in 1849, remains one of the most popular products of his industrious pen.
He died on February 17, 1865, at Camberwell and is buried at Camberwell Old Cemetery, London.
Personal life
Courtney married Elizabeth Ann Norman (b. 1821), with whom he had several children: John Fuller Courtney (b. 1847), Albert Fuller Courtney (1851-1907), Rose Helena Courtney (b. 1857), Louise Marian Courtney (b. 1859), Emily Courtney (b. 1860), Clara Courtney (b. 1862), and Alice Courtney (b. 1863).
Stage performances
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John Courtney appeared on stage as Colonel Freelove in 1829 in the comedy The Day after the Wedding, or A Wife's First Lesson by Maria Theresa Kemble. He played Thames Darrell (1840) in Jack Sheppard a play by John Buckstone based on the novel of the same name by William Harrison Ainsworth first performed at the Adelphi Theatre in 1839. It was a historical romance and a Newgate novel based on the real life of the 18th-century criminal Jack Sheppard.
He played Julio in the William Macready production of Othello at the Italian Opera House, Paris in December 1844. He played Sir Agrovaine in The Three Perils of Man by James Hogg at the Surrey Theatre in 1852.
He played Gaylove in The Hunchback by James Sheridan Knowles at Windsor Castle attended by Queen Victoria and Lord Palmerston, Prime Minister on 11 January 1860. He also played this part at the performances at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket 13–15 February 1860. He played Captain Peppercoat in The Flying Dutchman and appeared in performances of Macbeth and the Corsicans.
Plays written by John Courtney
Notes
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Bounce or The Ojibbeway Indians or The American Indians co-written by J M Maddox
Aged Forty Thomas Hailes Lacy publisher
Taken by Surprise also performed at the Grecian Theatre and co-written by J M Maddox
Clarissa Harlowe also performed at the City of London Theatre Oct 1846 and the Surrey Theatre 1859. Adapted from the French play by Samuel Richardson. Thomas Hailes Lacy published and co-adapted
The Cook of Kennington or No Followers Allowed co-written by D W Osbaldiston
The Gunsmith of Orleans or The Dead Women's Secret book written by Eliza Sheridan published in 1847
Jane Eyre or The Secrets of Thornfield Manor was the first theatrical production (performed in 1848) of Charlotte Brontë's novel. It has been adapted and was performed at The Colour House Theatre, Merton Abbey Mills in Jun 2009
Rose Clinton or The Victim of Circumstantial Evidence also performed at The Old Vic 1849, City of London Theatre 1863. co-written by Arthur Williams
The Broken Home or The Artisan's Daughter also performed at the Soho Theatre 1859, City of London Theatre 1863 and co-written by Arthur Williams
The Road to Transportation co-written by Arthur Williams
Leah and Nathan or Leah, the Jewess of Constantina or The Arab's Sacrifice also performed at City of London Theatre Aug 1863. As The Jewess or The Council of Constance by Thomas Hailes Lacy performed at the Old Vic and Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in 1835