Benjamin Plim Bellamy
Encyclopedia
Benjamin Plim Bellamy was an English actor.
He was baptised at St. Mary Magdalene, Bridgnorth
, Shropshire
on 27 September 1782, son of William and Ann Bellamy. For some 30 years was a favourite actor
on the Norwich
circuit. In 1810 the Suffolk Chronicle hired a corrosive new critic, up to which time the Norwich Company had been used to receiving a favourable press. For the summer season 1810 the ‘Ipswich Theatre’ was showing ‘She Stoops to Conquer
’ and the Chronicle reported ‘The performance possessed all the worst defects of a provincial exhibition’ and actor Fred. Vining was rapped for his ‘schoolboy recitation’ with the managers accused of having dredged up a miserable orchestra
. Worse followed when the Chronicle sent the reporter to every following show and the reviews became more critical. After an uneasy truce Bellamy, who was playing Polonius
in Hamlet
in 1813, when the Chronicle reported ‘We never saw a viler Polonius than Bellamy’s’ to which he replied with a pamphlet A Plain Letter to the Dramatic Censor of The Suffolk Chronicle (Ipswich 1814). By this time relations between the Company and the newspaper had further deteriorated. The critic was identified as Thomas Harral and after an uproar at the play ‘The Maid of the Mill’, Harral, on leaving the theatre, was attacked in Tankard [Tacket] Street, Ipswich
by Vining and his friends, when his coat was ripped from his back and he narrowly escaped a ducking. His critical spleen unsettled some of the actors and in May 1815 Vining left for Covent Garden
and Bellamy followed shortly afterwards but returned as manager of the Norwich circuit three years later. In 1819 Bellamy took over the editorship of the Bury Post but in 1823 he resumed his original career at Bath where in 1827 he became manager of the Theatre but he resigned soon afterwards on becoming lessee of the Bath Assembly Rooms
. He married at Scarborough, North Yorkshire on 12 October 1806 Elizabeth Walker and died at Bath on 30 September 1847, aged 65.
He was baptised at St. Mary Magdalene, Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth is a town in Shropshire, England, along the Severn Valley. It is split into Low Town and High Town, named on account of their elevations relative to the River Severn, which separates the upper town on the right bank from the lower on the left...
, Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
on 27 September 1782, son of William and Ann Bellamy. For some 30 years was a favourite actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
on the Norwich
Norwich
Norwich is a city in England. It is the regional administrative centre and county town of Norfolk. During the 11th century, Norwich was the largest city in England after London, and one of the most important places in the kingdom...
circuit. In 1810 the Suffolk Chronicle hired a corrosive new critic, up to which time the Norwich Company had been used to receiving a favourable press. For the summer season 1810 the ‘Ipswich Theatre’ was showing ‘She Stoops to Conquer
She Stoops to Conquer
She Stoops to Conquer is a comedy by the Irish author Oliver Goldsmith, son of an Anglo-Irish vicar, first performed in London in 1773. The play is a great favourite for study by English literature and theatre classes in Britain and the United States. It is one of the few plays from the 18th...
’ and the Chronicle reported ‘The performance possessed all the worst defects of a provincial exhibition’ and actor Fred. Vining was rapped for his ‘schoolboy recitation’ with the managers accused of having dredged up a miserable orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
. Worse followed when the Chronicle sent the reporter to every following show and the reviews became more critical. After an uneasy truce Bellamy, who was playing Polonius
Polonius
Polonius is a character in William Shakespeare's Hamlet. He is King Claudius's chief counsellor, and the father of Ophelia and Laertes. Polonius connives with Claudius to spy on Hamlet...
in Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
in 1813, when the Chronicle reported ‘We never saw a viler Polonius than Bellamy’s’ to which he replied with a pamphlet A Plain Letter to the Dramatic Censor of The Suffolk Chronicle (Ipswich 1814). By this time relations between the Company and the newspaper had further deteriorated. The critic was identified as Thomas Harral and after an uproar at the play ‘The Maid of the Mill’, Harral, on leaving the theatre, was attacked in Tankard [Tacket] Street, Ipswich
Ipswich
Ipswich is a large town and a non-metropolitan district. It is the county town of Suffolk, England. Ipswich is located on the estuary of the River Orwell...
by Vining and his friends, when his coat was ripped from his back and he narrowly escaped a ducking. His critical spleen unsettled some of the actors and in May 1815 Vining left for Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
and Bellamy followed shortly afterwards but returned as manager of the Norwich circuit three years later. In 1819 Bellamy took over the editorship of the Bury Post but in 1823 he resumed his original career at Bath where in 1827 he became manager of the Theatre but he resigned soon afterwards on becoming lessee of the Bath Assembly Rooms
Bath Assembly Rooms
The Bath Assembly Rooms, designed by John Wood the Younger in 1769, are a set of elegant assembly rooms located in the heart of the World Heritage City of Bath in England which are now open to the public as a visitor attraction...
. He married at Scarborough, North Yorkshire on 12 October 1806 Elizabeth Walker and died at Bath on 30 September 1847, aged 65.