John Kane (actor)
Encyclopedia
John Kane was an 18th-century actor and comedian of considerable distinction who met with an untimely death in 1799, involving a poisonous plant, perhaps hemlock
(the philosopher Socrates
being the most famous victim of such a death) or Aconitum
.
Like the majority of his profession at the time, he moved around the country performing and spent a lot of his time in England. It was while fulfilling an engagement at the Opera House
in Buxton that he died.
According to popular folklore Kane had a hearty appetite and was particularly partial to roast beef with horseradish sauce. Unfortunately, on that December night in 1799 in Buxton, whoever prepared the dish for Kane had made a grave error: Instead of picking wild horseradish the cook had mistakenly gathered Conium maculatum (the European species of hemlock).
The result was the actor's own Greek tragedy; he is said to have suffered an agonizing death accompanied by the sort of dramatic contortions which fully befitted a leading actor's final exit.
His grave can be seen at the rear of St. Anne’s churchyard in Buxton. Because of his fame during his lifetime and the unusual tale of his having literally 'eaten himself to death', the gravestone has become a listed monument.
His grave is listed on Grave Matters, a project which aims to record the location of unusual or 'celebrity' graves in Derbyshire.
Conium
Conium is a genus of two species of highly poisonous perennial herbaceous flowering plants in the family Apiaceae, native to Europe and the Mediterranean region as Conium maculatum, and to southern Africa as Conium chaerophylloides....
(the philosopher Socrates
Socrates
Socrates was a classical Greek Athenian philosopher. Credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy, he is an enigmatic figure known chiefly through the accounts of later classical writers, especially the writings of his students Plato and Xenophon, and the plays of his contemporary ...
being the most famous victim of such a death) or Aconitum
Aconitum
Aconitum , known as aconite, monkshood, wolfsbane, leopard's bane, women's bane, Devil's helmet or blue rocket, is a genus of over 250 species of flowering plants belonging to the buttercup family .-Overview:These herbaceous perennial plants are chiefly natives of the mountainous parts of the...
.
Like the majority of his profession at the time, he moved around the country performing and spent a lot of his time in England. It was while fulfilling an engagement at the Opera House
Buxton Opera House
Buxton Opera House is in The Square, Buxton, Derbyshire, England. It is a 902-seat opera house that hosts the annual Buxton Festival and International Gilbert and Sullivan Festival, among others, as well as pantomime at Christmas, musicals and other entertainments year-round. Hosting live...
in Buxton that he died.
According to popular folklore Kane had a hearty appetite and was particularly partial to roast beef with horseradish sauce. Unfortunately, on that December night in 1799 in Buxton, whoever prepared the dish for Kane had made a grave error: Instead of picking wild horseradish the cook had mistakenly gathered Conium maculatum (the European species of hemlock).
The result was the actor's own Greek tragedy; he is said to have suffered an agonizing death accompanied by the sort of dramatic contortions which fully befitted a leading actor's final exit.
His grave can be seen at the rear of St. Anne’s churchyard in Buxton. Because of his fame during his lifetime and the unusual tale of his having literally 'eaten himself to death', the gravestone has become a listed monument.
His grave is listed on Grave Matters, a project which aims to record the location of unusual or 'celebrity' graves in Derbyshire.