Adeline Billington Explained

Adeline Billington
Birth Name:	Adeline Mortimer
Other Names:	Mrs. John Billington
Birth Date:	3 January 1826
Death Place:	London, England
Nationality:	British
Spouse:	John Billington

Adeline Billington (3 January 1826 – 23 January 1917), was an English actress and teacher.^[1]

Biography

Adeline Mortimer was born 3 January 1826, in England.^[2] She married John Billington, a fellow actor.^{[3] [4]} Billington made her London debut in Cupid and Psyche at the Adelphi Theatre.^[2] She worked in that theatre for 16 years. She often worked with her husband.^[5] Billington was popular with Charles Dickens for several of her performances in the theatrical performances of his works.^[6] Billington was friends with Vaughan Williams as well.^{[7] [8]} Billington also worked as an acting teacher, knowns as "Mother of the stage".^{[9] [10]}

She died in London on 23 January 1917 and was buried with her husband in Highgate Cemetery.^{[2] [11]} The grave, which is unmarked, is immediately behind the grave of the comedian George Honey.

Notes and References

1. News: Sixty Years an Actress. . . 13 August 1908 . 6 . 2023-10-18 . Trove.
2. News: Obituary . . 24 January 1917 . 11 . 2023-10-18 . Trove.
3. Mr. John Billington. . . Melbourne . 6 June 1890 . 5 . 2023-10-18 . Trove.
4. News: John Billington, Actor . Papers Past . 21 . 2636 . 61 . . 21 September 1904 . 2023-10-18.
5. Book: Wearing . J. P. . The London Stage 1900-1909: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel . 5 December 2013 . Scarecrow Press . 978-0-8108-9294-1 . en.
6. Book: Dickens . Charles . The British Academy/The Pilgrim Edition of the Letters of Charles Dickens: Volume 12: 1868-1870 . 14 March 2002 . Clarendon Press . 978-0-19-159027-6 . en.
7. Book: Savage . Roger . Masques, Mayings and Music-dramas: Vaughan Williams and the Early Twentieth-century Stage . 2014 . Boydell & Brewer Ltd . 978-1-84383-919-4 . en.
8. Web site: Transcript of The Plimsoll Sensation podcast . National Museums Liverpool . en.
9. Book: Heim . Caroline . Audience as Performer: The changing role of theatre audiences in the twenty-first century . 30 July 2015 . Routledge . 978-1-317-63354-9 . en.
10. News: 'Mother of the Stage.' . . Brisbane . 17 April 1917 . 3 . 2023-10-18 . Trove.
11. Web site: Mrs John Billiington . The Times Archive . 25 September 2024.