Celebrated young actor takes leading role in Stafford

The Young Roscius (William Henry West Betty, 1791-1874) was a celebrated young Shakespearean actor who first took English and Scottish theatres by storm in 1804.

He was one of a number of children who were put on the stage by their parents in the early years of the 19th century.

The word 'Roscius' is an allusion to a Roman actor; Quintus Roscius Gallus who was known for his great skill.

Child actor Master Betty (c) Yale Center for British Art and Paul Mellon Fund

...his talents were considered a serious threat to the greatest Shakespearean actors of the day, such as John Philip Kemble.

Betty was probably the most famous 'young Roscius'.

From his first appearance aged 11 in 1804 in London, audiences were enthralled.

At one point he was so in demand that he appeared at both Covent Garden and Drury Lane theatres on succeeding evenings.

Master Betty performed in whole plays where the rest of the cast were adults.

His best-known Shakespeare roles were Romeo and Hamlet, and his talents were considered a serious threat to the greatest Shakespearean actors of the day, such as John Philip Kemble.

In fact, a hand coloured etching by Thomas Rowlandson, in the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Theatre collection, shows the child prodigy leap-frogging over the more mature Shakespearean actor.

In Shakespeare’s day, players of adult actors also faced a challenge from young actors.

From the 1570s, theatrical troupes in which all the performers were boys, competed for audiences.

These included companies like The Children of Paul’s.

Shakespeare mentions this trend in Hamlet, when 'tragedians of the city' are forced to go on tour because of the popularity of children on stage.

This 1807 Hamlet, with the sixteen year old William Betty in the lead role, would have been a popular draw for the people of Stafford.