Spranger Barry Silversmith and Actor.
Being tall, possessing good looks and having a fine, powerful voice, Spranger Barry was considered by some to be the finest Shakespearian actor of the eighteenth century, and by others at least, to be a formidable rival of the great David Garrick.
Spranger Barry was born on the 23rd November 1719. He was the son of the silversmith William Barry who was Warden to the Dublin Goldsmiths Company in 1715-18 and Master 1718-19, 1719-20 and 1733-34 and had his workshop in Skinner Row, Dublin.
The young Spranger Barry (the unusual name Spranger was his paternal grandmother maiden name) was groomed to take over the business and worked there until 1743, when he took his first chance to tread the boards, and from that day he never looked back.
Prior to this amazing change of career, mention can be found of him in Jacksons, on page 698, Goldsmiths for whom plate was assayed at Dublin, the entrant being: Spranger or Will. Barry. The timeframe for this entry is 1729-33. Is it possible that Spranger submitted his work at such a young age (assuming he was the later age of fourteen)? The fact that the Dublin Assay Office entry describes the silversmith as 'Spranger or Will.' would suggest that at the very least he was involved in the manufacture of the items submitted. It is unlikely but not impossible as he was brought up in this industry; it is more likely, however, to have been his father's work and the submission of work for assay all part of William's desire to involve Spranger into the ways of the trade. This would be an involvement that would last for another ten years until the opportunity presented itself to pursue the vocation that he truly desired.
Spranger career as a thespian is well documented, there is no need to repeat his life on stage here, except to say that he left Dublin for London in 1746 and was an immediate success at Drury Lane and became a favourite of Frederick, Prince of Wales. He returned to Ireland in 1758 and built theatres in Dublin in 1759 and Cork in 1761, but his success as an actor was not matched by his ability to be a theatre manager and he returned to London in 1767 leaving a trail of bad debts behind him.
His return to the London stage was a success, this time at Covent Garden under the management of David Garrick. He continued there until his death on the 10th January 1777. As a testament of his life he was laid to rest in Westminster Abbey.
Trev.
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Spranger Barry Silversmith and Actor
Spranger Barry Silversmith and Actor
Last edited by dognose on Tue Mar 16, 2010 5:56 pm, edited 2 times in total.
