Benjamin Conquest

Benjamin Conquest (3 December 1803 - 5 July 1872), born Benjamin Oliver, was the manager of the Garrick and Grecian Theatres.

Early life and family

Conquest was born Benjamin Oliver 3 December 1803 and baptised on 8 January 1804 [1] He married Clarissa Ann Roxbey née Bennett on the 4th March 1863 [2] and their son was the playwright and manager George Augustus Conquest (1837-1901). George had three sons who were also active in the theatre, George Conquest (1858-1926), Fred Conquest (1871-1941) and Arthur Conquest (1875-1945).[3]

Career

The Eagle Tavern in 1841.

Conquest was the manager of the Garrick Theatre in Leman Street, London. Following the retirement of Thomas Rouse in 1851, he became the proprietor of the Grecian Theatre and Eagle Tavern in the City Road, Hackney, London.[1][4] The theatre had previously produced light opera and was originally a music hall, but Conquest switched to Shakespeare which was unsuccessful.

He then tried melodrama which was more popular and he produced over 100 such shows written by his son George, often adapted from French productions. George was also an acrobat and pantomimist and produced nearly 50 pantomimes in collaboration with Henry Spry.

The theatre was rebuilt in 1858.[3]

Death

Conquest died at his home in the New North Road, London, on 5 July 1872, aged 68.[1][5] He is buried at Kensal Green Cemetery in London.[6] George Augustus Conquest inherited the Grecian Theatre.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c "DEATH OF MR. BENJAMIN CONQUEST", East London Observer, 13 July 1872, p. 5. British Newspaper Archive. Retrieved 10 September 2015. (subscription required)
  2. ^ Entry for Benjamin Oliver and Clarissa Ann Roseby East Sussex, England, Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754-1936, Brighton, 1863, no. 180. Ancestry.com. Retrieved 9 March 2025. (subscription required)
  3. ^ a b c "Conquest family" in Jonathan Law, ed. (2011). The Methuen Drama Dictionary of the Theatre. London: Bloomsbury. p. 124. ISBN 978-1-4081-3148-0.
  4. ^ Eagle Tavern/Grecian Theatre, City Road: Playbills and illustrations. Archived 2015-06-27 at the Wayback Machine Bishopsgate Institute. Retrieved 12 September 2015.
  5. ^ "Benjamin Oliver", England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1966, 1872, p. 17. Ancestry.com. Retrieved 9 March 2025. (subscription required)
  6. ^ Paths of Glory, The Friends of Kensal Green Cemetery, London, 1997.
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