A History Of Liverpool Thespians - John E. Owens

One of the earliest actors and comedians to originate from Liverpool would be John Edward (or Edmund) Owens who was born in Aigburth, Liverpool on the 2nd of April 1823 to Owen Griffith and Mary Anderton Owens. However the family left for the USA in 1828 when he was 5 years old to join relatives who were already established in Philadelphia where he would begin his stage career at the age of 18 years.

His portrayal of  Solon Shingle

J.E. Owens

Owens was also a popular comedian whose regular repertory included about fifty parts and who earned a fortune. His Solon Shingle in J.S.Jones' 'The Peoples Lawyer' (1864) was famous both in the United States and in England and among his other favourite characters were Dr. Pangloss, in George Coleman the Younger's, 'The Heir At Law', and as Caleb Plummer in stage adaptations of the Charles Dickens novella, 'The Cricket on the Hearth'. He was noted for a quiet, natural style of acting and played the old man, Elbert Rogers, in Esmeralda, in which he last appeared in New York. He was both a humorist and comedian and when describing the conduct of a bee in an empty molasses barrel, once threw a circle of his hearers almost into convulsions of laughter. As an actor he was in a class of his own with his characterisations being gleaned from the many people he observed during his extensive touring of England and the United States.

In February 1853, now also successful producer of theatrical plays, he bought a 198 acre farm in Townsontown, six and a half miles from Baltimore City. He changed the name of this estate to 'Aigburth Vale,' after his ancestral town in England as he had always vowed to do. The farm with added acreage soon became one of the most magnificent estates in Baltimore County and by 1877, expanded to now nearly 300 acres, he used it for entertaining fellow actors and managers each year during the summer. He returned to England to perform in London and Liverpool in 1865 at the Prince of Wales theatre. The Liverpool Mail reported his success in London over a 'bad comedy' and hoped the mediocre quality of the supporting company in Liverpool would not hinder him. During his time he had been a company member, sometimes a 'star' and sometimes a manager and had distinguished himself as versatile thaetrical artist who was able to amass a considerable fortune during a critical period in American history. In May 1885 whilst on a steamer voyage to New York with his wife he became seriously ill with dyspepsia and sea-sickness. Upon returning to Baltinore he grew worse and was wrongly diagnosed with incurable stomach cancer. He did recover but relapsed and in December 1886 he collapsed with a stomach hemorrhage and died at his home, Aigburth Vale, near Townson, Maryland ten miles north of Baltimore, on the 7th of December 1886.

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