Mossop [q. v.] discharged him for giving political toasts while acting the part of Lovel in the farce of ‘High Life.’ The remainder of his life was spent in broils with theatrical managers and fellow-actors. Though a good actor he was inordinately vain, and had an unfortunate knack of irritating those with whom he came in contact. In the beginning of 1766 he proceeded to Edinburgh and appeared at the Canongate Music Hall, afterwards the Canongate Theatre Royal. Next year he was not re-engaged, but he was more appreciated by the public than by the management. A riot ensued in consequence on 24 Jan., and the theatre was wrecked. Stayley afterwards taught elocution, and died in obscurity before 1780.
Stayley published: 1. ‘The Court of Nassau,’ a comedy, Dublin, 1753, 4to. 2. ‘The Rival Theatres,’ a farce, Dublin, 1759, 12mo, a skit on the rivalry between Sheridan at Smock Alley and Barry and Woodward at Crow Street. 3. ‘The Chocolate Makers, or Mimickry Exposed,’ printed with the preceding. 4. ‘The Life and Opinions of an Actor,’ Dublin, 1762, 12mo, which contains also a number of short pieces in prose and verse. 5. ‘An Enquiry into the Natural Worth and Dignity of Man,’ Edinburgh, 1766, 12mo.
[Stayley's Life and Opinions of an Actor; Baker's Biogr. Dramatica, i. 683; Lowe's English Theatrical Literature, p. 321; Dibdin's Annals of the Edinburgh Stage, 1888, pp. 135–43; Hitchcock's History of the Irish Stage, 1788–94, passim; Jackson's History of the Scottish Stage, 1793, pp. 60–6.]
STAYLEY, WILLIAM (d. 1678), victim
of the popish plot. [See Staley.]
STAYNER, Sir RICHARD (d. 1662), admiral, described by Le Neve (Pedigrees of the Knights, p. 112) as ‘of Greenwich’—which may, however, only mean that he was living there in 1660—had probably served in a subordinate rank in the parliamentary navy during the civil war (Cal. State Papers, Dom. 21 Dec. 1653). On 22 June 1649 he was appointed commander of the Elizabeth prize, ‘now a State's ship,’ though a very small one, her principal armament being two sakers, that is, six-pounders. She was specially fitted out ‘for surprising small pickaroons that lurk among the sands’ on the Essex coast, and for convoy service in the North Sea. In August he captured the Robert, a small frigate, apparently one of Prince Rupert's vessels, for which and other good services he was awarded 20l. and 5l. for a gold medal (ib. 13 April 1650). In November 1652 he commanded the Mermaid, fitting out at Chatham; but seems to have been moved from her in January to command the Foresight, which was one of the fleet with Blake in the battle off Portland on 18 Feb. 1652–3. He was certainly with the fleet in the following April, when he signed the declaration of the sea-officers on the dissolution of the parliament by Cromwell, which was, in fact, a resolution ‘not to meddle with state affairs, but to keep foreigners from fooling us’ (cf. Gardiner, Hist. of the Commonwealth and Protectorate, ii. 218).
In the battle off the Gabbard on 2–3 June 1653, Stayner commanded the Foresight in the white squadron under the immediate command of Penn, and was afterwards sent into the river in convoy of twelve disabled ships, eleven Dutch prizes, with 1,350 prisoners, and the body of Admiral Richard Deane [q. v.], which he was ordered to take to Woolwich (Cal. State Papers, Dom. 9 June 1653). He rejoined the fleet in time to take part in the decisive battle of 29–31 July, and continued with it till the end of the season. In December he was strongly recommended by Monck for a larger ship, and in the following January was appointed to the Plymouth, in which during the spring, till the peace with the Dutch, he was employed in active cruising in the North Sea, during which he made several captures, including one rich East Indiaman. In July he was appointed by Blake to the Catherine, and in September sailed for the Mediterranean with Blake, returning to England with him in October 1655 [see Blake, Robert]. In the following February he was in command of the Bridgwater and sailed again with Blake for Cadiz, which was kept closely blockaded.
In September, when the generals with the greater part of the fleet went to Aveiro, Stayner, then in the Speaker, was left off Cadiz in command of a small squadron of some six or seven ships. On 8 Sept. he fell in with the Spanish treasure fleet which, having information from a prize that the English had left the coast, was pushing on for Cadiz in such perfect confidence that, it is said, the Spaniards supposed Stayner's ships to be fishing-vessels; yet three of Stayner's ships at least, the Speaker, Bridgwater, and Plymouth, were each of more than nine hundred tons. Nothing could be done that night, and the next morning several of Stayner's ships had fallen to leeward. He had only three with him, but these were the powerful ships just named; and as they were now within twelve miles of Cadiz, he judged that delay was unadvisable, and attacked the Spaniards about nine
