Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900/Yates, Frederick Henry
YATES, FREDERICK HENRY (1797–1842), actor, the youngest son of Thomas Yates, a tobacco manufacturer, of Thames Street and Russell Square, London, was born on 4 Feb. 1797. He was educated at a preparatory school at Winchmore Hill, near Enfield, where he met John Reeve [q. v.], his subsequent associate, and at the Charterhouse under Drs. Raine and Russell. He obtained a berth in the commissariat department, was with Wellington in the Peninsula, and, it is said, though this is doubtful, at Waterloo. After the peace he went to a fancy ball in the character of Somno, a part played by the elder Mathews. Here he met Mathews himself [see Mathews, Charles], whom in the winter of 1817–18 he accompanied to France. He had then, at Mathews's advice, determined upon adopting the stage as a profession, and his first appearance was made during this trip, at Boulogne, in Suett's part of Fustian in Colman's ‘Sylvester Daggerwood’ to the Sylvester Daggerwood of his companion. On 16 Feb. 1818, as Helgent, an original part in a tragedy called ‘The Appeal,’ he made at Edinburgh his first appearance ‘on this stage, and fifth on any stage.’ On the 21st he played Shylock, on the 26th Iago, on 13 March Richard III, on 16 March Bolingbroke to Kean's Richard II, on 6 April Jaques, and gave for his benefit on 20 April Richard III and Actor of all Work. In the summer he was seen as Buskin in ‘Killing no Murder,’ gave imitations after the style of Mathews, and sang ‘The Mail Coach.’ This last was his first essay in a line in which subsequently he was to win reputation. On 7 Sept. he was seen as Dominie Sampson.
On 7 Nov. 1818, as ‘Yates from Edinburgh,’ he made his first appearance at Covent Garden, playing Iago to the Othello of Young, the Cassio of Charles Kemble, the Desdemona of Miss O'Neill, and Emilia of Elizabeth Brunton, whom he married in 1823. His performance was received with much favour, and he returned to continue an unfinished engagement in Edinburgh. He arrived on 4 Dec., and on 6 Jan. 1819 played Falstaff in the ‘Merry Wives of Windsor.’ Back in London before the season was over, he made his second appearance at Covent Garden on 13 April as Falstaff in the ‘First Part of King Henry IV,’ in which he created a favourable impression. He was said to ‘discover great genius,’ though his laugh was declared to be violent rather than jovial, and his delivery of the soliloquies laboured. The audience were greatly pleased with his manner, and wrung from the management a speech promising future appearances in comedy and tragedy. Gloster in ‘Jane Shore’ followed, and on 12 May Yates was the first Berthold in Maturin's ‘Fredolfo.’ On the 22nd in ‘Cozening, or Half an Hour in France,’ a piece intended to show his versatility, he played Dick Mutable and many other parts. Genest says ‘he acted very well.’ Sylvester Daggerwood, Casca in ‘Julius Cæsar,’ Poet Crackbrain in ‘Lethe,’ and Rob Roy followed. On 17 June in ‘Love, Law, and Physic’ he played Flexible, ‘after the manner of the original performer’ (Mathews), and on the 23rd, for his benefit, with other entertainments he played Shylock and gave, as Dick in the ‘Apprentice,’ imitations of Young, Emery, Simmons, Kean, Kemble, Munden, Blanchard, Mathews, and Master Betty. The season of 1819–20 saw him as Macduff, Boniface in the ‘Beaux' Stratagem,’ and, for his benefit, Richard III ‘after his own manner.’ In a revival of the ‘Manager in Distress’ he was Gentleman ‘on the stage and in the boxes,’ and gave further imitations. Next season, 1820–1, he was the Apothecary in ‘Romeo and Juliet;’ had an original part in ‘Figure of Fun,’ an unprinted piece which was damned on 16 Jan. 1821; Buckingham in ‘King Richard III,’ the first Peregrine Plural in ‘London Stars, or 'Twas Time to Counterfeit,’ a one-act piece written to suit his eccentricities; an original part in ‘Grand Tour, or Stopped at Rochester;’ Moses in ‘School for Scandal;’ Cato the Censor in a burlesque called ‘State Secrets, or Public Men in Private Life,’ 12 June; and Matthew Sharpset in the ‘Slave.’ He played an original part with Macready in the ‘Huguenot,’ 11 Dec. 1822.
At Covent Garden Yates remained until the close of the season of 1824–5. He was the original Ranald of the Mist in Pocock's ‘Montrose, or the Children of the Mist,’ 14 Feb. 1822; Orzinga in Colman's ‘Law of Java,’ 11 May; played for the first time Mordecai in ‘Love à la Mode,’ Gratiano, Lapoche in ‘Fontainebleau,’ Gibby in the ‘Wonder,’ Rob Roy, Glenalvon in ‘Douglas,’ Joseph Surface, and Finnikin in ‘Giovanni in London;’ was the first Skylark in Peake's ‘Duel,’ 18 Feb. 1823; and took the principal part in ‘Tea and Turn out’ (with imitations), 28 May. He was the original Baron of Attinghausen in the ‘Beacon of Liberty,’ 8 Oct.; Montalba in the ‘Vespers of Palermo,’ 11 Dec.; Cornet Carmine in Croly's ‘Pride shall have a Fall,’ 11 March 1824; Count Gaudentia in ‘Ravenna, or Italian Love,’ adapted from Schiller, 3 Dec.; and Valentine Versatile in Lunn's ‘Lofty Projects,’ 22 April. He was announced to appear at Vauxhall on 24 July 1822 in an entertainment written for him by ‘a most eminent and favourite author,’ to be called ‘Hasty Sketches, or Vauxhall Scenery,’ but broke his leg at rehearsal on the day of performance. Subsequently he gave this entertainment at Brighton. He had fallen in public estimation when his Cornet Carmine restored him to favour. In this piece the conduct of the 10th hussars was satirised, and the allusions to well-known proceedings on their part caught the town. He also appeared in a piece no longer traceable, called ‘The Boyhood and Old Age of Mr. Yates.’ He was in the country in the autumn of 1823, and he married Elizabeth Brunton [see Yates, Elizabeth] at Bath in the November of that year.
In March 1825 the Adelphi Theatre was purchased for the sum of 25,000l. by Terry and Yates, who opened it on 10 Oct. with a drama called ‘Killigrew,’ in which both of them appeared, together with Wrench, John Reeve, and Mrs. Fitzwilliam. The first season was a success, its most conspicuous feature being Fitzball's adaptation of the ‘Pilot’ (31 Oct. 1825), which was played two hundred nights. T. P. Cooke was the Long Tom Coffin, Terry the Pilot, and Yates Barnstable. The theatre reopened with the ‘Pilot’ and Buckstone's ‘Luke the Labourer,’ followed in December by Fitzball's ‘Flying Dutchman,’ with Yates as Toby Varnish. ‘Thirty Years of a Gambler's Life’ and ‘Paris and London’ were also given. Terry's financial embarrassments led to his retirement from the partnership and death [see Terry, Daniel], and the theatre opened on 29 Sept. 1825 under the management of Charles Mathews and Yates. In the ‘Earthquake,’ by Fitzball, Mrs. Yates appeared at the Adelphi, Yates himself playing Dr. Kallibos. In Fitzball's ‘Red Rover,’ given in 1828 and revived in 1831, he was the Red Rover, and in the revival of the ‘Floating Beacon’ of the same author he was Angerstoff, captain of the beacon. Mathews and Yates also gave a joint entertainment. In Buckstone's ‘Wreck Ashore’ (21 Oct. 1830) Yates was Miles Bertram. In the ‘Henriettte the Forsaken’ of the same author he was Ferdinand de Monval; in his ‘Victorine’ (October 1832) Alexandre; and in his ‘Isabelle’ (27 Jan. 1834) Eugène le Marc. He had also been seen as Rip van Winkle, Alfred in Mathews's ‘Truth,’ and in Holl's ‘Grace Huntley’ and other pieces, and had given what he called ‘Lenten entertainments.’ At the Surrey, on 26 May 1834, he was the first Black Walter in Fitzball's ‘Tom Cringle.’ In 1835 Yates played, at the Adelphi, Robert Macaire in a version of ‘L'Auberge des Adrets.’ The death of Mathews, on 28 June 1835, was followed by the retirement of Yates, who for one season stage-managed Drury Lane for Bunn. In October 1836 the Adelphi opened under the sole management of Yates, who was seen as Sir Roger in J. F. Smith's ‘Sir Roger de Coverley.’ In November, in Leman Rede's ‘Flight to America,’ he was a Frenchman to the negro of T. D. Rice (Jim Crow). In 1837 he was Pickwick in the ‘Peregrinations of Pickwick.’ In Lover's ‘Rory O'More’ (29 Sept.) he was the first De Welskin; on 8 Jan. Lord Mincington in Selby's ‘Dancing Barber;’ on 16 Jan. Flutter in Coyne's ‘All for Love, or the Lost Pleiad;’ on 19 Feb. Doddleton in Selby's ‘Rifle Brigade;’ on 16 April Mabel Griffin in Mrs. S. C. Hall's ‘Groves of Blarney;’ and on 19 Nov. had a great success as Mantalini in Stirling's arrangement of ‘Nicholas Nickleby.’ In May 1840 he repeated the character last named in Stirling's ‘Fortunes of Smike.’ He had previously played Henry Belasquez in Peake's ‘H. B.,’ and Lord Danegelt at the Surrey in Reynoldson's ‘Curse of Mammon,’ founded on Hogarth's ‘Marriage à la Mode;’ and at the Adelphi Fagin in ‘Oliver Twist,’ One-eyed Sam, Abraham Mendez, and Mr. Gay in Buckstone's ‘Jack Sheppard,’ and was seen in Buckstone's ‘Forgery,’ and in the ‘Heart of London.’ Yates doubled in ‘Barnaby Rudge’ the parts of Mr. Chester and Miss Miggs in January 1842, and at the close of the season, in March, delivered an address. This was the last time he was seen in London.
He had in 1827 given in Edinburgh ‘Yates's Reminiscences,’ and had been partner with William Henry Murray [q. v.] in 1830–1 in the management of the Caledonian Theatre, now renamed the Adelphi, in Leith Walk. Here he played Mazeppa, in which he had been seen in London, and other parts. With Braham he managed in 1831 the Colosseum in Regent's Park, but, fortunately for himself, was bought out. Gladstane was his partner in 1841 in Adelphi management, and the same two partners undertook the management of the Pavilion, from which Yates soon retired. While playing, in the winter of 1841–2, in a piece called ‘Agnes St. Aubyn’ he broke a blood-vessel, having broken one previously while acting Robert Macaire. He went in 1842 to Dublin, and, while rehearsing Lord Skindeep in Jerrold's ‘Bubbles of the Day,’ again broke a blood-vessel. Returning after a long confinement in Dublin, he reached the Euston Hotel, London, and was removed to a furnished house, 4 Mornington Crescent, Hampstead Road, where on 21 June 1842 he died, and was buried on the 26th in the vaults of the church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. His son Edmund Yates [q. v.] is separately noticed.
In his early career Yates took a place among regular comedians, and even essayed tragic characters. After he came into the management of the Adelphi he chose more eccentric parts. The chief feature in his acting was versatility. Oxberry, always grudging in recognition, called him a mere mimic, and in that capacity far inferior to Mathews. Unconsciously contradicting himself, he praised him in Cornet Carmine and in other parts; and, while denying him any claim to be a tragedian, said that in romantic and ‘undefined’ parts he stood nearly alone. ‘Give Mr. Yates an excrescence upon nature and he is at home. Nothing could be more vivid than his Berthold. His Ranald of the Mint, too, was a beautiful performance.’ In his management of the Adelphi he took any part that was vacant. Macready speaks of Yates in a disparaging tone not uncommon with him in dealing with associates or rivals. Yates was, however, a sound actor in a line of parts extending from Richard III and Shylock through Falstaff to Moses and Mordecai. He was about five feet seven inches in height, light-haired, with a Jewish cast of face, and limped a little through his accident at Vauxhall. As a manager he was full of tact and resource, but was extremely irritable.
A portrait by Lonsdale is in the Mathews collection in the Garrick Club; a second by Ambrose, and a watercolour sketch by Deighton, belonged to his son Edmund Yates [q. v.]; and a portrait once in the Evans gallery of ‘Paddy Green’ was afterwards in the possession of J. C. Parkinson.
[The life of Yates should be read beside the notices of his wife, of Charles Mathews, Daniel Terry, and others with whom he was associated. A list of characters, not complete, but the first attempted, has been compiled from Genest's Account of the English Stage, Webster's Acting National Drama, and the printed plays of Fitzball, Reynoldson, Buckstone, Leman Rede, and others. Biographical particulars are supplied in Edmund Yates's Recollections and Experiences, Oxberry's Dramatic Biography, Dramatic and Musical Review (1842, vol. i.), Georgian Era, Mrs. Mathews's Tea-table Talk, Dibdin's Edinburgh Stage, Pollock's Macready, and Doran's Annals of the Stage, ed. Lowe. Era newspaper (26 June 1842) and Era Almanack (various years) have been consulted.]