Harley, George Davies

1811

His real surname was Davies, and he was probably born in London, where his father kept a shop in Sidney’s Alley, Leicester Square. As a youth Harley served as a bank clerk and then in an insurance firm. It is said that the estimable actor John Henderson taught him acting. Assuming the name Harley, he made his ambitious debut at Norwich on 20 April 1785 as Richard III. During four years at Norwich he became successful enough to be dubbed the ‘Norwich Roscius’ and to play capital roles like King Lear, Tamerlane and Dumont (to Sarah Siddons’s Jane Shore). In 1789 he moved to London, where he made his debut on 25 September at Covent Garden as Richard III; when the critics noted that he ‘possessed some power’ and ‘may be useful.’ Other roles that season included Iago, Shylock, Macbeth, Horatio in “The Fair Penitent” and Ventidius in “All for Love”. He remained at Covent Garden through 1795-96, but by 1792 the management reduced his status to that of supporting actor. Harley also acted summers at Birmingham; he joined the company at Bath and Bristol in 1796, and was seen at Sheffield, Liverpool, Worcester and Manchester. He acted at Dublin in 1799-1800 and 1802. Harley, who remained a bachelor, died at Leicester on 28 October 1811. He had written some volumes of poems and ballad stories, including “A Monody on the Death of Mr. John Henderson”, and a biography of the child-actor phenomenon Master Betty. In addition to De Wilde’s portrait of him as Caled (G0285), a portrait by the same artist of him as Lusignan in “Zara” was reported to be in the Garrick Club, but is not there. It was engraved by W. Bromley for “Bell’s British Theatre” (1791); see Burnim and Highfill, “John Bell”, No. 173.