Tree, Anna Maria

1801

1862

Anna Maria Tree was born in London in August 1801. Her father, who lived in Lancaster Buildings, St Martin’s Lane, was with the East India House. As a youngster Anna appeared in some choruses at Drury Lane, and in 1818 at Covent Garden she played Rosina in “The Barber of Seville”. Other roles in musical pieces followed, including Susanna in “The Marriage of Figaro” (G0814), until 1819, when she began to act a series of Shakespearean parts – including Ariel, Viola (G0816), Imogen, Ophelia and Rosalind – for which she won much praise. She remained at Covent Garden until her retirement in June 1825. Soon after, she married the property owner James Bradshaw. Mrs Bradshaw died on 18 February 1862. She was the sister of Ellen Tree (q.v.), who became the wife of the actor-manager Charles Kean. (DNB)