James Nutcombe Gould

James Nutcombe Gould (known as Nutcombe Gould) (24 February 1849 in Stoke-in-Teignhead, Devon – 10 October 1899 in Paddington) was an English stage actor.

For other people named James Gould, see James Gould (disambiguation).

James Nutcombe Gould
Born(1849-02-24)24 February 1849
Stoke-in-Teignhead, Devon, England
Died10 October 1899(1899-10-10) (aged 50)
Paddington, London
NationalityBritish
Other namesNutcombe Gould
OccupationStage actor

He was the son of John Nutcombe Gould (1805-1878), a wealthy rector, and Katherine Emma née Grant (1821-1903), a daughter of Major-General James Grant (1780-1852). James had wanted to follow his father into the church. However, he had a stammer, which he thought held him back in his career. He worked as a bank clerk until he inherited sufficient wealth to marry well and to change career onto the stage, mostly in London. He took the stage name Nutcombe Gould and never stammered on stage.

In 1879 he set up 'The Barn Owls' an amateur dramatics group in Lustleigh, Devon.[1]

Notably, Gould originated the role of Lord Darlington in Lady Windermere's Fan by Oscar Wilde when it premiered in 1892.[2][3][4]

In 1895 Gould played Friar Lawrence in Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.[5]

In 1897 Gould played Hamlet in Hamlet by William Shakespeare, directed by Ben Greet.[6]

His name appears in the biography of Ellen Terry.

Family

Nutcombe Gould married Edith Mitchell (1859-1900) in 1878 at St George's, Hanover Square, with 5 children:

  1. Marjory Nutcombe Gould (1881-1946)
  2. Olave Edith Nutcombe Gould (1883-1941)
  3. Katharine Winifred Nutcombe Gould (1884-1960)
  4. Mary Dorothy Nutcombe Gould (1886-1934)
  5. Millicent Mary Nutcombe Gould (1889-1932)

He died at the early age of 50, in Paddington on 10 October 1899. His wife also died early in Weymouth on 13 December 1900, aged 41. Both he and his wife are buried in the churchyard of Church of St John the Baptist, Lustleigh, Devon, where a memorial lamp gifted by them to the Church is now a Grade II listed object.[7]

His brother Edward Blencowe Gould is held to be responsible for the first import of Siamese cats into the UK.

References
  1. "Dartmoor Trust Archive | James Nutcombe Gould". dartmoortrust.org. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  2. "Group photograph from Lady Windermere's Fan". The British Library. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  3. "Guy Little Theatrical Photograph | Ellis, Alfred | V&A Search the Collections". V and A Collections. 11 December 2020. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  4. "Lady Windermere's Fan". www.thisistheatre.com. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  5. "Shakespeare and the Players | The Plays | Romeo and Juliet". web.archive.org. 10 September 2006. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  6. "Shakespeare and the Players | The Plays | Hamlet". web.archive.org. 14 July 2007. Retrieved 11 December 2020.
  7. Stuff, Good. "Lantern on Churchyard Wall of Church of St John About 6 Metres East of Lychgate, Newton Abbot, Devon". britishlistedbuildings.co.uk. Retrieved 11 December 2020.


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