Anne Oldfield 1683-1730

Anne OLDFIELD 1683-1730

Biographical Note

Born perhaps in Pall Mall, London, daughter of James Oldfield and Anne Oldfield. Her father died when she was quite young but she received some schooling and in 1699 she began to establish herself as an actress at Drury Lane. She developed a very successful career there, becoming a leading actress of her day, and a well-paid member of several companies. She was the partner of Arthur Maynwaring for about a decade before his death in 1712 (with whom she had a son, Arthur), and later of Charles Churchill, an illegitimate nephew of the Duke of Marlborough.

Books

Oldfield was financially affluent and left an appreciable estate, largely divided between her children with Maynwaring and Churchill. Her library, including French and English books and 218 volumes of plays, was auctioned, along with her household goods, in London beginning 9 February 1731; no catalogue survives, but the sale was advertised in several newspapers.

Sources

• Alston, R. C., Inventory of sale catalogues ... 1676-1800, St Philip, 2010.
• Milling, J. "Oldfield, Anne (1683–1730), actress." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.