Dorothy Phillips began acting to support
her mother and siblings. Born on November
22, 1761, in London, “Dora” was the child
of Francis Bland, an Irishman, and Grace
Phillips, an actress. Family disapproval of their
relationship led Francis to abandon Grace and
their nine children and instead he married an
heiress. Grace, however, could not manage on
the allowance that the Bland family gave her.
In 1779 Thomas Ryder, a Dublin theatre
manager, gave Dora her first role as Miss Lucy
in The Virgin Un-Masked. She was known by
the stage name Miss Francis and was soon
charming audiences, especially when wearing
men’s clothes that displayed her lovely legs.
The dramatist James Boaden said that “the
neatness of her figure in the male attire was for
years remarkable”.
Pretty actresses were notorious for being
the prey of theatre managers. A brutal
relationship with her next employer, Richard
Daly, left Dora pregnant, frightened and
destitute. She fled to England and appeared at
Tate Wilkinson’s York theatre under the name
“Mrs Jordan”. Although she drew jealousy
from her fellow thespians, in 1785 Richard
Brinsley Sheridan asked her to perform at
Drury Lane theatre, London.
At this time Sarah Siddons reigned
supreme in tragedies. Although Dora could
tackle any role, she refused to play second
fiddle to Siddons. She made her debut
as Peggy in The Country Girl and was so
successful that her salary was doubled. She
became the queen of farces and comedy
in roles such as Miss Hoyden (The Trip to
Scarborough), Miss Tomboy (The Romp) and
Little Pickle (The Spoiled Child).
The critic William Hazlitt said that Dora’s
“smile had the effect of sunshine ... [she]
gave more pleasure than any other actress”.
Audiences adored her rendition of ballads such
as The Blue Bell of Scotland, some of which she
wrote herself. She also toured the regions, and
at Glasgow a medal was struck in her honour.
At Margate in 1802 she had a narrow escape
on stage when her gown caught fire. Luckily,
the flames were quickly extinguished.
Off stage she was living with Richard
Ford, a lawyer, and bore him three children,
one of whom was stillborn. However, in 1790
she caught the eye of Prince William, Duke
of Clarence (later William IV ). They lived
together for more than twenty years and
she bore him ten children. But their cosy
domesticity at Bushy House was shattered
when the hard-up duke started hunting for a
rich wife. William provided an allowance for
Dorothy and all her children, on condition
that she did not work again. It is not known
if he repaid the money he had borrowed from
her over the years.
Dora was generous to a fault: to her
lovers, her children and their spouses. This
open-handedness proved disastrous. Despite
poor health, she returned to acting to support
her ruined son-in-law. This meant that she
lost custody of her daughters by the duke
and forfeited his allowance for them. Then,
a horrified Dora discovered that one of her
sons-in-law had contracted thousands of
pounds of debts in her name. She met a tragic
end far from home and family. After fleeing
to France to escape her creditors, she died at
St-Cloud on July 5, 1816.By Sue WilkesDorothea Jordan as Hippolyta
(portrait by Hoppner)Regency Heroine