THOMAS

See also:

• JOHN
• JOHN (1167–1216)
• JOHN (1290-c. 1320)
• JOHN (1296-1346)
• JOHN (1371–1419)
• JOHN (1468-1532)
• JOHN (1801-1873)
• JOHN (Heb. llni')
• JOHN (ZAPOLYA) (1487-1540)
• JOHN, 4TH MARQUESS OF TWEEDDALE (c. 1695-1762)
• JOHN, DON (1545-1578)
• JOHN, DON (1629–1679)
• JOHN, GOSPEL OF ST
• JOHN, THE APOSTLE
• JOHN, THE EPISTLES OF
• JOHN, or HAYS (1513–1571)

JOHN

See also:

• DIBDIN, CHARLES (1745—1814)
• DIBDIN, THOMAS FROGNALL (1776—1847)
• THOMAS JOHN DIBDIN (1771–1841)

DIBDIN (1771–1841)  , English dramatist and song-writer, son of Charles Dibdin, the song-writer, and of Mrs Davenet, an actress whose real name was Harriet Pitt, was born on the 21st of March 1771 . He was apprenticed to his maternal uncle, a London upholsterer, and later to William Rawlins, afterwards sheriff of London . He summoned his second master unsuccessfully for rough treatment; and after a few years of service he ran away to join a company of country players . From 1789 to 1795 he played in all sorts of parts; he acted as scene painter at Liverpool in 1791; and during this period he composed more than i000 songs . He made his first attempt as a dramatic writer in Something New, followed by The Mad Guardian in 1795 . He returned to London in 1795, having married two years before; and in the winter of 1798–1799 his Jew and the Doctor was produced at Covent Garden . From this time he contributed a very large number of comedies, operas, farces, &c., to the public entertainment . Some of these brought immense popularity to the writer and immense profits to the theatres . It is stated that the pantomime of Mother Goose (1807) produced more than £20,000 for the management at Covent Garden theatre, and the High-mettled Racer, adapted as a pantomime from his father's play, £18,000 at Astley's . Dibdin was prompter and pantomime writer at Drury Lane until 1816, when he took the Surrey theatre . This venture proved disastrous and he became bankrupt . After this he was manager of the Haymarket, but without his old success, and his last years were passed in comparative poverty .

In 1827 he published two volumes of Reminiscences; and at the time of his

death he was preparing an edition of his father's sea songs, for which a small sum was allowed him weekly by the lords of the admiralty . Of his own songs " The Oak Table " and " The Snug Little Island " are well-known examples . He died in London on the 16th of September 1841 .