James Roland MacLaren
James Roland MacLaren (10 June 1839 – 30 June 1912) was a Scottish actor and playwright.
Biography
MacLaren was born in
His most noted work is arguably the play Jack Crawford the Hero of Camperdown,
Jack Crawford and the play
In part through popularity of the play which toured England in 1879, the actions of Crawford became more widely recognised and a statue of him was built almost 60 years after his death in Mowbray Park. Commemorative mugs and earthenware fired at Balls Pottery Sunderland in 1890 were inscribed with verse from the play:[7]
- At Camperdown, we fought, and when at worst the fray,
- our mizzen near the top boys, was fairly shot away.
- The foe, thought we had struck, but Jack cried out "Avast"
- and the colours of Old England, he nail'd up to the mast
Notable actors in the Royal Lyceum Theatre production of 1879 included:
- Mr T Lionel Ellis as Jack Crawford
- Mr JB George as Anty Warde
- Mr T Lightfoot as Jip
- Mr Halliday as Admiral Duncan
- Mr Wilson as Admiral de Winter
- James Roland MacLaren played Lt Harrison, head of the press gang
- The crew of the Royal Naval drill ship, HMS Durham (formerly known as HMS Active), also performed in the play
Private life
James Roland MacLaren married the singer Isabella Carr (1848–1928) in 1868 with whom he had eight children. They lived at 22 St Vincent Street in Sunderland until his death from asthma. He was buried in Sunderland Cemetery.