Mary Ann Davenport

Mary Ann Davenport [née Harvey] (c. 1759 – 8 May 1843) was a British Shakespearean actress.

After two seasons at Bath she performed in Exeter and Bristol, where in 1786 she married George Gosling Davenport (1758?–1814), a provincial actor.

In 1806 she appeared as Lady Denny in Henry VIII (play) with Sarah Siddons as Queen Katherine, John Philip Kemble as Cardinal Wolsey.

[2] Her husband’s acting talents were unequal to hers, though he was regarded as a useful member of the company, serving as secretary to the Covent Garden Theatrical Fund until he retired in 1812.

In 1817 she appeared again as Lady Denny in Henry VIII when the painting by Benjamin Burnell was created for an exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts.