Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 14.djvu/185

 Mrs. Jordan was for some time an obstacle. Miss Duncan, however, was received with high favour, not only in the characters named, but in parts essentially in Mrs. Jordan's line, such as Nell in the 'Devil to Pay,' Peggy in the 'Country Girl,' and Priscilla in the 'Romp.' On 31 Oct. 1812 she married James Davison, and on 5 Nov. played as Mrs. Davison, late Miss Duncan, Belinda in 'All in the Wrong.' On 8 Sept. 1819, as Lady Teazle to Macready's Joseph Surface, she made her first appearance at Covent Garden. The following year she returned to Drury Lane, 31 Oct., as Julia in the 'Rivals,' apparently for one night only, as on 15 June 1821 she played for her benefit at Covent Garden Lady Teazle, and Marian Ramsay in 'Turn out.' In 1825 Mrs. Davison was at the Haymarket, taking leading business. The same year she returned to Drury Lane, acting Villetta in 'She would and she would not,' Flippanta in the 'Confederacy,' Mrs. Candour, &c. In the season of 1827-8 she was still at Drury Lane, assuming elderly characters, Lucretia McTab, Mrs. Dangleton in the 'Wealthy Widow,' &c. As Mrs. Subtle in 'Paul Pry,' 13 June 1829, she is once more mentioned in connection with Drury Lane. This was probably her last appearance there. Her subsequent performances, if any, were presumably at other theatres. She lived for many years in retirement, greatly respected, and died at Brompton 30 May 1858, ten weeks after her husband. She was rather tall in stature, with dark hair, and strongly formed and very expressive features. She had a fine voice and a good knowledge of music, sang with much expression, and was in her day unequalled in such Scotch ballads as 'John Anderson' and 'Roy's Wife.' Her singing as the Marchioness Merida in the 'Travellers,' Drury Lane 13 May 1823, revealed powers almost fitting her for opera. No better exponent of Lady Teazle, Lady Townly, Beatrice, and other similar parts is said to have existed in her day. As Juliana in the 'Honeymoon' she had no rival. Leigh Hunt devotes to her many pages of his 'Critical Essays on the Performers of the London Theatres,' speaks of her as the 'best lady our comic stage possesses,' and only censures her fondness for appearing on the stage in masculine garb. She is mentioned with implied commendation by Hazlitt, and Talfourd says in the 'New Monthly Magazine' (vol. vi.) of her Mrs. Sullen in the 'Beaux' Stratagem,' that she acts it 'in high style,' that it is 'by far her best character,' and that he wishes for nothing better of the kind.



DAVISON, WALTER (1581–1608?), poet, was the fourth and youngest son of [q. v.], secretary of state, and his wife Catharine, daughter of Francis Spelman. He was born in London on 17 Dec. 1581, and was a fellow-commoner of King's College, Cambridge, in 1596, but he left the university without taking a degree. About 1602 he was a soldier in the Low Countries. As he is not mentioned in his father's will, which bears date 18 Dec. 1608, it is probable that he was then dead.

He was the author of poems in the 'Poetical Rhapsody,' 1602, the poetical collection compiled by his brother [q. v.] At the time these poems were composed he was under eighteen years of age.



DAVISON, WILLIAM (1541?–1608), secretary of Queen Elizabeth, was, according to his own account, of Scottish descent. In June 1566 he went to Scotland as secretary to Henry Killegrew, the English ambassador, and congratulated Mary of Scotland on the birth of her son James. According to Sir James Melvill, he described himself at that early date as `a favourer of the king's right and title to the crown of England,' and was anxious to deprive Killegrew of his office, in order to gain it for himself. He seems to have stayed in Scotland for ten years. When Killegrew urged his own recall (17 Aug. 1575), he recommended Davison as his successor. The suggestion was not accepted, and Davison was removed to the Low Countries in February 1575-6. His instructions, dated 29 March 1576, directed him to report on the prospects of a permanent peace between Spain and Holland (Lansd, MS. 155), and on 2 July 1577 he was appointed resident agent at Antwerp. He obtained for the States-General a loan of 50,000l. from the English government, and brought over in May 1579 28,000l. worth of jewellery as security, On 19 Jan. 1578-9 a grant was made him of the reversion to the clerkship of the treasury and warrants, and of the post of custos brevium of the king's bench. Early in 1583 he went on a second diplomatic mission to Scotland. [q. v.] was his companion. Their object was to prevent James VI from forming an alliance with France, which La Mothe Fénelon, a French envoy, was already