Page:Dictionary of National Biography volume 63.djvu/194

 Galotti in ‘Emilia Galotti,’ translated by Thompson from Lessing, 28 Oct.; Lord Sensitive in Cumberland's ‘First Love,’ 12 May 1795; Fitzharding in Colman's ‘Iron Chest,’ 12 March 1796; Orasmyn in Miss Lee's ‘Almeyda,’ 20 April, Mandeville in Reynolds's ‘Will,’ 19 April 1797; and Earl Reginald in ‘Monk’ Lewis's ‘Castle Spectre,’ 14 Dec.

In 1798 he retired from the stage and settled in Bath, but in 1800, on the death of John Palmer and the illness of Aikin, in answer to an invitation of the Drury Lane management he came back, and was seen in a new series of parts including: Don Pedro in Godwin's ‘Antonio,’ 13 Dec. 1800; Provost in Sotheby's ‘Julian and Agnes,’ 25 April 1801; Casimir Rubenski in Dimond's ‘Hero of the North,’ 19 Feb. 1803; Maurice in Cobb's ‘Wife of Two Husbands,’ 1 Nov.; Sir Rowland English in Holt's ‘Land we live in,’ 29 Dec. 1804; Balthazar in Tobin's ‘Honeymoon,’ 31 Jan. 1805; Conrad in Theodore Hook's ‘Tekeli,’ 24 Nov. 1806; and Cœlestino in ‘Monk’ Lewis's ‘Venoni,’ 1 Dec. 1808. His return did little good to his reputation, and before he finally quitted the stage he was completely worn out.

On 9 March 1815 Wroughton gave to the stage an alteration of ‘Richard II’ with additions from other plays of Shakespeare, in which he did not act. On 10 July 1815 he acted his old part of Withers in Kenney's ‘World.’ This was his last performance. On 7 Feb. 1822, at the reputed age of seventy-four, he died in Howland Street, London, leaving behind him a widow, and was buried in St. George's, Bloomsbury.

Wroughton was what Michael Kelly calls him, ‘a sterling, sound, and sensible performer.’ His person was bad, he was knock-kneed, his face was round and inexpressive, and his voice was not good. He had, however, an easy and unembarrassed carriage and deportment, was never offensive, and, though he rarely reached greatness, seldom sank into insipidity or dulness. He was always perfect in his parts, indefatigable in industry, and wholly free from affectation. Wroughton was a close friend of Bannister; they were spoken of as Pylades and Orestes.

A portrait of Wroughton by De Wilde, as Sir John Restless in ‘All in the Wrong,’ is in the Mathews collection in the Garrick Club. A mezzo portrait by Robert Laurie after R. Dighton was published in 1779, and there are several portraits in character in Bell's ‘British Theatre.’

[Genest's Account of the English Stage; Theatrical Observer, Dublin, 1822; Boaden's Life of Kemble; Munden's Life of Munden; Gent. Mag. 1822, i. 284; Clark Russell's Representative Actors; Kelly's Reminiscences; Memoirs of Munden; Candid and Impartial Strictures on the Performers belonging to Drury Lane, Covent Garden, and the Haymarket, 1795; Secret History of the Green Room; Thespian Dict.; Era Almanack, various years.]  WULFHELM (d. 942), archbishop of Canterbury, succeeded Athelm [q. v.] as bishop of Wells, when Athelm was promoted to Canterbury in 914, and on the death of Athelm in 923 succeeded him in the primacy. He crowned Athelstan at Kingston in 924, and in or about 927 went to Rome for his pall. In the laws published at Greetanlea, or Grately, in Hampshire, Athelstan speaks of having had the counsel of Wulfhelm. His name is among those enrolled at Bishop Cynewold's request among the confraternity of St. Gall in 928. Adelard, a biographer of St. Dunstan, in saying that Dunstan stayed some time with Athelm, who was his uncle, and was introduced by him to Athelstan, probably confuses Athelm with Wulfhelm, for Athelm died before Dunstan's birth. Some extant verses, addressed to Wulfhelm, are believed to have been written by Dunstan. Wulfhelm died on 12 Feb. 942.

[A.-S. Chron. E. ann. 925, 927, F. 927, ed. Plummer; Flor. Wig. an. 924; Thorpe's Ancient Laws, i. 194, 196; Stubbs's Reg. Sacr. Anglic. pp. 25–6; Memorials of Dunstan, pp. 55, 354 (Rolls Ser.).]  WULFHERE (d. 675), king of the Mercians, was the second of the five sons of Penda [q. v.] and his queen, Cyneswitha. After Penda had been slain by Oswy [q. v.] at the battle of Winwaedfield (15 Nov. 655), Wulfhere was kept in hiding by Mercian ealdormen loyal to the Mercian royal house. In 658 these ealdormen, Immin, Eafa, and Eadbert, rose against Oswy in favour of Wulfhere, and established him as king of Mercia (, Hist. Eccl. bk. iii. ch. xxiv.) Wulfhere was already a Christian, having possibly received the faith in Kent, where he sought his wife Eormenhild, a Christian. He is described by the chroniclers as ‘the first of the Mercian kings to be baptised’ ( in Mon. Hist. Brit. p. 637).

Wulfhere's first step as king was to take means for the completion of the conversion of Mercia, thus continuing the work of Oswy, and giving unity to Mercian history. Trumhere, abbot of Gilling, who was consecrated at Lindisfarne, was bishop of Mercia from 659 to 662, being succeeded by Jaruman, whose episcopal rule lasted from 662 to 667. 