Ann Catley

Ann Catley (1745 – 14 October 1789), also known as Ann Lascelles, was an English singer, actress, and prostitute.

Personal life Catley was born near Tower Hill, London, to hackney coachman and a washer woman. Mr. Catley spent his earnings only on himself, often taking his wife's wages as well. Ann helped her mother as a laundress. At the age of ten, she became acquainted with Colonel Lascelles, known for his relation to the Prince of Wales. He found she could sing and she began performing for the neighborhood, at a young age, she was known for her angelic voice and looks, garnering multiple admirers. She first made her money singing in pubs and to the garrison of the Tower of London. It was not known if Ann lost her virginity to any of the “numerous corp admirers who daily laid siege to her” but it was “certain that she had scarcely entered her fourteenth year when she parted with her innocence” (Ambross, 8). Her parents’ strict account of her earnings and subsequent abuse may have been a factor in her introduction to sex. Ann later moved in with a linen draper after an abusive bout with her parents that resulted in “cuffs and blows” and Ann “fully determined to accept the first asylum offered” (Ambross 9). After a week spent with the draper, Catley's parents begged her to come back after recognizing her full value. Her parents welcomed her with open arms and her affair with the draper ended after a month. Ann then “resolved to indulge in them [sex] for the purposes of pecuniary advantage, as well as sensual gratification” (Ambross, 12).

She was apprenticed aged fifteen to William Bates, a composer and singing teacher, with a £200 penalty in case of misconduct from the child. It would be three years before she met Delaval at nineteen at the Marybone Gardens. She managed to gain an appearance at Vauxhall music hall at aged 17 in the summer and the Covent Garden the following fall under his mentorship. However, even though Ann gained the beginnings of success, Ann soon found herself at odds with Mr. Bates, a scandal soon emerged when Bates sold Ann's apprenticeship to her admirer Sir Francis Blake Delaval of Seaton Delaval Hall for £200. Bates was given money by Delaval in addition to make up for any financial loss to him. Catley's father, Robert Catley, could see that Ann had been sold. Aided by his employer, her father sued the rake Delaval and Bates. Lord Chief Justice Mansfield's judgement extended British law as he ruled that Delaval had offended society and the King's Bench could take action against Delaval on society's behalf; he was heavily fined. Catley's relationship with Delaval ended. Delaval found future relationships difficult

Performance and brand

Ann Catley was known to "[have] a performing style to match her life history" (Burden p. 111). Her notable sexually explicit roles, such as Polly from The Beggar's Opera and Juno in The Golden Pippin, were a stylistic reflection of her own life. Ann Catley is notable for her sexual escapades, not because they were disingenuous to her but because they made her whom she embodied, Ann's sexuality was integrated into her brand. It allowed her to afford her lavish lifestyle, be self-sufficient and the constant controversy allowed her to stay relevant, allowing her to influence "the fashion of dressing the hair..catleyfied" (Pearce 815)—growing popularity with men and women through fashion and sexuality. Due to her eccentric acting style and melodious voice, Ms. Ann Catley did not shy away from knowing her worth and power. Ann would negotiate her salary in order to get paid extravagant sums that she deemed she was worth. Ann Catley embodied a business mogul for restoration women. She built a brand for herself and reversed the power dynamic of commodifying women's bodies by using it as her strength and proving her worth. Her best performances, according to Ambross, were Rosetta in Love in a Village and Euphrosyne in Comus.

Catley's “Catlified hair,” a hairstyle that was “cut down upon like a fan,” became fashionable. Ambross claims that “Miss Catley had great capabilities for an actress and...would have succeeded not only in comedy, but tragedy, had she made them her study” (Ambross, 49).Going back to the stage, Ann was but a shadow of her former glory. She attempted Macheath in The Beggar’s Opera but her voice proved inefficient and garnered pity, not praise from the audience. She moved to Ealing, Middlesex, beloved by her neighbors and the poor. Catley died of consumption in 1782 of consumption at 44 and was buried in Ealing church. Apparently, Catley died “in charity with the world, and in lamenting that the early parts of her life had not been equally virtuous and honourable with her latter days” (Ambross 55).

She performed many roles on the London and Dublin stage, until 1782. Her pupil Margaret Martyr's style is said to have come from Catley. Thomas Bellamy wrote of Martyr in 1795 "Catley's pupil - Catley's boast, Sportive, playful, arch and free, Lovely MARTYR, hail to thee!"

Catley spent her last years living at Little Ealing and died on 14 October 1789.