Eleanor Bufton

Eleanor Bufton (2 June 1842 – 9 April 1893) was a Welsh actress of the Victorian era. She began acting in her teens and spent most of her career in London, playing in Shakespeare, Victorian burlesque, and a range of drama and comedy roles.

Early life and work Bufton was born in Llanbister, Wales, to Mary Bufton. Her acting debut at the age of 14 was as a chambermaid in The Clandestine Marriage in Edinburgh, Scotland. In 1854 she acted in Honour before Titles at the St. James's Vanette. She joined the Princess's Theatre in London, where she worked under Charles Kean. In 1856 she played Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream. Henry Morley described her work in A Midsummer Night's Dream as "whimsical" and described her as "fair". The next year, Bufton was in The Tempest, performing the role of Ferdinand. Her performance as Ferdinand, a male character, is believed to be the first time a woman played Ferdinand publicly. Bufton performed as Regan in King Lear at the Princess's Theatre, too.

Her career was halted after she was injured in a railway accident. The accident was at South Kensington Station on 2 August 1871 when Bufton was thrown to the floor following a collision, she had an injury to the knee and a cut on the forehead. She was unconscious for a time, and she was given £1600 in compensation. She is buried at the Brompton Cemetery. She and her husband had two daughters.