"by the following note: Despite Gilbert's disclaimer, audiences, critics and even the Prime Minister identified Sir Joseph Porter with W. H. Smith, a politician who had recently been appointed First Lord of the Admiralty despite having neither military nor nautical experience. Sullivan was delighted with the sketch, and Gilbert read a first draft of the plot to Carte in mid-January. Following the example of his mentor, T. W. Robertson, Gilbert strove to ensure that the costumes and sets were as realistic as possible. When preparing the sets for ""H.M.S. Pinafore"", Gilbert and Sullivan visited Portsmouth in April 1878 to inspect"
"William Henry Smith (1825–1891) William Henry Smith, FRS (24 June 1825 – 6 October 1891) was an English bookseller and newsagent of the family firm W H Smith, who expanded the firm and introduced the practice of selling books and newspapers at railway stations. He was elected a Member of Parliament in 1868 and rose to the position of First Lord of the Admiralty less than ten years thereafter. Because of his lack of naval experience, he was perceived as a model for the character Sir Joseph Porter in ""H.M.S. Pinafore"". In the mid-1880s, he was twice Secretary of State"
"H.M.S. Pinafore H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which was the second-longest run of any musical theatre piece up to that time. ""H.M.S. Pinafore"" was Gilbert and Sullivan's fourth operatic collaboration and their first international sensation. The story takes place aboard the ship HMS ""Pinafore"". The captain's daughter, Josephine, is in love with a lower-class sailor, Ralph Rackstraw, although her father"
"to in the broader culture. For example, in the song ""When I was a Lad"" from the Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera, ""H.M.S. Pinafore"", in which Sir Joseph Porter, the First Lord of the Admiralty, recounts that he climbed the political ladder in large part by his ability to ""polish up the handle of the big front door"". Lord Nelson might have cast a jaundiced eye on such an attitude, but surely those brave boat owners who persevere in completing their own brightwork varnishing project will feel that they have ""gained the most splendid and decisive victory"", albeit one that"
"famously Gilbert and Sullivan's comic opera, re-titled ""HMS Pinafore"" on the water, performed by Mr D'Oyley's full company on 27 and 28 July 1880. In 1881 the pier-head was enlarged to facilitate the construction of a billiard room, adjoining the pavilion. On the death of Arthur Dendy Paignton Pier was purchased by the Devon Dock, Pier and Steamship Company, under whose ownership it became a regular stop for paddle steamers travelling between Torquay and Brixham. In 1919 the pier-head and its associated buildings were destroyed in a fire. These were never replaced and a period of decline followed. Sectioned as"
"production of Gilbert and Sullivan's ""H.M.S. Pinafore"" to raise funds to get it unstuck. Much of the musical consists of a play within a play, as the company presents a musically updated version of the Gilbert and Sullivan opera; the boat pilot (played by Bill Robinson in the original production) takes a major role as Sir Joseph Porter, First Lord of the Admiralty. Another actor (Avon Long in the original) sings and dances the role of Captain Corcoran, while the part of Josephine goes to an Andrews Sisters-style trio of women from the company chorus (Sheila Guyse, Ida James, and"
"Carte Opera Company productions and tours at various times through to the company's 1982 closure: Information Images Audio H.M.S. Pinafore H.M.S. Pinafore; or, The Lass That Loved a Sailor is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and a libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It opened at the Opera Comique in London, on 25 May 1878 and ran for 571 performances, which was the second-longest run of any musical theatre piece up to that time. ""H.M.S. Pinafore"" was Gilbert and Sullivan's fourth operatic collaboration and their first international sensation. The story takes place aboard the ship"
"all nine of the lead comic baritone roles in Gilbert and Sullivan's famous Savoy Operas in London from 1877 to 1889, including the pompous First Lord of the Admiralty, Sir Joseph Porter, in ""H.M.S. Pinafore"" (1878); Major-General Stanley in ""The Pirates of Penzance"", who is an expert at everything except ""military knowledge"" (1880); the aesthetic poet, Reginald Bunthorne in ""Patience"" (1881); the love-lonely Lord Chancellor in ""Iolanthe"" (1882); the sarcastic cripple, King Gama, in ""Princess Ida"" (1884); Ko-Ko the cheap tailor, elevated to the post of Lord High Executioner, in ""The Mikado"" (1885); the accursed Robin Oakapple in ""Ruddigore"" (1887);"
"to commission another full-length opera from the team. Gilbert and Sullivan scored their first international hit with ""H.M.S. Pinafore"" (1878), satirising the rise of unqualified people to positions of authority and poking good-natured fun at the Royal Navy and the English obsession with social status (building on a theme introduced in ""The Sorcerer"", love between members of different social classes). As with many of the Gilbert and Sullivan operas, a surprise twist changes everything dramatically near the end of the story. Gilbert oversaw the designs of sets and costumes, and he directed the performers on stage. He sought realism in"
"stars, and actors of his generation. He had a reputation for being honest and honorable in his numerous business dealings. For instance, during the ""H.M.S. Pinafore"" craze of the late 1870s, he was the only American manager who paid Gilbert and Sullivan a royalty on the opera. This action prompted the authors and their manager, Richard D'Oyly Carte, to allow Ford to produce their next opera in America and to entrust their American business affairs to him; and he leased the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City, for the production of ""The Pirates of Penzance"" in 1879-1880 and other"
"Admiralty in March 1858. He lived at Gillingham Hall in Suffolk; they had no children. In 1849 he married Elizabeth Harriet Georgiana Beresford, daughter of Lord George Beresford. Henry Eden Admiral Henry Eden (1798 – 30 January 1888) was a senior Royal Navy officer who went on to be Second Naval Lord. Eden joined the Royal Navy in 1811. He was given command of the sixth-rate HMS ""Conway"" in 1832, the second-rate HMS ""Impregnable"" in 1839 and the first-rate HMS ""Caledonia"" in 1840. In 1846 he was made private secretary to Lord Auckland, First Lord of the Admiralty. He became"
"First Lord of the Admiralty from 1763 to 1766. From 1751 to 1757, he designed and created Enmore Castle at Enmore in Somerset, which received 'the dismissive mockery of Horace Walpole'. Perceval married twice. His first marriage was on 15 February 1737 to Lady Catherine Cecil (died 16 August 1752, aged 33), who was the second daughter of James Cecil, 5th Earl of Salisbury. By her he had five sons and two daughters: His second marriage was to Catherine Compton (died 11 June 1784, aged 53), the third daughter of the Hon. Charles Compton, who following his death was created"
"the success of the firm as a springboard into politics. He was elected in February 1878 a Fellow of the Royal Society. In 1868, Smith was elected Member of Parliament for Westminster as a Conservative after an initial attempt to get into Parliament as a ""Liberal Conservative"" in 1865 as a supporter of Palmerston. In 1874 Smith was appointed Financial Secretary to the Treasury when Disraeli returned as Prime Minister. In 1877 he became First Lord of the Admiralty. It has been claimed that Smith's appointment was the inspiration for the character of Sir Joseph Porter, KCB, in Gilbert and"
"Sullivan's 1878 comic opera, ""H.M.S. Pinafore"". Gilbert had written to Sullivan in December 1877 ""The fact that the First Lord in the opera is a ""Radical"" of the most pronounced type will do away with any suspicion that W. H. Smith is intended."" However, the character was seen as a reflection on Smith and even Disraeli was overheard to refer to his First Lord as ""Pinafore Smith"". It has been suggested that the Pinafore character was as much based on Smith's controversial predecessor as First Lord, Hugh Childers, as on Smith himself. Smith held this office for three years until"
"as a midshipman and published his first novel in 1829. In the 20th century, the figures and careers of Horatio Hornblower in the novels by C. S. Forester and of Jack Aubrey in the Aubrey–Maturin series of novels by Patrick O'Brian were in part modelled on his exploits. of the Brazilian Empire Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald Admiral Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald, Marquess of Maranhão, GCB, ODM, OSC (14 December 1775 – 31 October 1860), styled Lord Cochrane between 1778 and 1831, was a British naval flag officer of the Royal Navy, mercenary and radical politician. He"
"workers. It developed as Grand Falls-Windsor. Lord Rothermere married Lilian Share, daughter of George Wade Share, on 4 July 1893. They had three sons, the two elder of whom were killed in the First World War: Viscountess Rothermere, as she had become, died on 16 March 1937. Harold Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Rothermere Harold Sidney Harmsworth, 1st Viscount Rothermere, (26 April 1868 – 26 November 1940) was a leading British newspaper proprietor, owner of Associated Newspapers Ltd. He is known in particular, with his brother Alfred Harmsworth, the later Viscount Northcliffe, for the development of the ""Daily Mail"" and ""Daily Mirror""."
"love between members of different social classes and lampoons the British class system in general. ""Pinafore"" also pokes good-natured fun at patriotism, party politics, the Royal Navy, and the rise of unqualified people to positions of authority. The title of the piece comically applies the name of a garment for girls and women, a pinafore, to the fearsome symbol of a warship. ""Pinafore's"" extraordinary popularity in Britain, America and elsewhere was followed by the similar success of a series of Gilbert and Sullivan works, including ""The Pirates of Penzance"" and ""The Mikado"". Their works, later known as the Savoy operas,"
"buried in The Close at Salisbury. Direct descendants of the Gilbert family still live in Cornwall, England. William Gilbert (author) William Gilbert (20 May 1804 – 3 January 1890) was an English writer and Royal Navy surgeon. He wrote a considerable number of novels, biographies, histories, essays (especially about the dangers of alcohol and the plight of the poor) and popular fantasy stories, mostly in the 1860s and 1870s. Some of these have been reprinted in recent decades and are still available today. He is best remembered, however, as the father of dramatist W. S. Gilbert of Gilbert and Sullivan."
"College) in 1885, the first non-denominational teacher training college for women in England. There is a Halls of Residence called Balfour in his honour. He bought a country estate at Mount Alyn, at Rossett, south of Chester. He died there in 1886. There is a statue of him by Albert Bruce-Joy in St John's Gardens, Liverpool. His daughter Margaret married Thomas Arthur Nelson. Alexander Balfour Alexander Balfour (2 September 1824 – 16 April 1886) was a Scottish merchant and founder of the Liverpool shipping company Balfour Williamson. Balfour was born in Leven, Fife, the son of Henry Balfour, a foundry"
"to give equal recognition to its Māori and English names. John Perceval, 2nd Earl of Egmont John Perceval, 2nd Earl of Egmont PC, FRS (25 February 1711 – 4 December 1770) was a British politician, political pamphleteer, and genealogist who served as First Lord of the Admiralty. He was the son and heir of John Perceval, 1st Earl of Egmont by his wife Catherine Parker, daughter of Sir Philip Parker, 2nd Baronet of Arwarton. He was baptised at the Palace of Westminster, London. He succeeded his father in 1748 as 2nd Earl of Egmont in the Peerage of Ireland. Perceval"
"Sir William Agnew, 1st Baronet Sir William Agnew, 1st Baronet (20 October 1825 – 31 October 1910) was an English politician and art dealer. Thomas Agnew & Sons, his London art business in Mayfair flourished as one of the leading art dealerships in London from 1860, until it closed in April 2013, still with the Agnew family involved, and still known as ""Agnew's Gallery"", or more informally ""Agnew's"". In the middle of the 1860s, Agnew and his brother Thomas provided much needed financial backing to the publishing firm Bradbury and Evans, becoming partners in the business. Agnew became a Liberal"
"Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford (1672–1739) Lieutenant-General Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford (of the 2nd creation), KG (baptised 17 September 1672 – 15 November 1739), known as Thomas Wentworth, 3rd Baron Raby from 1695 to 1711, was a diplomat and First Lord of the Admiralty. Thomas was a son of Sir William Wentworth of Northgatehead—who served as High Sheriff of Yorkshire—and his wife Isabella Apsley, daughter of Sir Allen Apsley. His paternal grandfather, Sir William Wentworth of Ashby Puerorum, was a younger brother of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford. In about 1687, he was a page of"
"Admiral. Samuel Pepys became Clerk of the Acts to the King's Ships and reformed the supply service to the Navy. He also instigated examinations for commanders, pursers, surgeons and parsons. In the late 13th century the Northern and Western Fleets were commanded by admirals and the post of ""Lord Admiral of England"" was created in 1408 but the Admiralty was set up in March 1545 as the King's Council of the Marine. It was responsible for Navy operations and the ship's officers. The First Lord of the Admiralty is a civilian and a member of the Government. The first Fighting"
"in the earldom by his eldest son Hugh. Lady Cawdor died in 1926. Frederick Campbell, 3rd Earl Cawdor Frederick Archibald Vaughan Campbell, 3rd Earl Cawdor (13 February 1847 – 8 February 1911), styled Viscount Emlyn from 1860 to 1898, was a British Conservative politician. He served briefly as First Lord of the Admiralty between March and December 1905. Cawdor was the eldest son of John Campbell, 2nd Earl Cawdor, and his wife Sarah Mary, daughter of General the Hon. Henry Cavendish. He was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford. He was brought up on the family estates in south"
"take George's place. She burst into tears on the first occasion she was brought papers to sign in George's stead. Undeterred, the Junto demanded the appointment of Lord Orford, a member of the Junto and one of Prince George's leading critics, as First Lord of the Admiralty. Admiral Churchill retired, and Anne appointed the moderate Tory Lord Pembroke to lead the Admiralty, instead of a Whig. The Junto Whigs Somers and Wharton, however, were appointed to the Cabinet in Pembroke's vacated posts of Lord President of the Council and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. The Whigs were still dissatisfied, and continued"
"Admiralty. However these changes restricted communication between the board members who were affected by these new regulations, and the sittings of the Board were discontinued altogether. This situation described was further exacerbated by the disaster of in 1870, a poorly-designed new vessel for the navy. The responsibility and powers of the First Lord of the Admiralty were laid down by an Order in Council dated 14 January 1869, and a later Order (19 March 1872) made the First Lord responsible to the Sovereign and to Parliament for all the business of the Admiralty. However, by describing the Lords of the"
"Richard D'Oyly Carte brought together librettist W. S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan, and nurtured their collaboration. Among Gilbert and Sullivan's best known comic operas are ""H.M.S. Pinafore"", ""The Pirates of Penzance"" and ""The Mikado"". Carte built the Savoy Theatre in 1881 to present their joint works, and through the inventor of electric light Sir Joseph Swan, the Savoy was the first theatre, and the first public building in the world, to be lit entirely by electricity. The success of Gilbert and Sullivan greatly expanded the audience for musical theatre. This, together with much improved street lighting and transportation in"
"this street. The locality of Melville in Perth, Western Australia is also named after him. Lord Melville, as First Lord of the Admiralty, is a background character in several of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin novels. Robert Dundas, 2nd Viscount Melville Robert Dundas, 2nd Viscount Melville, (14 March 1771 – 10 June 1851) was a British statesman, the son of Henry Dundas, the 1st Viscount. Dundas was the Member of Parliament for Hastings in 1794, Rye in 1796 and Midlothian in 1801. He was also Keeper of the Signet for Scotland from 1800. He was appointed a Privy Counsellor in 1807, a"
"Sir George Power, 7th Baronet Sir George Power, 7th Baronet (24 December 1846 – 17 October 1928) was an operatic tenor known for his performances in early Gilbert and Sullivan operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, most famously creating the roles in London of Ralph Rackstraw in ""H.M.S. Pinafore"" (1878) and Frederic in ""The Pirates of Penzance"" (1880). He later became a noted voice teacher and continued to perform, mostly at society events. On the death of his elder brother, in 1903, he became the seventh baronet of Kilfane. Power was born in Kilkenny, the fourth son of Sir"
"carriage. And all this, with his particular roughness of countenance, made the softness of his nature still more pleasing, because unexpected at first.” Charles Wager Admiral Sir Charles Wager (24 February 1666 – 24 May 1743) was First Lord of the Admiralty between 1733 and 1742. Despite heroic active service and steadfast administration and diplomatic service, Wager can be criticized for his failure to deal with an acute manning problem. However, in reality the Royal Navy's numerical preponderance over other navies was greater than at any other time in the century, and its dockyard facilities, overseas bases (Wager was much"
"the Admiralty was Richard Weston, 1st Earl of Portland, who was appointed in 1628. The First Lord was not always a permanent member of the board until the Admiralty Department was established as an official government department in 1709 with the First Lord as its head; it replaced the earlier Office of the Admiralty and Marine Affairs. During most of the 17th century and the early 18th century, it was not invariable for the Admiralty to be in commission, so there are gaps in the list of First Lords, and a small number of First Lords were for a time"
"the Captain was launched in 1761. Frederick Cornewall was its first commander. James Cornewall Captain James Cornewall (1698 – 11 February 1744) was an officer in the British Royal Navy who became a national hero following his death at the Battle of Toulon in 1744. His monument in Westminster Abbey was the first ever to be erected by Parliament at public expense. He was born in 1698, the youngest son of Henry Cornewall and his second wife Susanna, and was baptised at Moccas on 17 November 1698. His naval career began as a Volunteer-per-order, serving first upon from March 1721"
"had expected Alexander to be appointed President of the Board of Trade, this position went to William Graham, protégé of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Philip Snowden. Instead, Alexander became First Lord of the Admiralty, the only Labour member to hold this position as a cabinet rank. The Admiralty was a political power in its own right, and usually able to resist pressure from the Treasury and from Downing Street. Macdonald's primary concern was international disarmament, and Alexander persuaded the Admiralty to reduce their demands for new cruisers as a prelude to negotiations aimed at ending naval rivalry with the"