Cowell

Family of English actors. Joseph Leathley Cowell (1792–1863) was a comedian and became very popular in the USA. His best-known part was Crack in The Turnpike Gate 1799 by Thomas Knight (died 1820). His son Samuel Houghton Cowell (1820–1864) was one of the first stars of the English music halls, singing such songs as ‘The Ratcatcher's Daughter’ and ‘Villikins and his Dinah’. His daughters Sydney Cowell (1846–1925) and Florence Cowell (1852–1926) became actors. Florence, known as Mrs A B Tapping after her marriage, was the mother of Sydney Fairbrother (1873–1941), a comedian who had a long career on the London stage and toured the halls with Fred Emney (1865–1917) in the music-hall sketch A Sister to Assist 'Er.