Author Richard Smedley's interest is sparked by his theatrical namesake Joseph Smedley found at the Old Theatre Deli, Southwell

A new book about a successful 19th Century actor manager came about entirely by chance.

Richard Smedley, of Sutton-on-Trent, was visiting Southwell a few years ago when he came across the Old Theatre Deli, which was one of the many theatres that Joseph Smedley used to visit with his touring company.

Having the same surname, and also a career in theatre, Richard Smedley was intrigued to see if there was a family connection.

“I thought, I wonder..? So I started to look into him.”

The result is his book – The Life And Times Of Joseph Smedley (1784-1863) Provincial Actor Manager.

“A long title, but I felt it adequately described its content,” Mr Smedley said.

The book is a biography of Smedley, and a social history of the times in which he lived.

After toying with a career in law, Joseph fell in love with acting, and with an actress, whom he married. After honing his art with a Lincoln theatre company, he set out on his own, with his growing family and a small company of performers.

They toured constantly, mainly in villages and towns, throughout the east of England, including Newark and Southwell. He even built a theatre in Sleaford.

Although Joseph Smedley left no diaries, Richard found archived papers, family papers and playbills that have survived, which he used to build up a picture of the man and his life.

“The problem with research is that you’re never done,” Richard said. “The more I looked into him, the more I found.”

Despite all his research, Richard couldn’t find any evidence of a family connection ­— but by that time he was fascinated by the man and his story.

“If there is a connection, it goes back to before Joseph’s time, but it didn’t make a lot of difference to me because I love theatre and theatre history anyway.

“He was a theatre manager for 40 years and so was I, so I felt a connection.”

Richard’s love of the theatre goes back to his childhood. He was born in Nottingham and raised in Wollaton, and first became interested in drama and theatre history while at school.

His parents enjoyed going to the theatre and young Richard often went with them.

He recalls going to the stage door of the Theatre Royal with his father to see stars as they emerged from the theatre.

It was the backstage, rather than the stage, that appealed to Richard, but he was not encouraged into a theatrical career.

“My father didn’t want me to go into the theatre at all,” he said

It wasn’t until Richard was managing the London Palladium that his father finally acknowledged that his son had forged a successful career for himself.

But before that, he had gained financial experience with a major bank, while getting practical theatre experience at the Theatre Royal in Nottingham as a dresser, doorkeeper, and stage hand.

After Nottingham City Council bought the theatre in the 1970s, Richard eventually became the finance director of the newly-created Royal Centre, where he was also house manager.

He then went to London, managing a series of theatres, including the Victoria Palace and Apollo as well as the Palladium.

On returning to Nottingham, he went on to become became general manager of the Royal Centre, and took early retirement in 2009.

Researching the life and times of Joseph Smedley renewed his interest in theatre history and he discovered a new-found respect for theatre companies of Smedley’s time.

The difficulties of running a theatrical company, and being almost constantly on the road, often with children in tow, meant Joseph’s was not an easy life.

That life included visits to Newark, where at least one of his children was Christened.

But Joseph Smedley made a success of it, and was ahead of his time in many ways, by changing the poor image that theatre had.

“From the outset, Joseph strived to treat people fairly and built up a reputation for himself, his family and his company for sobriety, honesty, good behaviour and the quality of production,” Richard said.

“He ended up with a circuit of more than 30 theatres in five counties.”

Richard said writing the book had proved to be a fascinating insight into the social history of Joseph Smedley’s time.

“It became a labour of love.”

­But now he has more time once again to devote to his first love ­— going to the theatre.