Catherine Norton Sinclair

Catherine Norton Sinclair
Catherine Norton Sinclair
Born	Catherine Norton Sinclair February 20, 1817 London, England
Died	June 9, 1891(1891-06-09) (aged 74) New York, New York
Resting place	Silver Mount Cemetery Staten Island
Occupation	Actor/Theatre Manager

Catherine Norton Sinclair (1817–1891) was an actress-manager who worked with such notable actors as Junius Brutus Booth, Edwin Booth, and Laura Keene. Her sensational divorce from Edwin Forrest captivated the American public in the mid-1800s.

Sinclair was born in London, the eldest of John and Catherine Sinclair's four children. The Sinclairs were originally from Edinburgh, Scotland. Mr. Sinclair became a successful drummer in the militia and later a well-known singer, who toured the U.S. in the early 1830s. She was well-educated, and welcomed in the social and cultural circles of London society. At age nineteen, Sinclair attended a performance of The Gladiator, starring the popular American actor, Edwin Forrest, as Spartacus. She arranged to meet him and on June 23, 1837 they were married at a church in Covent Garden. Shortly thereafter, the Forrests moved to New York and lived there for the next twelve years.

By many accounts, the Forrests lived as a happily married couple in New York from 1837-1849. Forrest became one of the prominent actors of his time, especially after his success in London, where previously American actors were not taken seriously. Forrest's acting work took him throughout the U.S., sometimes accompanied by Mrs. Forrest, who otherwise spent her time at their home on 22nd St. in New York City (NYC). Unfortunately, the Forrests had four children die during or immediately after childbirth.

Mrs. Forrest's parents and sisters also spent considerable time in the U.S. and lived much of the time with the Forrests in NYC. One sister, Mrs. Voorheis, lived with her husband in NYC. Whenever Forrest toured outside of NYC, Mrs. Voorheis usually stayed with her at the Forrest home on 22nd St.

Mrs. Forrest was an intellectual and a captivating conversationalist, who was quickly accepted into the social circle of the literary and artistic elite of NYC. The literati discussed such works as George Sand's novel,Consuelo, which proved fateful to the Forrests' marriage. Mrs. Forrest was known to socialize at home with other members of this social circle while Forrest was working onstage, either in New York or in other venues around the country. Forrest himself did not participate "and did not enjoy home company." (p. 347)

The Forrests' marriage began to unravel in 1848 when Forrest began to suspect that his wife had been unfaithful to him. The event that led to the Forrests' separation and divorce trial concerned Mrs. Forrest's relationship with George W. Jamieson, one of Forrest's fellow actors. While on tour in Cincinnati, Forrest left his wife in the company of Jamieson while running an errand. Apparently suspicious, he returned ahead of schedule and encountered Jamieson performing an amateur phrenological study of Mrs. Forrest's head. Forrest accepted this explanation but later took advantage of Mrs. Forrest's absence from home to read a letter Jamieson wrote to her in the form of George Sand's novel, Consuelo. According to Mrs. Forrest, who defended the novel, she had challenged Jamieson to write a love letter that rivaled Mrs. Sand's work in the novel. Mr. Forrest was unconvinced and immediately asked for a separation from Mrs. Forrest.