William Charles

William Charles 1776-1820, American cartoonist, etcher, and engraver, b. Edinburgh, Scotland. He probably came to the United States to avoid prosecution for his satirical drawings. He is best known for his cartoons of the War of 1812, in which he mocked the English in the rough, biting style of Gillray. An example of his work is Admiral Cockburn Burning and Plundering Havre-de-Grace (Maryland Historical Society).

Macready, William Charles (1793–1873) British actor and theatrical manager. Distinguished as a Shakespearean actor, he achieved fame in the leading role of Richard III in 1819. His productions were noted for their meticulous attention to detail.

Plomer, William Charles Franklyn (1903–73), poet and novelist. Several of his works, including his first novel, the savagely satirical Turbott Wolfe (1926), are portraits of South African life. Plomer's experiences teaching in Japan are reflected in his poems, in Paper Houses (1929, stories), and Sado (a novel, 1931). He came to England in 1929 and settled in Bloomsbury, where he was befriended by L. and V. Woolf. His first volume of poetry, Notes for Poems (1927), was followed by several others, and his Collected Poems appeared in 1973. His poems are largely satirical and urbane; many of them, like the title piece of The Dorking Thigh (1945), are modern ballads with a macabre touch. His edition of Kilvert's Diary appeared in 3 vols, 1938–40. He wrote the librettos for several of Britten's operas.