Courtice Pounds

Courtice Pounds was a successful stage actor and singer in operetta and musicals for much of his professional life. The most celebrated part of his career was possibly his time with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company which he joined in 1881 as Tenor Chorister, understudying Durward Lely, later progressing to Principal Tenor and creating the roles of Fairfax in "The Yeomen of the Guard" and Marco Palmieri in "The Gondoliers". When he left the Carte in 1895, he had also performed the following principal roles in other Gilbert and Sullivan operas: The Defendant in "Trial By Jury", Ralph in "HMS Pinafore", Tolloller in "Iolanthe", Hilarion in "Princess Ida", Nanki-Poo in "The Mikado", and Richard Dauntless in "Ruddigore". His first wife was fellow D'Oyly Carte singer, contralto Jessie Gaston (later Jessie Pounds, later Jessie Gaston-Murray). She sang with the Carte between 1885 and 1886, 1891 and 1892 and 1898 and 1901, playing the roles of Mrs Partlet in "The Sorcerer", Ruth in "The Pirates of Penzance", Jane in "Patience" and Inez in "The Gondoliers". Courtice's four sisters also sang with the D'Oyly Carte: Lily Pounds, who married fellow Carte singer George Mudie, sang with the company in 1888 as a mezzo-soprano chorister, and played the role of Kate in "The Pirates of Penzance"; Rosy Pounds, who sang as a chorister during 1887; Nancy Pounds, who married D'Oyly Carte bass William H. Kemble, and played the roles of Hebe in "HMS Pinafore", Isabel in "The Pirates of Penzance", Pitti-Sing in "The Mikado" and Phylla in "Utopia, Ltd." between 1887 and 1888, 1893 and 1895 and 1901 and 1903; and principal mezzo-soprano 'Louie Pounds". Courtice Pounds later married actress Millicent Pine.