She was brought to the attention of Betterton by Elizabeth Barry, who had seen her play the Fairy Queen at Bartholomew Fair.
In his company she made her first appearance in 1699, in tragedy, in which she was at her best, although she also played a long list of comedy parts. When her friends, Mrs Barry, Mrs Bracegirdle and Mrs Oldfield, had retired from the stage, she was left its undisputed queen.
In 1713, she appeared in John Gay's comedy The Wife of Bath at Drury Lane. In 1724 she featured in his tragedy The Captives as Astarbe, Queen of Media.
