The New Murrey and Blue blog

Well, it seems that women playing the Bard’s Richard III go back further than I realized. It’s not a new thing, by any means. This article
is about Elizabeth Winstanley, who died in December 1864 at the age of 64.

She originated in Wigan, Lancs, and her family emigrated to Sydney in 1833. An interest in acting soon led to her becoming a star of the Australian stage, and she raised quite a storm when she elected to play Richard III.

Hers is an interesting story, and more can be read at the above link.