 Grimaldi met his future wife , Maria Hughes in 1796 . The eldest daughter of the proprietor of the Sadler 's Wells theatre , Richard Hughes , Maria was introduced to Grimaldi by his mother , Rebecca Brooker , and a romance soon blossomed . They married on 11 May 1799 and moved to 37 Penton Street , Pentonville . Later that year , Grimaldi appeared in a succession of shows including A Trip to Scarborough ( as a countryman ) and Rule a Wife and Have a Wife ( as a maid ) . The roles he took in these productions were eccentric and usually reserved for low comedians . Despite this , he was praised for his characterisations and was deemed a player of legitimate adult roles at Drury Lane , which qualified him to become a member of the prestigious Drury Lane Theatrical Fund . 
