Players and Performances in Early Modern Gloucester, Tewkesbury and Bristol SARAH ELIZABETH LOWE A thesis submitted to The University of Gloucestershire in accordance with the requirements to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Faculty of Education, Humanities and Sciences February 2008 i ABSTRACT This thesis is an analysis of the responses in the early modern period of civic and church authorities to local and visiting groups of players in Gloucester, Tewkesbury and Bristol. It is also an examination of the venues in which these groups performed. Reactions to these groups varied, and this study explores how these, both positive and negative, were affected by economic, legal and cultural factors. The thesis proceeds chronologically, and is thus divided into twenty-year intervals in order to draw the most effective comparisons between the three urban centres over a number of decades. The first period under examination, the 1560s, records the early reaction of the three settlements to the phenomenon of the Elizabethan travelling company. The relationship between the regional authorities and the patrons comes to the fore in the second period, the 1580s, as the dominance of the ambitious Earl of Leicester grew in the region. Legislation decreeing the withdrawal of mayoral control over itinerant troupes at the close of the sixteenth century, the third period, released civic officials from previous obligations and this influenced the level and character of their hospitality towards the ‘noble’ companies. Although evidence is scarce, the records of Gloucester, Tewkesbury and Bristol contain clues to an attitude towards these entertainers during the reign of James I, the final period under scrutiny. The study is based on the extant economic records for the region, as these contain much fruitful information. This thesis consciously places itself in dialogue with the internationally acclaimed REED Project, and draws on the information collated by the editors of the volumes for Bristol and Gloucestershire. A parallel examination of the entries into municipal records of the three towns, and the areas around them, in conjunction with genealogical and topographical evidence, has allowed for an interpretation of the data in a wide regional context, revealing that although each town tolerated players in their municipal spaces, with the officials personally entertaining the companies on some occasions, the reception of the companies varied significantly from town to town and across the historic period. I declare that the work in this thesis was carried out in accordance with the regulations of the University of Gloucestershire and is original except where indicated by specific reference in the text. No part of this thesis has been submitted as part of any other academic award. This thesis has not been presented to any other education institution in the United Kingdom or overseas. Any views expressed in this thesis are those of the author and in no way represent those of the University. Signed …………………………… Date…………………. iii CONTENTS Abbreviations iv List of Tables v Acknowledgements vi 1) “He that plays the king shall be welcome”: Introduction 1 2) “Believe me, noble lord, I am a stranger here in Gloucestershire”: Early Modern Drama in the County Capital 60 Venues 62 1560: The Watershed of Professional Playing in Gloucester 66 1580: Politics, Patronage and Playing 78 1600: The End of an Era? 93 1620s: Playing in Stuart Gloucester 102 3) “We are advised by our loving friends [that] they do hold their course towards Tewksbury”: Church and Independent Playing in a North Gloucestershire Town 108 Venues 111 1567-1585: Evidence for Playing in the Churchwardens’ Accounts 121 1584: Tewkesbury’s Only Recorded Civic Performance 136 1600: The Tewkesbury Abbey Whitsun Fundraiser 145 1620s: The Churchwardens’ Legacy? 159 4) “With two Provincial Roses […] get me a fellowship in a cry of players”: Public and Private Playing in Bristol in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century 170 Venues 171 1560: The Development of Commercial Theatre in Bristol 181 1576-1586: A Decade of Change in Bristol Drama 187 Wine Street and Redcliffe Hill: Bristol’s Two Provincial ‘Roses’ 195 The Bristol Boys: Her Majesty’s Servants of the Royal Chamber at Bristol 206 1620s: Further Independent Playing in Stuart Bristol 213 5) “The actors are come hither, my lord”: Conclusions Comparative Analysis of Playing in Gloucester, Tewkesbury and Bristol 222 1560-1580: Early Economic Trends in Bristol and Gloucestershire Playing 225 1580-1588: The Dudley Family Influence 232 1590-1605: The Emergence of Private Theatre in Bristol 242 1605-1642: Stuart Drama and the ‘Decline’ of Travelling Players in Bristol and Gloucestershire 250 Playing by the Rules?: Reactions to Players in Early Modern Gloucester, Tewkesbury and Bristol 259 Appendix I: Plates, Maps and Plans of Playing Places in Early Modern Gloucester, 279 Tewkesbury and Bristol Select Bibliography 292 iv ABBREVIATIONS BRL Bristol Reference Library Archives BRO Bristol Record Office GBR Gloucestershire Borough Records GRO Gloucestershire Records Office REED Records of Early English Drama series, published by the University of Toronto REED Bath REED: Somerset, including Bath, 2 Volumes, I, ed. by Robert Alexander with James Stokes (1996) REED Bristol REED: Bristol, ed. by Mark C. Pilkington (1997) REED Coventry REED: Coventry, ed. by William Ingram (1981) REED Devon REED: Devon, ed. by John Wasson (1986) REED Dorset/Cornwall REED: Dorset/Cornwall, ed. by Rosalind Conklin Hays and C. E. McGee, Sally L. Joyce and Evelyn S. Newlyn (1999) REED Glos. REED: Cumberland, Westmorland and Gloucestershire, ed. by Audrey Douglas and Peter Greenfield (1986) REED Norwich REED: Norwich, ed. by David Galloway (1984) REED Shropshire REED: Shropshire, 2 Volumes, ed. by J. Alan B. Somerset (1994) REED Worcs. REED: Herefordshire and Worcestershire ed. by David Klausner (1990) TBR Tewkesbury Borough Records v LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Payments to Performers in Gloucester, 1550-1560 67 Table 2: Payments to Performers in Gloucester, 1560-1570 71 Table 3: Payments to Performers in Gloucester, 1579-80 to 1584-85 87 Table 4: Payments to Performers in Gloucester, 1590-1596 95 Table 5: Rental Receipts in the Tewkesbury Abbey Churchwardens’ Accounts, 1567-1585 121-2 Table 6: A Comparison of the Expenses for the 1584 Tewkesbury Market Play, with Relative Figures from an Assize Session in Tewkesbury in 1580 142 Table 7: Descriptions of Wine Street Properties in Elizabethan Bristol 177 Table 8: Performances in Bristol, November 1561-November 1562 182 Table 9: Number of Professional Players Visiting Bristol [REED Bristol, p. xxxiv] 189 Table 10: Performances by Named Professional Players in Bristol, 1600-1642 [REED Bristol, p. xxxv] 218 Table 11: Payments to Performers in Bristol, 1629-1636 219 Table 12: Total of Payments made to Professional Travelling Players in the 1560s 225-6 Table 13: The Tariff System in Operation in Early Modern Bristol and Gloucestershire 226 Table 14: Payments to Performers by Bristol and Gloucester, 1559-60 to 1569-70 228 Table 15: Extra Payments to Professional Players by Gloucester Corporation in the 1560s 229 Table 16: Payments to Performers by Bristol and Gloucester, 1570-71 to 1579-80 230 Table 17: Payments and Extra Rewards to Professional Players, 1570-71 to 1579-80 231 Table 18: Payments to Players in Gloucester, 1579-1590 234 Table 19: Payments to Players in Bristol, 1579-1590 235 Table 20: Total Payments to Players in Bristol and Gloucester, 1550-1600 241 Table 21: Payments to Professional Players, 1580-81 to 1589-90 241 Table 22: Payments to Professional Players, 1590-91 to 1599-1600 242-3 Table 23: Payments to Patronised Companies by Bristol and Gloucester, 1589-90 to 1595-96 243 Table 24: Payments to Professional Players in Bristol, 1596-1600 245 vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many people have helped me in the course of my research, however first and foremost I must gladly acknowledge my debt to Stephanie Hodgson-Wright, Simon Barker and Peter Widdowson of the for their unconditional support as my doctoral supervisors for the last five years, and for their direction and always making time to see me. In addition, I must thank Carole Wrighton and the Learning Centre team for their help in sourcing and purchasing materials for my research and Annie Brocklehurst for helping me with all of my research-related queries. Lorna Scott and Caro McIntosh of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society Archives have been a great help in finding references, maps and articles and I must thank the Society itself for the helpful Transactions series. The members of staff at the Theatre Museum at the University of Bristol have been most generous with their time, permitting me access to the files of Kathleen Barker and answering my numerous questions. The archivists and staff of the Bristol and Gloucestershire Archives have been extremely helpful in allowing me to reproduce maps and manuscript material. I must also acknowledge the kindness of David Willavoys of the Tewkesbury Historical Society who took time to discuss the town’s theatrical history with me and Maggie Thornton, curator of Tewkesbury Borough Museum, for allowing me access to the stores and for inviting me to display my findings as an exhibition in the future. The Cornell family of The Wheatsheaf has been a great help in researching the history of their home. I am grateful to Peter Greenfield of the University of Puget Sound, who introduced me to the group of scholars interested in provincial theatre history and read an initial draft of my thesis. I am also indebted to Siobhan Keenan of the University of the West of England for her work on travelling players and allowing me to test her argument on regional Stuart theatre. I am also obliged to Mark Pilkington of the University of Notre Dame and the late Kathleen Barker for their pioneering research into the dramatic history of Bristol, and the Shakespeare Association of America for inviting me to discuss my topics on the international stage.