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List of Companies of Actors of the
Elizabethan Era.

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The Lord Strange's Men (formed alfo a
part of the Chamberlain Company)

The Chamberlain's (King's) Company
The Prince's (Admiral's) Company
The Cynthia's Revels
The Poetafter

1582* 1586

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1594 1594-1619

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1598-1615 1600

1601

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The Servants of the Duke of York and

Rothfay (afterwards Charles I.)
Company

The King's Company

The Fortune Company

The Queen's Revels Company.

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1610

1619-1642

1622

1622-1639

1622

The Phoenix (Lady Elizabeth's) Company.
The Holland's Leaguer (Prince Charles II.)
Shakespeare acted in the Chamberlain's
Company.

1633 (King's)

* Vide Collier's Hiftory of Dramatic Literature and Annals of the Stage, alfo the Variorum Shakspeare, Old Shakespeare Society's Publications, Vols. I. and IV., and Shakespeare Manual, by F. G. Fleay, p. 113.

List of the Principal Playhouses, &c.,

THAT WERE IN EXISTENCE FROM

1520 TO 1629.*

The Circus, called Paris Garden, earliest Bankside theatre, a playhouse, circ. 1520, used for baiting. Plays performed here temp. James I., when Henflowe and Alleyn were leffees.†

St. Paul's Singing School.

* Vide Prynne's Hiftrio Maflix (The Player's Scourge, or Actor's Tragedie, 1633), p. 492. Malone's Shakespeare, Vol. I., Part II., p. 48. Percy's Reliques of Ancient English Poetry, 6th edition, 1824, Vol. I. (“Effay on the Stage"), p. 263.

+ Nash, in Strange Newes, 1590, mentions performance of puppets here. Dekker, in his Satiro-maflix, or the Vntruffing of the Humorous Poet, 1602, afferts that Ben Jonfon once acted here. According to Aggas's Map of London, circ. 1560, there were two establishments for circus performances lower down the bank. "Now, to return to the west bank, there be two bear gardens, the old and the new places, wherein be kept bears, bulls, and other beafts to be baited: as alfo maftiffs in feveral kennels, nourished to bait them. These bears and other beafts are there baited in plots of ground, fcaffolded about for beholders to ftand aloof."-Stow's Survey (Thoms's Edition), p. 151.

Stephen Goffon mentions in his Playes Confuted, 1582, "Cupid and Pfyche' plaid at Paules, and a greate many comedies more at the Blackefriers and in every playe houfe in London."

The Blackfriars, built 1596, upon part of the old Monastery, in Playhouse Yard.* Leafed by Alleyn in 1618.† The Globe, erected 1599, Bankfide, Southwark,+ now fite of Barclay's Brewery.

The Whitefriars, near Fleet Street, originally Hall of Whitefriars Monaftery, outfide garden wall of Dorfet House. Fitted up in 1586. Taken down in 1613. § The Hope, by river fide, in Southwark, Jonson's Bartholomew Fair performed here.

The Rofe, by river fide, in Southwark, built before 1597, probably between 1584-85. Held by Henflowe. Occupied fite of Rofe Alley, weft of Globe Alley.|| The Swan, by river fide, in Southwark. Moft westerly. In repute anterior to 1598.¶ The Fortune, in Golding (now Golden) Lane, Barbican. Built by Henslowe and Alleyn, 1599-1600. Situated on the east fide. Opened May, 1601. Burnt Dec. 9th, 1621, and rebuilt. Interior burnt 1649.** The Red Bull Theatre, fituated in Woodbridge Street,

* Vide "Deed of Feoffment from Sir William More, of Lofeley, co. Surrey, to James Burbage, 4 February, 1596, conveying to the latter that portion of a large houfe in the Blackfriars, which was afterwards converted by him into a Theatre." -Printed in Halliwell's Illuftrations, &c., Appendix, pp. 108-112. † Alleyn's Diary at Dulwich College.

See map in Strype's ed. of Stow, 1720; Ulrici, l. c. V.i. p.106. § A Playhouse was erected near the Whitefriars, in Salisbury Court, in 1629. Vide Howes' Continuation of Stow.

|| Jour. Brit. Archæ. Assoc., 1859, Art: On Fac-Similes of Notice Bills of the Rofe Theatre, by J. O. Halliwell, p. 290; Collier's Memoir of Edward Alleyn, 1841, p. 189.

¶ The Harl, Mifcel., x. 198, ed. Park.

** Vide Alleyn's Diary.

L

Clerkenwell, branching from Aylesbury Street. Conjectured to have been originally an Inn Yard. Ufed for performances in the reign of Elizabeth. The King's Players, under Killigrew, acted here up to their removal to Drury Lane. Women first acted on the English stage here.*

The Cross Keys, in Gracious or Graffe Church (now Gracechurch) Street.†

The Bull, in Bishopfgate Street.‡

The Tuns.§

The Theatre, on fite of Priory of St. John the Baptist, at Holywell, near Curtain Road and Shoreditch. Built 1576. In 1598 the wood of this theatre removed to Bankfide to enlarge the Globe. ||

The Curtain, in Curtain Road.¶

* Pinks and Wood's Hiftory of Clerkenwell, p. 191; Geneste's London, Hiftory of the Stage, Vol. X., p. 101; Timbs' Curiofities of p. 236. Goffon's Schoole of Abuse, 1579, p. 40. (Arber's Rep.)

† Alluded to as "Theaters" fet up "in the Inn Yards of the Crofs Keyes and Bull in Grace and Bifhopfgate Street," by Flecknoe: Short Difcourfe of the English Stage, 1664. ‡ Ib., Flecknoe.

§ Query If "THE THREE TUNS," which stood before 1684 at Holborn Bridge. See Lift of Tokens iffued by the tradefmen of Holborn Bridge in the 17th century, in Pinks and Wood's Hiftory of Clerkenwell, p. 382.

Thom's New Edition of Stow's Survey, 1876, p. 158; Collier's Annals of the Stage, Vol. III., p. 263. This theatre is mentioned in John Stockwood's Sermon at Paul's Cross, 1578, as the "gorgeous playing-place erected in the fields." Mentioned alfo in the Star Chamber Records, 1598. Goffon, l. c., p. 40.

Referred to by Stow in his Survey, 1ft edition, 1599, p. 349; Northbrook's Treatife against Diceing, Dancing, Vain Plays, or Interludes, 1577; Stubbs' Anatomie of Abuses, 1583; Sir Henry

Newington Butts, Henflowe's Theatre. Built before the Globe. Performances recorded from June, 1594,

by the Lord Admiral's men and the Lord Chamberlain's men.*

The Nursery, in Barbican.

The Cockpit, or Phoenix Theatre, was oppofite the Castle

Tavern, St. Giles'-in-the-Fields, occupied fite of Cockpit Alley, now Pitt Place. Built or re-built 1617.† The Belle Sauvage, on Ludgate Hill. +

Ellis, Hiftory of Shoreditch, quotes entries of marriages, &c., of players from the parish books. Remains of this theatre were standing about 1772.—Vide, Maitland's Hiftory of London.

* Titus Andronicus, Hamlet, and Taming of the Shrew reported to have been acted here. See Diary of Philip Henflowe, from 1591 to 1609. Edited by J. P. Collier, Shakespeare Society, 1845.

† Camden's Annals, fub 1617, Martii 4, and Journal Brit. Archa. Affo., Dec. 31, 1860, pp. 275-6, art. Eng. Stage by G. R. Wright.

For further particulars concerning the localities, &c., of thefe and other playhouses and inn yards where were represented plays, &c., fee Gosson, l.c., p. 40, J. O. Halliwell-Phillipps's Illustrations, &c., Part I., p. 42 et seq.; Reed's Preface to Dodsley's Collection of Old Plays; Hazlitt's English Drama and Stage, 1869; Collier's Brief History of the English Drama and Stage, 1858; Pennant's Some Account of London, 5th edit., 1813, pp. 50, 79, 215, 334; Collier's Memoirs of Edward Alleyn, Founder of Dulwich College, 1841; Doran's Their Majefties Servants; Russell's Representative Actors; Stow's Survay of London (the several editions); G. R. Corner, On fome Ancient Inns of Southwark; P. Cunningham's Handbook of London, Paft and Prefent; Flecknoe's Short Discourfe of the English Stage, 1664; Collier's Bibliographical Account of the Rareft Books in the English Language, 1865, Vol. II., pp. 25. 56, 381, 518; Charles Knight's London, 1851, Vol. V., pp. 273 et feq.; Professor J. A. Ward's History of Dramatic Literature, 2 vols., 1875.

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