ART. X.-The Whitefriars Theatre, the Salisbury Court Theatre, and the Duke's Theatre in Dorset Gardens.

Three of our early theatres stood between the Thames and Fleet Street; the first was called the Whitefriars Theatre, the second the Salisbury Court Theatre, and the third The Duke's Theatre, in Dorset Gardens.

The Whitefriars Theatre, of which no earlier mention has been found than an incidental notice on the title-page of a play by Field, printed in 1612, and called, "Woman is a Weathercock," was the old "hall or refectorie" belonging to the dissolved Monastery of Whitefriars, and stood within the precinct of the monastery, and without the garden-wall of Salisbury House, the old inn or hostel of the Bishops of Salisbury. The Salisbury Court Theatre was originally the "barn," or granary, at the lower end of the great backyard or court of Salisbury House, and stood (as the indenture here first printed unquestionably proves) within the grounds of Salisbury House and Gardens; and the Duke's Theatre, in Dorset Gardens, stood facing the river,

1 "And whereas the said Phillip Rossiter and the rest of his said partners have ever since trayned and practized a convenient nomber of children of the Revells for the purpose aforesaid in a messuage or mansion house, being percell of the late dissolved monastery called the Whitefryers, neere Fleete Streete, in London, which the said Phillip Rosseter did lately hold for terme of certeine yeres expired."-Privy Seal of 31 May, 1616. Collier's Annals, i., 397.

"The Theater is situate neer vnto the Bishopps House, and was in former times a hall or refectorie belonging to the dissolved Monastery. It hath been vsed as a place for the presentation of playes and enterludes for more than 30 yeares last by the children of her Majestie. It hath little or no furniture for a playhouse, saving an old tottered curten, some decayed benches, and a few worne out properties and peeces of Arras for hangings to the stage and tire house. The raine hath made its way in, and if it bee not repaired, it must soone be plucked downe, or it will fall.” -Survey of the Precinct of Whitefriars, made in March, 1616. lier's New Facts regarding Shakespeare, 12mo., 1835, p. 44.

Col

at the bottom of the present Dorset Street, Strype distinctly marking the site in his map of the Ward of Farringdon Without, engraved for his edition of Stow, published in 1720. By whom the Whitefriars Theatre was erected has not as yet been discovered. The Salisbury Court Theatre was built in 1629 by Richard Gunnell and William Blagrove, players: and the Duke's Theatre, in Dorset Garden, (opened 9 November, 1671) was commenced by Sir William Davenant, and completed by his widow. It should be mentioned that Salisbury House and Dorset House were one and the same building, and that it was called Dorset House, after Thomas Sackville, Lord Buckhurst, the poet, created Earl of Dorset by King James I., to whom the property of the See of Salisbury, in Fleet Street, was conveyed, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, by Jewell, Bishop of Salisbury, in exchange for certain lands near Cricklade, in Wilts.1

"The children of the Revels to the Queen," the name by which Philip Rosseter's company of Players at the Whitefriars Theatre was known in the reign of James I., ceased to perform there some time between the years 1613 and 1616. On the 13th of July, 1613, Sir George Buc, the Master of the Revels, received £20 for "a licence to erect a new playhouse in Whitefriars ;" and King James's patent to Rosseter of 31 May, 1616, particularly mentions the removal of the company to the Blackfriars. The theatre in the Whitefriars was not, I believe, rebuilt, though the case of Trevill v. Woodford, in the Court of Requests, informs us that plays were performed at the Whitefriars Theatre as late as 1621; Sir Anthony Ashley, the then landlord of the house, entering the Theatre in that year, and turning the players out of doors, on pretence that half a year's rent was yet unpaid to him. The following document (our next information on the subject,

2 Trevill v. Woodford, in Court of Requests, 18 Charles I.-(Documents at the Chapter House, Westminster.)

and hitherto unpublished) refers, it will be seen, to the Salisbury Court Theatre.

[Indenture, 15th July, 1629, 5th Chas. I.]

"This Indenture, made the ffifteenth daie of July, in the yeare of the Raigne of or Soveraigne Lord Charles, by the grace of God, of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, Kinge Defendor of the faith, &c., the ffifth Betweene John Herne, of Lincolns Inne, in the County of Midd3, Esq., of th' one part, And the right honourable Edward Earle of Dorsett, of the noble order of the Garter, Knight, and one of his Mats most honourable privie Councell of th' other part, Whereas, St Henry Compton, of Brambletie, in the County of Sussex, of the honoble order of the Bath, Knight, and St John Sackvill, of London, Knight, by their Indenture bearinge even date wth these p'sents made betwixt the said Earle, Sr Henry Compton, and St John Sackvill, of th' one partie, And the said John Herne, of th' other partie, have, by and with the appoyntment, direction, and consent of the said Earle, for the consideracon of the some of Nyne hundred and fiftie pounds then payd, demised, bargained, and sould unto the said John Herne, his executors and assignes, All that soyle and grounde whereupon the Barne, at the lower end of the great Backe Court or yard of Salisbury Court now stands, and soemuch of the soyle whereupon the whole south end of the great stable in the said court or yard stands, or conteynes from that end of that stable towards the north end thereof, Sixteene foote of Assize and the whole breadth of the said stable, and all the grounde and soyle on the east and west side of that stable lyeing directly against the said Sixteene foote of grounde at the south end thereof, betweene the wall of the great Garden belonginge to the Mansion called Dorsett house and the wall that severs the said Court from the lane called Water lane, And all the grounde and soyle beinge betweene the said walles on the cast and west parte thereof, and the said Barne, stable, and grounde, on both

sides the same on the south and north parts thereof, web said seu'all p'cells of soyle and ground therein before menconed to bee demised conteyne, in the whole in length, from the Brickwall of the said Garden, att the east thereof, to the said wall dividinge the said Court or yard from the said Lane called Water lane at the West One hundred and fforty foote of Assize; and in breadth, from the outside of the said Barne towards the south into the said stables and grounde, on both sides thereof towards the north, fforty and two foote of Assize, and lyes together att the lower end of the said Court or yard in the Parish of St Bridgett's, neere Fleet streete; and is or late was in the possession or occupacon of the said Earle or his underteñnts, Together wth all such and the like liberties, licences, free ingresse, egresse, and regresse, for the said John Herne, his executors, and assignes, and all and every other p'son or p'sons, in, by, thorough, and on anie part of the Court called Salisbury Court, and also anie the utter Courts belonginge to the said Mansion House called Dorsett house, in, by, and through all and every the gates, wayes, entryes, and passages, there comonly nowe used, or wch, att anie tyme hereafter, shalbee made or comonly used dureinge the terme thereby granted as were together, wth the demised and bargained p'misses unto Richard Gunnel and Will'm Blagrove, by and from the said Sr Henry Compton and S John Sackvill, by Indenture dated the sixt daye of this instant July; And also all other the grounde, soyle, liberties, lycences, and p'viledges demised unto the said Richard Gunnell and Will'm Blagrove, theire executors, and assignes,

1 Richard Gunnel was constituted one of the Elector Palatine's Servants by Privy Seal of the 4th January, 1612-13; the Elector's Servants were then acting at the Fortune Theatre, in Golden Lane. Richard Gunnel was one of the Company when the Fortune was burnt down in December, 1621. See Collier's Annals, i., 382 and 427.

The Blagrove family were connected, for nearly a century, with Court entertainments. Thomas Blagrove was Master of the Revels in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. William Blagrove was Master of the

in and by the said Indenture; And also the revercon and revercons of all and singuler the p'misses and all the rents and profitts incident or belonginge thereunto, To have and to hould the same for the terme of Threescore and One yeares from the eight daye of July last past, under the rent of a peppercorne. Nowe, this Indenture witnesseth That it is condescended, concluded, and agreed unto by and betweene the parties to these p'sents; And the said John Herne doth, for himselfe, his executors, administrators, and assignes, and for every of them, covenante, promise, and graunte to and wth the said Earle, his heires and assignes, that if the said

Children of the Revels in the reign of Charles I., and Richard and Thomas Blagrove were successively of the King's band of Musicians for the wind instruments.

The following documents, connected with the Blagrove family, will not be out of place in a volume of miscellaneous communications :—

[Audit Office Enrolments-Temp. Car. I., vol. A.]

The nuncupative will of Richard Blagraue, of Woking, in the County of Surrey, gent., late one of the Musicians for the Winde Instruments, which he spake and uttered in the beginning of December, or aboute that time, Ano D'ni, 1641, was here shewen, whereby it appeereth that he made Ann, his wife, sole executrix of this his said will, wch was proved the xvth day February, 1641 [i.e. 1641-2].

[Audit Office Enrol., vol. iv., p. 399.]

Charles, by the Grace of God, &c. Whereas wee haue appointed Thomas Blagraue to be one of our Musicians for the wind instruments in ordinary in the place of his father Richard Blagrave deceased: And are pleased to allow unto him the sume of xxd per diem as wages, and sixteene pounds twoe shillings and sixpence per ann.: as Liuery being the enterteynemt which the said Richard Blagraue had and enioyed. Wee doe hereby will and comaund you, out of our treasure, to paye or cause to bee paid to the said Thomas Blagrave or his assignes the said sums quarterly, at the foure usuall feasts in the yeare. The first payment thereof to commence from the feast of the Birth of our Lord God last past before the date of these presents. And these our L'res shalbee your sufficient warrt and discharge in that behalfe. Giuen under our signett, at o'r Manno' of Yorke, the nineteenth day of Aprill, in the xviijth year of our raigne [1642].-Ex. p. Warwick.