p 196 (16 April)
At this assemblie Mr Maior and the Companie within named being at the
hall about the assessing for the poore and other urgent busines/ there came in
Gilbert ‸⸢Reason⸣ a player and shewing his authoritie
deseired to have leave to playe in the towne/ whervppon Mr Maior & the Companie
Considering the povertie of the towne and the inconvenience of suffering players to
plaie too long in the towne heertofore, thought good to lymitt him the said Gilbert
and his company to plaie onlie this evening and to morrowe and no longer ‸⸢or two other daies in the old towne hall⸣ and the said Gilbert
not being therwithall contented much vrged to have longer time/
therwith and would not depart being three or foure times so required,
but at length said hee would stand <.> on his authoritie and told Mr Maior that he would be
questyoned for yt/ and that he should heare from my Lord Chamberlaine with
divers other peremptory speeches/
...
Gilbert Reason was the leader of the prince's players (Bentley, Jacobean and Caroline Stage, vol 2, pp 541–2). The town hall stood where the later guildhall still stands, at the junction of High Street and Quay Street (VCH: Hampshire, vol 5, pp 253-65, British History Online, http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/hants/vol5/pp253-265 [accessed 21 April 2017]).
Record title: Newport Convocation
Book
Repository: Isle of Wight Record Office and Archive
Shelfmark: NBC/45/16a
Repository location: Newport
The convocation book was effectively the minute book of Newport's council, recording its actions in a relatively rough form. Items of recurring interest were often copied into the more formal Ligger Book.
1609–59; English; paper; xiv + 708 + ii; 296mm x 197mm; original ink pagination; modern cardboard cover, marbled with red cloth corners and spine, title in gold on spine: 'Convocation Book 22nd Feby 1609 to 11th Sepr 1659' and at top of spine: '45/16A | 1609 to 1669.'