single sheet (8 April) (Richmond)
After our hartie comendacions. Whereas her Ma{ies}tie (haveinge been well pleased heertofore at tymes of recreacion with the services of Edward Allen and his Companie Servantes to me the Earle of Nottingham wheareof, of late he hath made discontynuance) Hath sondrye tymes signified her pleasuer, that he should revive the same agayne: fforasmuche as he hath bestowed a greate some of money, not onelie for the Title of a plott of grounde, scituat in averie remote and exempt place neere Goulding Lane, theare to Erect a Newe house but alsoe is in good forwardnes aboute the frame and warkmanshipp theareof. The conveniencie of which place. for that purpose ys testified vnto vs; vnder the handes of manie of the Inhabitantes of the Libertie of fynisbury wheare it is and recomended by some of the Iustices them selves. Wee thearfore haveinge informed her Maiestie lykewise of the decaye of the howse, wherein this Companye Latelie plaied scituate vppon the Bancke verie Noysome, for the resorte of people in the Wynter tyme. haue receaued order to requier yow to Tollerate the proceedinge of the saide Newhowse neere Goulding lane. And doe heerbye requier you and everie of yow. To permitt and suffer the saied Edward Allen to proceede in theffectinge and finishinge of the same Newehowse, without anie your Lett or interrupcion, towardes him, or anye of his woorkmen the rather because an other howse is pulled downe, insteade of yt. And soe not doubtinge of your conformitye heerein. Wee comitt yow to God, frome the Courte at Richmond the viijth of Aprill 1600.
Your Loveinge freindes/
(signed) Notingham
(signed) G Hunsdon
(signed) Robert Cecyll
For an image of the original manuscript, see the Henslowe-Alleyn Digitisation Project, MS 1 Article 29.
As Wickham et al note, the letter indicates that Alleyn, having retired from the stage in 1597, may have offered to return to perform again with the Lord Admiral's Men at his new theatre if permission to proceed was granted (English Professional Theatre, p 539).
The signatories to the letter were three influential members of the Privy Council: Edward Alleyn's patron, Charles Howard, tenth earl of Nottingham and Lord Admiral, 1585–1618/19; George Carey, second Baron Hunsdon and Lord Chamberlain of the Household, 1597–1603; and Sir Robert Cecil, Lord Secretary, 1596–1612.
Record title: Warrant from the Privy Council
Repository: Dulwich College
Shelfmark: MS I, box C
Repository location: Dulwich
Members of the Privy Council are responding here to a
letter of objection sent to the Privy Council by Lord Willoughby and other residents in
the Finsbury neighbourhood regarding the
proposed new Fortune playhouse on 9 March 1599/1600
(TNA: PC 2/25, p 78). For further discussion and partial transcriptions
of these documents, see also Wickham et al,
English Professional Theatre, pp 534–9.
For
an abstract of the document and details of its transcription history,
see the related EMLoT event record.
8 April 1600; English; paper; single sheet; 305mm x 204mm; no original foliation; endorsed on the bottom left panel after sheet folded once vertically and thrice horizontally: 'To the Iustices of Peace of ye Countye of Middlesex | especially of St Gyles without Creplegate | And to all others. whome it shall | Concerne.' Article 29 in Warner's Catalogue; foliated 43 in later pencil, formerly bound in MS I but now mounted separately on acid-free paper with other documents of similar size in fascicule 3, box C.