p 181 (19 February) (Whitehall)
...
A
lettre to the Master of the Revelles and Iustices of Peace and of Middlesex &
Surrey. Whereas licence hath bin graunted vnto two
Companies of Stage Players retayned vnto vs the Lord Admyral and Lord Chamberlain, to vse and practise Stage
Playes, whereby they might be the better enhabled and prepared to shew such
plaies before her Maiestie as they shalbe required at tymes
meete and accustomed, to which ende they haue bin Cheefelie licensed and
tollerated as aforesaid: And whereas there is also a third Company who of late (as
wee are informed) haue by waie of intrusion vsed likewise to play<.>, having neither prepared any plaie for her
Maiestie, nor are bound to yow, the Masters of the Revelles, for
perfourming such orders as haue bin prescribed, and are enioyned to be obserued by
the other two Companies before mencioned; Wee haue therefore thought good
to require yow, vpon receipt heereof to take order that the aforesaid third Company
may be suppressed, and none suffered heere after to plaie; but those two formerlie
named belonging to vs the lord admiral's players Lord Admyrall and Lord Chamberlaine, vnles yow shall receaue
other direccion from vs. And so &c./
...
The third company that had drawn the ire of the Privy Council is not identified here but this letter provides evidence that attempts to limit the number of companies and playhouses in the London area continued to be unsuccessful. The Lord Admiral's Men remained based at the Rose until 1600 when the Fortune playhouse opened in Finsbury north of the city wall.
Record title: Privy Council Letter to the Master of the Revels and JPs of Middlesex and Surrey
Repository:
TNA
Shelfmark: PC 2/23
Repository location: Kew
For an abstract of the document and details of its transcription history, see the related EMLoT event record.
20 September 1597–30 July 1598; English; paper; iii + 214 + i; 405mm x 253mm; ink pagination 1–362, unpaginated index in a different hand (34 leaves); bound in maroon leather over boards, tooled, title on spine in gilt: 'ELIZABETH. | VOL. XIV. | COUNCIL | REGISTER.|20. SEP. 1597. | TO | 30.JULY. 1598.'
The National Archives of the UK, PC 2/23