St Saviour's Vestry Minutes

LMA: P92/SAV/450

p 323 (20 April)

...

Item it is Ordered that a viewe shalbe made by the Churchwardens howe manye newe tenementes mr Langlye hath builded since the Order sett downe for his Tythes And that they shall speake to mr Langlye & mr Henslowe & Iacob Meade for monie for the pore, in Regarde of theire plaies/

...

p 324 (1 May)

...

Item it is ordered that mr Langlyes newe buildinges shalbe vyewed accordinge to an order the last Vestrey And that he, mr Henslowe & Iacob Meade shalbe mooved for monie for the pore in regarde of theire playehouses/

..

p 325 (19 July)

...

Inprimis it was ordered at this vestrye that a peticion shalbe made to the bodye of the Councell concerninge the playehouses in this paryshe wherein the enormyties shalbe shewed that comes therebye to the paryshe And that in respecte thereof they maye be dismissed & putt downe from playeinge and that iiij or ij of the Churchwardens, mr Howse, mr Garlonde, mr Iohn Payne, mr Humble, or ij of them & mr Russell & mr Ironmonger or one of them shall presente the cause with a Collector of the Borowghside & an other of the Bankside/

...

  • Footnotes
    • Item: in display script
    • Item: in display script
    • Inprimis: in display script
    • mr Howse: Thomas Howse, auditor, 1598
    • mr Garlonde: Thomas Garlonde (?), churchwarden, 1597
    • mr Iohn Payne: auditor, 1597
    • mr Humble: auditor, 1597
    • mr Russell: Oliver Russell (?), churchwarden, 1598
    • mr Ironmonger: Thomas Ironmonger, surveyor of church lands, 1598
  • Modernized Text

    p 323 (20 April)

    ...

    Item: It is ordered that a view shall be made by the churchwardens how many new tenements Mr Langley has built since the order set down for his tithes, and that they shall speak to Mr Langley and Mr Henslowe and Jacob Meade for money for the poor in regard of their plays.

    ...

    p 324 (1 May)

    ...

    Item: It is ordered that Mr Langley’s new buildings shall be viewed according to an order the last vestry and that he, Mr Henslowe, and Jacob Meade shall be moved for money for the poor in regard of their playhouses.

    ...

    p 325 (19 July)

    ...

    Imprimis: It was ordered at this vestry that a petition shall be made to the body of the council concerning the playhouses in this parish, wherein the enormities shall be shown that come thereby to the parish, and that in respect thereof they may be dismissed and put down from playing, and that four or two of the churchwardens, Mr Howse, Mr Garland, Mr John Payne, Mr Humble, or two of them and Mr Russell, Mr Ironmonger, or one of them shall present the cause with a collector of the Boroughside and another of the Bankside.
    ...

  • Endnote

    In 1589 Francis Langley had acquired the lordship of the manor of Paris Garden, west of Bankside in the parish of St Saviour, Southwark. By 1595 he had opened a second theatre there, the Swan, which must have increased the traffic of playgoers across the Thames to the area (for further details and illustrations, see P & P). Jacob Meade (1557–1624) was a waterman, resident in the Clink liberty and Henslowe's partner in the later Hope/Bear Garden enterprise (see further Honigmann and Brock, Playhouse Wills, pp 134–8). It seems possible from this entry in the vestry minutes that he may have had an association with Henslowe for the Rose as well as the Bear Garden by 1598, around the time when he was appointed keeper of the Royal Game of Bears, Bulls and Mastiff Dogs (see further Warner, Catalogue, p 234). Meade first appears in 1597 as a resident of Rose Alley in the Clink in the St Saviour Token Books. The playhouses concerned here and below are Langley's Swan in Paris Garden manor and Henslowe's Rose in the Clink liberty, both within the parish boundaries of St Saviour's.

    For an abstract of the document and details of its transcription history, see the related EMLoT event record.

  • Event Entity Pages
  • Document Description

    Record title: St Saviour's Vestry Minutes
    Repository: LMA
    Shelfmark: P92/SAV/450
    Repository location: London

    The vestry minutes record meetings of the parish vestry to deal with such issues as church fabric, lands, upkeep, annual elections, and poor relief. No vestry minutes survive between 1628 and 1670 but there remains an earlier book running from July 1557 to March 1581/2. Normalized extracts for both vestry books have been provided by Alan H. Nelson, 'The Parish of St Saviour, Southwark.'

    1581–1628; English; paper; ii + 257 + ii; 420mm x 280mm (text area variable); ink pagination starts at 169–572 (last 57 leaves blank); some display headings and opening words; good condition; brown suede and board binding deteriorating at the edges, with title on worn red leather strip on spine: 'VESTRY | MEETINGS | 1581.'

  • Manuscript Images

    LMA: P92/SAV/450. By kind permission of Southwark Cathedral.

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