Queen Henrietta's Men was an important

playing company Play is a range of intrinsically motivated activities done for recreational pleasure and enjoyment. Play is commonly associated with children and juvenile-level activities, but may be engaged in at any life stage, and among other higher-functio ...

or troupe of actors in

Caroline era The Caroline era is the period in English and Scottish history named for the 24-year reign of Charles I (1625–1649). The term is derived from ''Carolus'', the Latin for Charles. The Caroline era followed the Jacobean era, the reign of Charles's ...

in London. At their peak of popularity, Queen Henrietta's Men were the second leading troupe of the day, after only the King's Men.

Beginnings

The company was formed in 1625, at the start of the reign of King

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

, by theatrical impresario

Christopher Beeston Christopher Beeston (c. 1579 – c. 15 October 1638) was a successful actor and a powerful theatrical impresario in early 17th century London. He was associated with a number of playwrights, particularly Thomas Heywood. Early life Little is kno ...

under royal patronage of the new queen,

Henrietta Maria of France Henrietta Maria (french: link=no, Henriette Marie; 25 November 1609 – 10 September 1669) was Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland from her marriage to King Charles I on 13 June 1625 until Charles was executed on 30 January 1649. She wa ...

. They were sometimes called the Queen's Majesty's Comedians or other variations on their name. The company was founded after an eight-month closure of the London theatres due to

bubonic plague Bubonic plague is one of three types of plague caused by the plague bacterium ('' Yersinia pestis''). One to seven days after exposure to the bacteria, flu-like symptoms develop. These symptoms include fever, headaches, and vomiting, as wel ...

(March to October, 1625). The

Lady Elizabeth's Men The Lady Elizabeth's Men, or Princess Elizabeth's Men, was a company of actors in Jacobean London, formed under the patronage of King James I's daughter Princess Elizabeth. From 1618 on, the company was called The Queen of Bohemia's Men, afte ...

, then called the Queen of Bohemia's Men, had been resident at Beeston's

Cockpit Theatre The Cockpit was a theatre in London, operating from 1616 to around 1665. It was the first theatre to be located near Drury Lane. After damage in 1617, it was named The Phoenix. History The original building was an actual cockpit; that is, a st ...

up to the plague closing, and provided the foundation of the new organization.

Success

Theatre manager Beeston had had several different companies acting in his Cockpit Theatre since he started it in 1617; it was with Queen Henrietta's Men that he achieved the level of success he desired.

James Shirley James Shirley (or Sherley) (September 1596 – October 1666) was an English dramatist. He belonged to the great period of English dramatic literature, but, in Charles Lamb's words, he "claims a place among the worthies of this period, not so m ...

became something like the house dramatist of the group; plays by

Philip Massinger Philip Massinger (1583 – 17 March 1640) was an English dramatist. His finely plotted plays, including '' A New Way to Pay Old Debts'', ''The City Madam'', and ''The Roman Actor'', are noted for their satire and realism, and their polit ...

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...

, and

Thomas Heywood Thomas Heywood (early 1570s – 16 August 1641) was an English playwright, actor, and author. His main contributions were to late Elizabethan and early Jacobean theatre. He is best known for his masterpiece '' A Woman Killed with Kindness'', ...

were also important in their repertory. The company staged revivals along with new plays; their

1633 Events January–March * January 20 – Galileo Galilei, having been summoned to Rome on orders of Pope Urban VIII, leaves for Florence for his journey. His carriage is halted at Ponte a Centino at the border of Tuscany, w ...

production of Marlowe's ''

The Jew of Malta ''The Jew of Malta'' (full title: ''The Famous Tragedy of the Rich Jew of Malta'') is a play by Christopher Marlowe, written in 1589 or 1590. The plot primarily revolves around a Maltese Jewish merchant named Barabas. The original story combi ...

'' was a major success. They played ''

The Witch of Edmonton ''The Witch of Edmonton'' is an English Jacobean play, written by William Rowley, Thomas Dekker and John Ford in 1621. The play—"probably the most sophisticated treatment of domestic tragedy in the whole of Elizabethan-Jacobean drama"—is ...

'' early in 1636. In their 1625–36 heyday, the company gave 66 performances at Court, for which they were paid £900.

Personnel

At its start, the actors of the new company came from several different troupes then active. Richard Perkins had been with

Queen Anne's Men Queen Anne's Men was a playing company, or troupe of actors, in Jacobean era London. In their own era they were known colloquially as the Queen's Men — as were Queen Elizabeth's Men and Queen Henrietta's Men, in theirs. Formation The group w ...

at the

Red Bull Theatre The Red Bull was an inn-yard conversion erected in Clerkenwell, London operating in the 17th century. For more than four decades, it entertained audiences drawn primarily from the City and its suburbs, developing a reputation over the years for ...

and briefly (1623–25) with the King's Men. His success as Barabas in ''The Jew of Malta'' cemented his reputation as a great tragic actor. William Robbins also came from what had been Queen Anne's Men (it was generally called the Revels company, or simply the Red Bull company, after the 1619 death of

Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I; as such, she was Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and Queen of England and Ireland from the union of the Scottish and Eng ...

). Robbins was the company's leading comic actor through the first phase of its existence. William Shearlock and Anthony Turner were other prominent members; they were holdovers from the Lady Elizabeth's company. (The new company inherited that troupe's plays as well as its actors, works like

George Chapman George Chapman (Hitchin, Hertfordshire, – London, 12 May 1634) was an English dramatist, translator and poet. He was a classical scholar whose work shows the influence of Stoicism. Chapman has been speculated to be the Rival Poet of Shakesp ...

's '' Chabot'', Massinger's ''

The Renegado ''The Renegado, or The Gentleman of Venice'' is a late Jacobean stage play, a tragicomedy written by Philip Massinger and first published in 1630. The play has attracted critical attention for its treatment of cultural conflict between Christia ...

'', and Shirley's '' Love Tricks.'') Shearlock must have been a man of girth, since he performed the fat-man role of Lodam in Shirley's '' The Wedding''. Apart from his other roles, Turner played a kitchen maid in Part 1 of

's ''

The Fair Maid of the West ''The Fair Maid of the West, or a Girl Worth Gold, Parts 1 and 2'' is a work of English Renaissance drama, a two-part play written by Thomas Heywood that was first published in 1631. Date The dates of authorship of the two parts of ''The Fa ...

'', one of the few cases in which a mature actor, rather than a

boy player Boy player refers to children who performed in Medieval and English Renaissance playing companies. Some boy players worked for the adult companies and performed the female roles as women did not perform on the English stage in this period. Others ...

or a young man, is known to have played a female role. In addition, the company included William Allen,

Theophilus Bird Theophilus Bird, or Bourne, (1608 – 1663) was a seventeenth-century English actor. Bird began his stage career in the Stuart era of English Renaissance theatre, and ended it in the Restoration period; he was one of the relatively few acto ...

(or Bourne), Hugh Clark, John Sumner, and

Michael Bowyer Michael Bowyer (1599–1645) was an actor in English Renaissance theatre in the Jacobean and Caroline eras. He spent most of his maturity with Queen Henrietta's Men, but finished his career with the King's Men. With the former company, he was o ...

. Bowyer handled leading-man roles; Hugh Clark was a boy player taking female roles, who later switched to adult male parts. Bird also played female roles for the company; he later married Beeston's daughter and was a successful actor both before and after the

Interregnum An interregnum (plural interregna or interregnums) is a period of discontinuity or "gap" in a government, organization, or social order. Archetypally, it was the period of time between the reign of one monarch and the next (coming from Latin '' ...

. Allen and Sumner took significant supporting parts. Six cast lists survive from five of the company's plays: from ''The Renegado,'' ''The Wedding'',

Robert Davenport Robert Davenport may refer to: * Robert Davenport (dramatist) (fl. 1623–1639), English dramatist * Robert Davenport (Australian politician) Robert Davenport (1816 – 3 September 1896) was a pioneer and politician in the early days of the Co ...

's '' King John and Matilda'',

Thomas Nabbes Thomas Nabbes (1605 – buried 6 April 1641) was an English dramatist. He was born in humble circumstances in Worcestershire, was educated at as a King's scholar at the King's School, Worcester (1616–1620), and entered Exeter College, O ...

's ''

Hannibal and Scipio ''Hannibal and Scipio'' is a Caroline era stage play, a classical tragedy written by Thomas Nabbes. The play was first performed in 1635 by Queen Henrietta's Men, and was first published in 1637. The first edition of the play contained a cast l ...

'', and from both parts of Heywood's two-part ''Fair Maid of the West''. Two actors, Allen and Bowyer, appear on all six lists, and five more, Clark, Perkins, Shearlock, Sumner, and Turner, appear on five — arguably a good indication of their durability and importance to the troupe. Additional personnel included: * Robert Axell played roles in ''Hannibal and Scipio'', both parts of ''Fair Maid'', and perhaps ''King John'' too. * John Blaney was a boy player in the

Children of the Chapel The Children of the Chapel are the boys with unbroken voices, choristers, who form part of the Chapel Royal, the body of singers and priests serving the spiritual needs of their sovereign wherever they were called upon to do so. They were overseen ...

when he appeared in Jonson's '' Epicene'' in 1609. After a stint with

, he played Asambeg in ''The Renegado''. * Ezekiel Fenn played Sophonisba in ''Hannibal'' in 1635. In 1639

Henry Glapthorne Henry Glapthorne (baptised, 28 July 1610 – c. 1643) was an English dramatist and poet, baptized in Cambridgeshire, the son of Thomas Glapthorne and Faith ''née'' Hatcliff. His father was a bailiff of Lady Hatton, the wife of Sir Edward Co ...

published a poem, "For Ezekiel Fenn at his First Acting a Man's Part." * Christopher Goad played with the company before moving to the

King's Revels Men The King's Revels Men or King's Revels Company was a playing company or troupe of actors in seventeenth-century England. In the confusing theatre nomenclature of that era, it is sometimes called the ''second'' King's Revels Company, to distingui ...

around 1635. * John Page, like Bird, Clark, and Fenn, moved from female roles (as in ''The Wedding'') to male (''Hannibal and Scipio''). *

Timothy Read Timothy Read ( fl. 1626–1647) was a comic actor of the Caroline era, and one of the most famous and popular performers of his generation. Biography As with many other performers of his historical era, nothing is known of Read's early life. ...

was as early member (he was in ''The Wedding''); after a period with the King's Revels Men, he returned for '' The English Moor'' c. 1637. * Edward Rogers played women's roles in ''The Wedding'' and ''The Renegado'', but then disappeared from the surviving records. * George Stutfield pursued his career with several companies in the 1620s and '30s, including Queen Anne's Men and

Prince Charles's Men Prince Charles's Men (known as the Duke of York's Men from 1608 to 1612) was a playing company or troupe of actors in Jacobean and Caroline England. The Jacobean era troupe The company was formed in 1608 as the Duke of York's Men, under the titul ...

. * William Wilbraham played in ''The Wedding'' and ''Fair Maid''. Like Goad, he later moved on to the King's Revels troupe. Surprisingly for a rather obscure actor, Wilbraham appears to have prospered: in 1640 he was able to lend £150 to Elizabeth Beeston, widow of Christopher — a loan secured by a mortgage on the Cockpit Theatre. *

Michael Mohun Michael Mohun (1616? – buried 11 October 1684) was a leading English actor both before and after the 1642–60 closing of the theatres. Mohun began his stage career as a boy player filling female roles; he was part of Christopher Beeston's the ...

and Andrew Pennycuicke also served with the troupe as boy actors; William Cartwright and

William Wintershall William Wintershall (died July 1679), also Wintersall or Wintersell, was a noted seventeenth-century English actor. His career spanned the difficult years of mid-century, when English theatres were closed from 1642 to 1660, during the English Civi ...

may have been members too.

Change

In 1636 the company had a falling-out of some nature with their founder and manager, and moved to the rival

Salisbury Court Theatre The Salisbury Court Theatre was a theatre in 17th-century London. It was in the neighbourhood of Salisbury Court, which was formerly the London residence of the Bishops of Salisbury. Salisbury Court was acquired by Richard Sackville in 1564 ...

. Beeston had a reputation for breaking up theatre companies when it was in his interest to do so, as a way of maintaining control over recalcitrant and unruly actors;

Philip Henslowe Philip Henslowe (c. 1550 – 6 January 1616) was an Elizabethan theatrical entrepreneur and impresario. Henslowe's modern reputation rests on the survival of his diary, a primary source for information about the theatrical world of Renaissanc ...

was accused of similar tactics in the previous generation. The mid-1630s was another difficult period for the theatrical profession, with a long theatre closure due to plague (May 1636 to October 1637). The Queen Henrietta's company split apart during this time; but it was reconstituted in October 1637, with veterans Perkins, Sherlock, Turner, and Sumner, at the Salisbury Court. According to his own testimony, Sir Henry Herbert, the

Master of the Revels The Master of the Revels was the holder of a position within the English, and later the British, royal household, heading the "Revels Office" or "Office of the Revels". The Master of the Revels was an executive officer under the Lord Chamberlain ...

, was actively involved in rebuilding the Queen Henrietta's company; he apparently had a financial interest in the Salisbury Court Theatre. (As for other troupe members: Axell, Bird, Fenn, Page, and Stutfield stayed at the Cockpit to join

Beeston's Boys Beeston's Boys was the popular and colloquial name of The King and Queen's Young Company, a troupe of boy actors of the Caroline period, active mainly in the years 1637–1642. Origin The troupe was formed in early 1637, under a royal warrant, ...

, the new group founded by Beeston. Four other members disappear from the scanty records of the later 1630s: Allen, Bowyer, Clark, and Robbins may have travelled with James Shirley to

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

, and worked at the

Werburgh Street Theatre The Werburgh Street Theatre, also the Saint Werbrugh Street Theatre or the New Theatre, was a seventeenth-century theatre in Dublin, Ireland. Scholars and historians of the subject generally identify it as the "first custom-built theatre in the c ...

there.) The rebuilt company retained the queen's name and patronage. On 6 March 1640, Turner collected £80 in the company's name for seven Court performances in 1638 and 1639. The company lasted until the theatres closed in September 1642 at the start of the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I (" Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of r ...

Repertory

The following list includes plays acted by Queen Henrietta's Men in the years cited, and gives an indication of the nature of their repertory: * '' The Maid's Revenge'',

, 1626 * '' The Wedding'', Shirley, 1626–29On this list, the name "Shirley" refers to the prominent dramatist James Shirley, not the obscure dramatist Henry Shirley, except where noted. * ''The English Traveller,'' Heywood, 1627? * ''The Martyred Soldier,'' Henry Shirley, 1627–35 * ''The Rape of Lucrece,'' Heywood, 1628 * '' The Witty Fair One'', Shirley, 1628 * '' King John and Matilda'', Davenport, 1628–29? * '' The Grateful Servant'', Shirley, 1629 * ''Hoffman,''

Henry Chettle Henry Chettle (c. 1564 – c. 1606) was an English dramatist and miscellaneous writer of the Elizabethan era, best known for his pamphleteering. Early life The son of Robert Chettle, a London dyer, he was apprenticed in 1577 and became a ...

, c. 1630 * '' If You Know Not Me, You Know Nobody'', Heywood c. 1630 (both parts) * ''Match Me in London,'' Thomas Dekker, c. 1630 * ''

'', Massinger, 1630 * ''

'Tis Pity She's a Whore ''Tis Pity She's a Whore'' (original spelling: ''Tis Pitty Shee's a Who'' 'ore'') is a tragedy written by John Ford. It was first performed or between 1629 and 1633, by Queen Henrietta's Men at the Cockpit Theatre. The play was first publ ...

'',

, 1630? * ''

The White Devil ''The White Devil'' (full original title: ''The White Divel; or, The Tragedy of Paulo Giordano Ursini, Duke of Brachiano. With The Life and Death of Vittoria Corombona the famous Venetian Curtizan'') is a tragedy by English playwright John W ...

'',

John Webster John Webster (c. 1580 – c. 1632) was an English Jacobean dramatist best known for his tragedies '' The White Devil'' and '' The Duchess of Malfi'', which are often seen as masterpieces of the early 17th-century English stage. His life and c ...

, c. 1630 * ''

'', Heywood, 1630–31 * '' The Humorous Courtier'', Shirley, 1631 * '' Love Tricks'', Shirley, 1631 * ''

Love's Cruelty ''Love's Cruelty'' is a Caroline-era stage play, a tragedy written by James Shirley, and first published in 1640. The play was licensed for performance by Sir Henry Herbert, the Master of the Revels, on 14 November 1631. Like the majority of ...

'', Shirley, 1631 * '' The Traitor'', Shirley, 1631 * '' The Ball'', Shirley, 1632 * '' Hyde Park'', Shirley, 1632 * ''

The Maid of Honour ''The Maid of Honour'' is a Jacobean era stage play, a tragicomedy written by Philip Massinger, first published in 1632. It may be Massinger's earliest extant solo work. Performance Firm data on the play's date of authorship and initial t ...

'', Massinger, 1632 * ''

Perkin Warbeck Perkin Warbeck ( 1474 – 23 November 1499) was a pretender to the English throne claiming to be Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, who was the second son of Edward IV and one of the so-called " Princes in the Tower". Richard, were he alive ...

'', Ford, 1632 * '' The Prisoners'',

Thomas Killigrew Thomas Killigrew (7 February 1612 – 19 March 1683) was an English dramatist and theatre manager. He was a witty, dissolute figure at the court of King Charles II of England. Life Killigrew was one of twelve children of Sir Robert Killigrew ...

, 1632–35 * '' The Bird in a Cage'', Shirley, 1633 * ''Covent Garden,''

, 1633 * ''

The Gamester ''The Gamester'' is a Caroline era stage play, a comedy of manners written by James Shirley, premiered in 1633 and first published in 1637. The play is noteworthy for its realistic and detailed picture of gambling in its era. The play was lic ...

'', Shirley, 1633 * '' A New Way to Pay Old Debts'', Massinger, c. 1633 * ''

A Tale of a Tub ''A Tale of a Tub'' was the first major work written by Jonathan Swift, composed between 1694 and 1697 and published in 1704. It is arguably his most difficult satire, and perhaps his best. The ''Tale'' is a prose parody divided into sections o ...

'',

Ben Jonson Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for t ...

, 1633 * ''

The Young Admiral ''The Young Admiral'' is a Caroline era tragicomedy written by James Shirley, and first published in 1637. It has often been considered Shirley's best tragicomedy, and one of his best plays. The play was licensed for performance by Sir Henry H ...

'', Shirley, 1633 * ''

The Example ''The Example'' is a Caroline era stage play, a comedy written by James Shirley, first published in 1637. The play has repeatedly been acclaimed both as one of Shirley's best comedies and one of the best works of its generation. And it provides ...

'', Shirley, 1634 * ''Love's Mistress,'' Heywood, 1634 * ''

The Opportunity ''The Opportunity'' is a Caroline era stage play, a comedy written by James Shirley, published in 1640. The play has been called "a capital little comedy, fairly bubbling over with clever situations, and charming character." ''The Opportunity' ...

'', Shirley, 1634 * ''The Shepherd's Holiday,''

Joseph Rutter Joseph Rutter ( fl. 1635) was an English poet and translator. Life Rutter belonged to the Tribe of Ben, the literary group around Ben Jonson who had received commendatory verse from Jonson. Rutter appears to have lived with Sir Kenelm Digby for ...

, 1633–35 * ''

The Antiquary ''The Antiquary'' (1816), the third of the Waverley novels by Walter Scott, centres on the character of an antiquary: an amateur historian, archaeologist and collector of items of dubious antiquity. He is the eponymous character and for all p ...

'',

Shackerley Marmion Shackerley Marmion (January 1603 – 1639), also Shakerley, Shakerly, Schackerley, Marmyon, Marmyun, or Mermion, was an early 17th-century dramatist, often classed among the Sons of Ben, the followers of Ben Jonson who continued his style of ...

, c. 1635 * ''

'', Nabbes, 1635 * '' The Coronation'', Shirley, 1635, 1639 * '' Chabot, Admiral of France'', Chapman and Shirley, 1635 * ''

The Honest Whore ''The Honest Whore'' is an early Jacobean city comedy, written in two parts; ''Part 1'' is a collaboration between Thomas Dekker and Thomas Middleton, while ''Part 2'' is the work of Dekker alone. The plays were acted by the Admiral's Men. ...

'', Dekker and

Thomas Middleton Thomas Middleton (baptised 18 April 1580 – July 1627; also spelt ''Midleton'') was an English Jacobean playwright and poet. He, with John Fletcher and Ben Jonson, was among the most successful and prolific of playwrights at work in the Jac ...

, c. 1635 * ''

The Lady of Pleasure ''The Lady of Pleasure'' is a Caroline era comedy of manners written by James Shirley, first published in 1637. It has often been cited as among the best, and sometimes as the single best, the "most brilliant," of the dramatist's comic works. ...

'', Shirley, 1635 * '' Claricilla'', Killigrew, 1635–36 * ''

The Duke's Mistress ''The Duke's Mistress'' is a Caroline era stage play, a tragicomedy written by James Shirley and first published in 1638. It was the last of Shirley's plays produced before the major break in his career: with the closing of the London theatres ...

'', Shirley, 1636 * ''The Hollander,''

, 1636 * '' The Antipodes'', Richard Brome, 1636–38 * '' The English Moor'', Brome, 1637 * ''Mirocosmus,'' Nabbes, 1637 * '' The Careless Shepherdess'', John Goffe, c. 1638 * '' The Fatal Contract'',

William Heminges William Heminges (1602 – c. 1653?), also Hemminges, Heminge, and other variants, was a playwright and theatrical figure of the Caroline period. He was the ninth child and third son of John Heminges, the actor and colleague of William Shakespear ...

, 1638–39 * ''The Noble Stranger,'' Lewis Sharpe, 1638–40 * '' A Mad World, My Masters'', Middleton, c. 1640 Nineteen of the fifty-one works on the list are the work of James Shirley, the company's house dramatist through much of its existence.

Aftermath

The company ended when the London theatres were closed in September 1642 at the start of the

. Some of its personnel (Anthony Turner, Michael Mohun, and Theophilus Bird are examples) resurfaced as members of the newly formed

King's Company The King's Company was one of two enterprises granted the rights to mount theatrical productions in London, after the London theatre closure had been lifted at the start of the English Restoration. It existed from 1660 to 1682, when it merged wi ...

when the theatres re-opened in 1660. The King's Company also inherited a good portion of the repertory of Queen Henrietta's Men, including plays by Shirley, Brome, and Heywood.

Notes

References

* Bentley, Gerald Eades. ''The Jacobean and Caroline Stage.'' Volumes I and II, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1941. * Gurr, Andrew. ''The Shakespearean Stage 1574–1642.'' Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1992. * Murray, John Tucker. ''English Dramatic Companies 1558–1642.'' Boston, Houghton Mifflin, 1910. * Nunzeger, Edwin. ''A Dictionary of Actors and of Others Associated with the Representation of Plays in England Before 1642''. New Haven, Yale University Press, 1929. * Stevens, David. "The Stagecraft of James Shirley." ''Educational Theatre Journal'', Vol. 29 No. 4 (December 1977), pp. 493–516. * Stevenson, Allan H. "James Shirley and the Actors at the First Irish Theatre." ''Modern Philology,'' Vol. 40 No. 2 (November 1942), pp. 147–60. {{authority control English early modern theatre companies 1625 establishments in England