Robert Henlake or Henlocke (died 1610) was an English maker and tuner of musical instruments who worked for
Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...
,
James VI and I
James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and King of Ireland, Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 M ...
, and
Anne of Denmark
Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I. She was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and List of English royal consorts, Queen of Engl ...
.
Henlake worked with Gulliam Schets (or Edmund Schetts ''alias'' Treasourer) for 16 years tuning instruments for Queen Elizabeth. Henlake successfully petitioned King James to be his instrument maker following Schets' death, with the support of several courtiers. From 27 June 1603 he held a joint appointment with Andrea Bassano until his death in 1610, as tuners of the king's virginals, organs, and other instruments.
In January 1610 Samuel Calvert tried to engage "Robin Henlake" to give or arrange virginal lessons to the diplomat
William Trumbull or his family. Henlake started making a lesson book for Trumbull. An earlier manuscript anthology of lute music compiled by or for Trumbull survives and includes works by the Bassano family and
Francis Cutting. Calvert reported Henlake's death in June 1610, before the virginal book was completed.
Working for Anne of Denmark
Henlake mended
lute
A lute ( or ) is any plucked string instrument with a neck (music), neck and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. It may be either fretted or unfretted.
More specifically, the term "lu ...
s and
viol
The viola da gamba (), or viol, or informally gamba, is a bowed and fretted string instrument that is played (i.e. "on the leg"). It is distinct from the later violin family, violin, or ; and it is any one of the earlier viol family of bow (m ...
s for
Daniel Bacheler, a musician working for Anne of Denmark. In August and September 1607 Henlake worked at
Hampton Court
Hampton Court Palace is a Listed building, Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. Opened to the public, the palace is managed by Historic Royal ...
repairing a wind instrument for Anne of Denmark according to the instructions of
Viscount Lisle
The title of Viscount Lisle has been created six times in the Peerage of England. The first creation, on 30 October 1451, was for John Talbot, 1st Baron Lisle. Upon the death of his son Thomas at the Battle of Nibley Green in 1470, the visco ...
, her Master of Household and her secretary
William Fowler. He supplied a pair of virginals to Anne of Denmark in February 1608. Henlake's office was in the king's household but musicians particularly are found working in the other royal households.
[Jemma Field, ''Anna of Denmark: The material and visual culture of the Stuart courts, 1589–1619'' (Manchester, 2020).]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Henlake, Robert
Court of James VI and I
Household of Anne of Denmark
1610 deaths
English artisans
16th-century English musicians
17th-century English musicians