John Warburton (officer of arms)
Encyclopedia
John Warburton was Somerset Herald of Arms in Ordinary
at the College of Arms
in the early 18th century. Warburton was a collector of old drama manuscripts, who is perhaps most notable because of his carelessness. On one occasion, he left a pile of manuscripts in the kitchen. When he came looking for them a year later, nearly all were gone. His cook, Betsy Baker, had used over fifty manuscripts as scrap paper while cooking—either for lighting fires or for lining the bottoms of pie pans while baking pies.
In addition, "A Play by William Shakespeare" (with no elaboration given) was also lost, as well as a copy of Sir John Suckling
's "Works," possibly a printed edition.
, but now usually considered by scholars to be the work of Thomas Middleton
), The Queen of Corsica (a tragedy by Francis Jaques), and The Bugbears (a comedy by John Jeffere).
Not every play destroyed by Warburton's cook was irretrievably lost. Five of them have been preserved through separate sources. These include Believe As You List, The Fair Favorite, The Governor, The Inconstant Lady, and The Parliament of Love. The prologue and epilogue to Thomas Jordan's Love Hath Found His Eyes are also still extant, published in Jordan's poetry collection Royal Arbor of Loyal Poesy (1663). It is possible that a few of the remaining plays have also been preserved, under different titles; Shakespeare's Duke Humphrey, for example, may have been a version of Henry VI, part 2, in which Humphrey plays a major part.
Somerset Herald
Somerset Herald of Arms in Ordinary is an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. In the year 1448 Somerset Herald is known to have served the Duke of Somerset, but by the time of the coronation of King Henry VII in 1485 his successor appears to have been raised to the rank of a royal...
at the College of Arms
College of Arms
The College of Arms, or Heralds’ College, is an office regulating heraldry and granting new armorial bearings for England, Wales and Northern Ireland...
in the early 18th century. Warburton was a collector of old drama manuscripts, who is perhaps most notable because of his carelessness. On one occasion, he left a pile of manuscripts in the kitchen. When he came looking for them a year later, nearly all were gone. His cook, Betsy Baker, had used over fifty manuscripts as scrap paper while cooking—either for lighting fires or for lining the bottoms of pie pans while baking pies.
A complete list of the destroyed play manuscripts
- Alexias, or The Chaste Gallant, a tragedy by Philip MassingerPhilip MassingerPhilip Massinger 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 political and social themes.-Early life:The son of Arthur Massinger or Messenger, he was baptized at St....
; it was licensed for performance by the King's MenKing's Men (playing company)The King's Men was the company of actors to which William Shakespeare belonged through most of his career. Formerly known as The Lord Chamberlain's Men during the reign of Queen Elizabeth, it became The King's Men in 1603 when King James ascended the throne and became the company's patron.The...
on September 25, 1639. - Antonio and Vallia, attributed to Philip MassingerPhilip MassingerPhilip Massinger 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 political and social themes.-Early life:The son of Arthur Massinger or Messenger, he was baptized at St....
; it's possible this was identical to or a revision of a play of the same name performed by Philip HenslowePhilip HenslowePhilip Henslowe 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 Renaissance London...
's company in 1595. - Beauty in a Trance, by John FordJohn Ford (dramatist)John Ford was an English Jacobean and Caroline playwright and poet born in Ilsington in Devon in 1586.-Life and work:...
; it was performed by the King's Men on November 28, 1630. - Believe as You ListBelieve as You ListBelieve as You List is a Caroline era tragedy by Philip Massinger, famous as a case of theatrical censorship.-Censorship:The play originally dealt with the legend that Sebastian of Portugal had survived the battle of Alcácer Quibir, and the efforts of Philip II of Spain to suppress the "false...
, a comedy by Philip MassingerPhilip MassingerPhilip Massinger 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 political and social themes.-Early life:The son of Arthur Massinger or Messenger, he was baptized at St....
. It was licensed for performance by the King's Men on May 6, 1631, four months after the Master of the RevelsMaster of the RevelsThe Master of the Revels was a position within the English, and later the British, royal household heading the "Revels Office" or "Office of the Revels" that originally had responsibilities for overseeing royal festivities, known as revels, and later also became responsible for stage censorship,...
refused to approve it because of "dangerous matter" in it about "the deposing of Sebastian king of Portugal by Philip the [Second,] and there being a peace sworn twixt the kings of England and Spain." - The City Shuffler, no author named, or part specified; records indicate that The City Shuffler, part 2 was licensed for performance by the Salisbury CourtSalisbury Court TheatreThe Salisbury Court Theatre was a theatre in 17th-century London. It was located in the neighbourhood of Salisbury Court, which was formerly the London residence of the Bishops of Salisbury. Salibury Court was acquired by Richard Sackville in 1564; when Thomas Sackville was created Earl of Dorset...
company in October 1633 after a Mr. Sewster removed his objections to it, presumably because it had once contained some kind of personal satire. - The Crafty Merchant, attributed to Shackerley MarmionShackerley MarmionShackerley Marmion , 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 comedy...
; it was licensed for performance by the Lady Elizabeth's MenLady Elizabeth's MenThe 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, after Elizabeth and her husband the Elector Palatine had...
at the Red Bull TheatreRed Bull TheatreThe Red Bull was a playhouse in London during the 17th century. For more than four decades, it entertained audiences drawn primarily from the northern suburbs, developing a reputation for rowdy, often disruptive audiences...
on September 12, 1623, although that document ascribes the authorship to William Bonen. - The Duchess of Fernandina, a tragedy by Henry GlapthorneHenry GlapthorneHenry Glapthorne was a Caroline era dramatist.Glapthorne was baptized in Cambridgeshire, the son of Thomas Glapthorne and Faith nee Hatcliff. His father was a bailiff of Lady Hatton, the wife of Sir Edward Coke...
. - Duke Humphrey, attributed to William ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
. - The Fair Favorite, by William DavenantWilliam DavenantSir William Davenant , also spelled D'Avenant, was an English poet and playwright. Along with Thomas Killigrew, Davenant was one of the rare figures in English Renaissance theatre whose career spanned both the Caroline and Restoration eras and who was active both before and after the English Civil...
. It was licensed for performance on November 17, 1638, and belonged to the King's Men. - The Fairy Queen, no author given.
- Fast and Welcome, a comedy by Philip MassingerPhilip MassingerPhilip Massinger 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 political and social themes.-Early life:The son of Arthur Massinger or Messenger, he was baptized at St....
. - The Fatal Love, no author given; a 1660 Stationers' RegisterStationers' RegisterThe Stationers' Register was a record book maintained by the Stationers' Company of London. The company is a trade guild given a royal charter in 1557 to regulate the various professions associated with the publishing industry, including printers, bookbinders, booksellers, and publishers in England...
entry claims the play was "a French tragedy" (meaning set in France) written by George ChapmanGeorge ChapmanGeorge Chapman was an English dramatist, translator, and poet. He was a classical scholar, and his work shows the influence of Stoicism. Chapman has been identified as the Rival Poet of Shakespeare's Sonnets by William Minto, and as an anticipator of the Metaphysical Poets...
. - The Flying Voice, by Ralph Wood.
- The Forced Lady, a tragedy by Philip MassingerPhilip MassingerPhilip Massinger 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 political and social themes.-Early life:The son of Arthur Massinger or Messenger, he was baptized at St....
; a record dated August 7, 1641 identifies it as a King's Men play. - The Governor, a tragedy by Sir Cornelius Formido. It was acted by the King's Men at court on February 17, 1637.
- The Great Man, a tragedy, no author given.
- Henry I, attributed to William ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
and Robert DavenportRobert DavenportRobert Davenport was an English dramatist of the early seventeenth century. Nothing is known of his early life or education; the title pages of two of his plays identify him as a "Gentleman," though there is no record of him at either of the two universities or the Inns of Court. Scholars have...
; it was licensed for performance by the King's Men on April 10, 1624, but in that record assigned only to Davenport. - The History of Job, by Robert GreeneRobert Greene (16th century)Robert Greene was an English author best known for a posthumous pamphlet attributed to him, Greene's Groats-Worth of Wit, widely believed to contain a polemic attack on William Shakespeare. He was born in Norwich and attended Cambridge University, receiving a B.A. in 1580, and an M.A...
. - The Honorable Loves, a comedy by William RowleyWilliam RowleyWilliam Rowley was an English Jacobean dramatist, best known for works written in collaboration with more successful writers. His date of birth is estimated to have been c. 1585; he was buried on 11 February 1626...
. - The Honor of WomenThe Spanish ViceroyThe Spanish Viceroy is a problem play of English Renaissance drama. Originally a work by Philip Massinger dating from 1624, it was controversial in its own era, and may or may not exist today in altered form.-The facts:1624...
, a comedy by Philip MassingerPhilip MassingerPhilip Massinger 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 political and social themes.-Early life:The son of Arthur Massinger or Messenger, he was baptized at St....
; it was licensed for performance on May 6, 1628. - An Ill Beginning Has a Good End is the 1660 Stationers' Register reading for a play Warburton listed as A Good Beginning May Have a Good End; both records ascribe it to John FordJohn Ford (dramatist)John Ford was an English Jacobean and Caroline playwright and poet born in Ilsington in Devon in 1586.-Life and work:...
. It is presumed to be the same as A Bad Beginning Makes a Good Ending, performed by the King's Men at court during the winter of 1612-13. - The Inconstant Lady, a play by Arthur Wilson (Warburton mistakenly gives the first name as "William"); it was presented at court by the King's Men on September 30, 1630.
- An Interlude, by Ralph Wood, which Warburton said was "worth nothing;" "interlude" may have been a description rather than the title.
- Jocondo and Astolfo, a comedy by Thomas Dekker.
- The Judge, a comedy by Philip MassingerPhilip MassingerPhilip Massinger 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 political and social themes.-Early life:The son of Arthur Massinger or Messenger, he was baptized at St....
; it was licensed for performance by the King's Men on June 6, 1627. - The King of Swedeland, no author given; a 1660 Stationers Register entry identified the king as Gustavus and the play's author as Thomas Dekker.
- The London Merchant, a comedy by John FordJohn Ford (dramatist)John Ford was an English Jacobean and Caroline playwright and poet born in Ilsington in Devon in 1586.-Life and work:...
. - Love Hath Found His Eyes, by Thomas Jordan.
- The Lovers of Ludgate, no author given.
- The Maiden's Holiday, attributed to Christopher MarloweChristopher MarloweChristopher Marlowe was an English dramatist, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. As the foremost Elizabethan tragedian, next to William Shakespeare, he is known for his blank verse, his overreaching protagonists, and his mysterious death.A warrant was issued for Marlowe's arrest on 18 May...
; a 1654 entry in the Stationers' Register says it was a collaboration between Marlowe and John DayJohn Day (dramatist)John Day was an English dramatist of the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods.-Life:He was born at Cawston, Norfolk, and educated at Ely. He became a sizar of Caius College, Cambridge, in 1592, but was expelled in the next year for stealing a book...
. - A Mask, attributed to "R. Govell," otherwise unknown; possibly the same as The Mask, which was licensed for performance by the Palsgrave's Company on November 3, 1624, with no author listed. Records show that Richard GunnellRichard GunnellRichard Gunnell was an actor, playwright, and theatre manager in Jacobean and Caroline era London. He is best remembered for his role in the founding of the Salisbury Court Theatre.-Actor and playwright:...
was writing for the company at the time, and G.E. BentleyGerald Eades BentleyGerald Eades Bentley was an American academic and literary scholar, best remembered for his The Jacobean and Caroline Stage, published by Oxford University Press in seven volumes between 1941 and 1968...
notes that "'R. Govell' would be an easy misreading of 'R. Gonell' or 'R. Gunell'; no other early-seventeenth century dramatist has a name so similar." - Minerva's Sacrifice, a play by Philip MassingerPhilip MassingerPhilip Massinger 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 political and social themes.-Early life:The son of Arthur Massinger or Messenger, he was baptized at St....
; it was licensed for performance by the King's Men on November 3, 1629. - The Noble Choice, a tragicomedy by Philip MassingerPhilip MassingerPhilip Massinger 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 political and social themes.-Early life:The son of Arthur Massinger or Messenger, he was baptized at St....
. - The Noble Trial, a tragedy by Henry GlapthorneHenry GlapthorneHenry Glapthorne was a Caroline era dramatist.Glapthorne was baptized in Cambridgeshire, the son of Thomas Glapthorne and Faith nee Hatcliff. His father was a bailiff of Lady Hatton, the wife of Sir Edward Coke...
; the 1660 Stationers Register entry describes it as a tragicomedy. - The Nobleman, a tragicomedy by Cyril TourneurCyril TourneurCyril Tourneur was an English dramatist who enjoyed his greatest success during the reign of King James I of England. His best-known work is The Revenger's Tragedy , a play which has alternatively been attributed to Thomas Middleton.-Life:Cyril Tourneur was possibly the son of Captain Richard...
. It was performed by the King's Men at court on February 23, 1612. - The Nonesuch, a comedy by William RowleyWilliam RowleyWilliam Rowley was an English Jacobean dramatist, best known for works written in collaboration with more successful writers. His date of birth is estimated to have been c. 1585; he was buried on 11 February 1626...
. - Nothing Impossible to Love, a tragicomedy by Sir Robert Le Grys.
- Orpheus, a comedy, no author given.
- The Parliament of LoveThe Parliament of LoveThe Parliament of Love is a late Jacobean era stage play, a comedy written by Philip Massinger. The play was never printed in the seventeenth century, and survived only in a defective manuscript — making it arguably the most problematical work in the Massinger canon.The Parliament of Love was...
, attributed to William RowleyWilliam RowleyWilliam Rowley was an English Jacobean dramatist, best known for works written in collaboration with more successful writers. His date of birth is estimated to have been c. 1585; he was buried on 11 February 1626...
; it was licensed for performance on November 3, 1624, but there ascribed to Philip MassingerPhilip MassingerPhilip Massinger 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 political and social themes.-Early life:The son of Arthur Massinger or Messenger, he was baptized at St....
. The play is still extant through another source, and Massinger's sole authorship is generally accepted. - Philenzo and Hippolito, a comedy by Philip MassingerPhilip MassingerPhilip Massinger 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 political and social themes.-Early life:The son of Arthur Massinger or Messenger, he was baptized at St....
; a 1660 Stationers Register entry characterizes it as a tragicomedy. An anonymous play of the same title belonged to Philip HenslowePhilip HenslowePhilip Henslowe 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 Renaissance London...
's company and was performed in 1594, but it is unknown what relation, if any, it had to the play in Warburton's hands. - The Puritan Maid, the Modest Wife, and the Wanton Widow, attributed to Thomas MiddletonThomas MiddletonThomas Middleton was an English Jacobean playwright and poet. Middleton stands with John Fletcher and Ben Jonson as among the most successful and prolific of playwrights who wrote their best plays during the Jacobean period. He was one of the few Renaissance dramatists to achieve equal success in...
. - The Royal Combat, a comedy by John FordJohn Ford (dramatist)John Ford was an English Jacobean and Caroline playwright and poet born in Ilsington in Devon in 1586.-Life and work:...
. - Saint George for England, a play by William Smith.
- The Spanish Purchase, a comedy, no author given. It was licensed for performance by the Salisbury Court company in 1639.
- Tis Good Sleeping in a Whole Skin, attributed to W. Wager.
- The Tragedy of Job. Possibly the same as The History of Job, which Warburton assigned to Robert GreeneRobert Greene (16th century)Robert Greene was an English author best known for a posthumous pamphlet attributed to him, Greene's Groats-Worth of Wit, widely believed to contain a polemic attack on William Shakespeare. He was born in Norwich and attended Cambridge University, receiving a B.A. in 1580, and an M.A...
. Alongside the entry Warburton wrote "Good," either his opinion of the play or who he thought was the author (no playwright named Good is known to have written for the English Renaissance stage). - The Tyrant, a tragedy by Philip MassingerPhilip MassingerPhilip Massinger 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 political and social themes.-Early life:The son of Arthur Massinger or Messenger, he was baptized at St....
. - The Vestal, a tragedy by Henry GlapthorneHenry GlapthorneHenry Glapthorne was a Caroline era dramatist.Glapthorne was baptized in Cambridgeshire, the son of Thomas Glapthorne and Faith nee Hatcliff. His father was a bailiff of Lady Hatton, the wife of Sir Edward Coke...
. Warburton lists it twice, either in error or because he had two manuscripts. - The Widow's Prize, a comedy by William Sampson; licensed for performance by Prince Charles' Men on January 25, 1625.
- The Woman's Plot, a comedy by Philip MassingerPhilip MassingerPhilip Massinger 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 political and social themes.-Early life:The son of Arthur Massinger or Messenger, he was baptized at St....
; it was performed at court by the King's Men on November 5, 1621. - A Yorkshire Gentlewoman and Her Son, a tragedy with no author named; a 1660 Stationers Register entry assigns it to George ChapmanGeorge ChapmanGeorge Chapman was an English dramatist, translator, and poet. He was a classical scholar, and his work shows the influence of Stoicism. Chapman has been identified as the Rival Poet of Shakespeare's Sonnets by William Minto, and as an anticipator of the Metaphysical Poets...
.
In addition, "A Play by William Shakespeare" (with no elaboration given) was also lost, as well as a copy of Sir John Suckling
John Suckling (poet)
Sir John Suckling was an English poet and one prominent figure among those renowned for careless gaiety, wit, and all the accomplishments of a Cavalier poet; and also the inventor of the card game Cribbage...
's "Works," possibly a printed edition.
Survivals
Warburton listed only three plays which escaped destruction: The Second Maiden's Tragedy (which he assigned to George ChapmanGeorge Chapman
George Chapman was an English dramatist, translator, and poet. He was a classical scholar, and his work shows the influence of Stoicism. Chapman has been identified as the Rival Poet of Shakespeare's Sonnets by William Minto, and as an anticipator of the Metaphysical Poets...
, but now usually considered by scholars to be the work of Thomas Middleton
Thomas Middleton
Thomas Middleton was an English Jacobean playwright and poet. Middleton stands with John Fletcher and Ben Jonson as among the most successful and prolific of playwrights who wrote their best plays during the Jacobean period. He was one of the few Renaissance dramatists to achieve equal success in...
), The Queen of Corsica (a tragedy by Francis Jaques), and The Bugbears (a comedy by John Jeffere).
Not every play destroyed by Warburton's cook was irretrievably lost. Five of them have been preserved through separate sources. These include Believe As You List, The Fair Favorite, The Governor, The Inconstant Lady, and The Parliament of Love. The prologue and epilogue to Thomas Jordan's Love Hath Found His Eyes are also still extant, published in Jordan's poetry collection Royal Arbor of Loyal Poesy (1663). It is possible that a few of the remaining plays have also been preserved, under different titles; Shakespeare's Duke Humphrey, for example, may have been a version of Henry VI, part 2, in which Humphrey plays a major part.
See also
- CardenioCardenioThe History of Cardenio, often referred to as merely Cardenio, is a lost play, known to have been performed by The King's Men, a London theatre company, in 1613. It was attributed to William Shakespeare and John Fletcher in a Stationers' Register entry of 1653...
- Philip MassingerPhilip MassingerPhilip Massinger 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 political and social themes.-Early life:The son of Arthur Massinger or Messenger, he was baptized at St....
- Cyril TourneurCyril TourneurCyril Tourneur was an English dramatist who enjoyed his greatest success during the reign of King James I of England. His best-known work is The Revenger's Tragedy , a play which has alternatively been attributed to Thomas Middleton.-Life:Cyril Tourneur was possibly the son of Captain Richard...
- Carlyle's The French Revolution