Thomas Benger
Encyclopedia
Sir Thomas Benger Master of the Revels
(circa. 1520?-March 1577) succeeded Sir Thomas Cawarden
as Elizabeth I
's Master of the Revels
on 18 January, 1560. He served until 1572 when it appears Sir Thomas Blagrave
stepped in. Benger was considered to be an ineffectual master of the revels, purely on account that a charter for his successor hadn't been drawn up at his death. Benger had been a loyal member of the Princess Elizabeth's household at Hatfield
during the several imprisonments she had suffered under her sister, Mary I
.
On 5 June 1555 he had been examined by Secretary Bourne
, the Master of the Rolls
, Sir Francis Englefield
, Sir Richard Read
and Doctor Hughes, 'upon such points as they shall gather out of their former confessions, touching their lewd & vain practises of calculating or conjuring, presently sent unto the with the said letters.'
Benger produced forty-six plays and masques that dealt with the factional intrigues surrounding the Queen's marriage negotiations between 1560 and 1572. Only eleven of his plays were performed by adult acting troupes, notably the Grey's Inn Men, and it is thought to be his group of child actors to which William Shakespeare
refers in Hamlet
act ii, scene ii, 'an aery of children, little eyases that cry out on the top of question and are most tyrannically clapped for it: these are now the fashion; and so berattle the common stages that many wearing rapiers are afraid to goose quills and dare scarce come hither.'
Benger's use of boy actors from 'The Children of St. Pauls', realistic three-dimensional scenery, and stage effects, were to define the courtly entertainments of Elizabeth's reign and set the standard required from the noble lords the Queen visited on her regular summer progressions.
'As plain as can be', 'The painful Pilgrimage', 'Jack and Jill'
Benger found the financial burden of the office too much for his family to bear and he made a special plea to the Queen as ‘one of the last of the poor flock of Hatfield’ to pay off his debts when he died as 'the charges for making of masks cam never to so little a sum as they do this year.'
Master of the Revels
The 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,...
(circa. 1520?-March 1577) succeeded Sir Thomas Cawarden
Thomas Cawarden
Thomas Cawarden of Bletchingley was Master of Revels to Henry VIII of England, Edward VI, and Mary.Thomas was the son of William Carden, a cloth-fuller and citizen of London...
as Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
's Master of the Revels
Master of the Revels
The 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,...
on 18 January, 1560. He served until 1572 when it appears Sir Thomas Blagrave
Thomas Blagrave
Thomas Blagrave came from Shropshire, he was Master of the Revels from 1573-79 under Queen Elizabeth IAt least three siblings, William, John and Mary....
stepped in. Benger was considered to be an ineffectual master of the revels, purely on account that a charter for his successor hadn't been drawn up at his death. Benger had been a loyal member of the Princess Elizabeth's household at Hatfield
Hatfield House
Hatfield House is a country house set in a large park, the Great Park, on the eastern side of the town of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England. The present Jacobean house was built in 1611 by Robert Cecil, First Earl of Salisbury and Chief Minister to King James I and has been the home of the Cecil...
during the several imprisonments she had suffered under her sister, Mary I
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
.
On 5 June 1555 he had been examined by Secretary Bourne
Secretary of State (England)
In the Kingdom of England, the title of Secretary of State came into being near the end of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I , the usual title before that having been King's Clerk, King's Secretary, or Principal Secretary....
, the Master of the Rolls
Master of the Rolls
The Keeper or Master of the Rolls and Records of the Chancery of England, known as the Master of the Rolls, is the second most senior judge in England and Wales, after the Lord Chief Justice. The Master of the Rolls is the presiding officer of the Civil Division of the Court of Appeal...
, Sir Francis Englefield
Francis Englefield
Sir Francis Englefield was an English Roman Catholic politician.Born probably about 1520, he was the eldest son of Sir Thomas Englefield of Englefield, Berkshire, justice of the common pleas. His mother was Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Robert Throckmorton, one of the well-known Catholic family of...
, Sir Richard Read
Richard Read
Richard Read is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist and a senior staff writer for The Oregonian newspaper in Portland, Oregon.-Early life:...
and Doctor Hughes, 'upon such points as they shall gather out of their former confessions, touching their lewd & vain practises of calculating or conjuring, presently sent unto the with the said letters.'
Benger produced forty-six plays and masques that dealt with the factional intrigues surrounding the Queen's marriage negotiations between 1560 and 1572. Only eleven of his plays were performed by adult acting troupes, notably the Grey's Inn Men, and it is thought to be his group of child actors to which William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William 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"...
refers in Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
act ii, scene ii, 'an aery of children, little eyases that cry out on the top of question and are most tyrannically clapped for it: these are now the fashion; and so berattle the common stages that many wearing rapiers are afraid to goose quills and dare scarce come hither.'
Benger's use of boy actors from 'The Children of St. Pauls', realistic three-dimensional scenery, and stage effects, were to define the courtly entertainments of Elizabeth's reign and set the standard required from the noble lords the Queen visited on her regular summer progressions.
'As plain as can be', 'The painful Pilgrimage', 'Jack and Jill'
Benger found the financial burden of the office too much for his family to bear and he made a special plea to the Queen as ‘one of the last of the poor flock of Hatfield’ to pay off his debts when he died as 'the charges for making of masks cam never to so little a sum as they do this year.'