William Beeston
Encyclopedia
William Beeston was a 17th century actor and theatre manager, the son and successor to the more famous Christopher Beeston
.
and Red Bull
theatres and their associated companies of actors, including the company of younger players colloquially known as Beeston's Boys
.
Upon his father's death in 1638, William Beeston inherited their theatrical enterprise — though he managed it with much less success than his father had. On 5 May 1640 he was thrown into the Marshalsea
Prison for a Beeston's Boys' play, acted the day before, that gave offence to Sir Henry Herbert, the Master of the Revels
. The play was most likely The Court Beggar
by Richard Brome
, which satirized several members of Queen Henrietta Maria
's circle of favourites, including Sir John Suckling
and Sir William Davenant
(though Brome's The Queen and Concubine
has also been suggested as the offending play). Control of Beeston's theatres and actors was given to Davenant (in a royal warrant dated 27 June 1640). Davenant, though, was busy with other matters — politics and the coming revolution; Beeston was able to resume his position, sometime in the latter part of 1641 (only to face the closing of the theatres the next year, at the outbreak of the English Civil War
).
Perhaps because of such difficulties, or his responses to them, William Beeston gained a reputation (justly or not) for unscrupulousness and shady dealing. His use of the alias "Hutchinson" is verified by several sources. (His father had used the Hutchinson name too; perhaps Hutchinson was the original family name, and Beeston a pseudonym, a stage name.) The records of St. Giles in the Fields, the London parish where the Cockpit was located, record Beeston's marriages, one under the "Hutchinson" name. Beeston married Margaret Howson on 28 October 1633; "William Hutchinson alias Beeston" married Alice Bowen on 15 July 1642. The parish records also note the christenings and burials of eight Beeston infants from 1637 to 1647.
, Beeston tried to re-establish the Beeston's Boys troupe, despite the official prohibition on theatrical activity. In 1650 he paid £200 for repairs to the Cockpit Theatre and then gathered a group of "prentices and covenant servants to instruct them in the quality of acting and fitting for the stage," as he would testify in a lawsuit a year later. His attempt was not successful, largely due to the continued opposition to professional theatre by the Puritan
authorities. Beeston was persistent, however; he gained title to the remains of the Salisbury Court Theatre
in 1652, and rebuilt it in April 1660; the theatre returned to service when dramatic performances resumed at the start of the Restoration
. William Beeston was able to re-form Beeston's Boys for a time; he received a warrant from Sir Henry Herbert, the Master of the Revels
, and his troupe played in the summer of 1660. It did not last, though, and many of its members were absorbed into George Jolly
's new company. Thereafter, Beeston himself resumed acting.
(Regarding Beeston's shady reputation, see the 1653 suppressed performance of Thomas Killigrew
's Claricilla
.)
Francis Kirkman
dedicated his translation of The Loves and Adventures of Clerio and Lozia to Beeston in 1652. In the dedication, Kirkman praises Beeston's "instruction, judgment, and fancy" and calls him "the happiest interpreter & judge of our English stage plays...." Of course, Kirkman, just starting his career, wanted things from Beeston — he nominates Beeston "for my patron & protector" — and so his praise may be suspect; though his choice of Beeston as a potential patron is curious, at the least.
era; but the company lasted only for a few years; it was squeezed out of existence by the reigning "duopoly" of the King's Company
and Duke's Company
.
As for William Beeston's legacy: he may have been the first manager in the public theatre of his era to use scenery. He was also a source of information for the antiquarian and biographer John Aubrey
. William Beeston was Aubrey's source on Shakespeare
, and so helped to pass on traditions about the poet that were current in the theatrical world of his generation — i.e. that Shakespeare "understood Latin pretty well: for he had been in his younger years a schoolmaster in the country", etc.
Christopher Beeston
Christopher Beeston 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:...
.
Early phase
William was brought up in the theatrical world of his father; he became an actor, and also his father's assistant in managing the CockpitCockpit 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 christened The Phoenix....
and Red Bull
Red Bull Theatre
The 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...
theatres and their associated companies of actors, including the company of younger players colloquially known as Beeston's Boys
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:...
.
Upon his father's death in 1638, William Beeston inherited their theatrical enterprise — though he managed it with much less success than his father had. On 5 May 1640 he was thrown into the Marshalsea
Marshalsea
The Marshalsea was a prison on the south bank of the River Thames in Southwark, now part of London. From the 14th century until it closed in 1842, it housed men under court martial for crimes at sea, including those accused of "unnatural crimes", political figures and intellectuals accused of...
Prison for a Beeston's Boys' play, acted the day before, that gave offence to Sir Henry Herbert, the 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,...
. The play was most likely The Court Beggar
The Court Beggar
The Court Beggar is a Caroline era stage play written by Richard Brome. It was first performed by the acting company known as Beeston's Boys at the Cockpit Theatre. It has sometimes been identified as the seditious play, performed at the Cockpit in May 1640, which the Master of the Revels moved to...
by Richard Brome
Richard Brome
Richard Brome was an English dramatist of the Caroline era.-Life:Virtually nothing is known about Brome's private life. Repeated allusions in contemporary works, like Ben Jonson's Bartholomew Fair, indicate that Brome started out as a servant of Jonson, in some capacity...
, which satirized several members of Queen Henrietta Maria
Henrietta Maria of France
Henrietta Maria of France ; was the Queen consort of England, Scotland and Ireland as the wife of King Charles I...
's circle of favourites, including 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...
and Sir William Davenant
William Davenant
Sir 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...
(though Brome's The Queen and Concubine
The Queen and Concubine
The Queen and Concubine is a Caroline era stage play, a tragicomedy written by Richard Brome and first published in 1659. It has sometimes been called Brome's best tragicomedy.-Publication and date:...
has also been suggested as the offending play). Control of Beeston's theatres and actors was given to Davenant (in a royal warrant dated 27 June 1640). Davenant, though, was busy with other matters — politics and the coming revolution; Beeston was able to resume his position, sometime in the latter part of 1641 (only to face the closing of the theatres the next year, at the outbreak of the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
).
Perhaps because of such difficulties, or his responses to them, William Beeston gained a reputation (justly or not) for unscrupulousness and shady dealing. His use of the alias "Hutchinson" is verified by several sources. (His father had used the Hutchinson name too; perhaps Hutchinson was the original family name, and Beeston a pseudonym, a stage name.) The records of St. Giles in the Fields, the London parish where the Cockpit was located, record Beeston's marriages, one under the "Hutchinson" name. Beeston married Margaret Howson on 28 October 1633; "William Hutchinson alias Beeston" married Alice Bowen on 15 July 1642. The parish records also note the christenings and burials of eight Beeston infants from 1637 to 1647.
Interregnum
During the InterregnumEnglish Interregnum
The English Interregnum was the period of parliamentary and military rule by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the Commonwealth of England after the English Civil War...
, Beeston tried to re-establish the Beeston's Boys troupe, despite the official prohibition on theatrical activity. In 1650 he paid £200 for repairs to the Cockpit Theatre and then gathered a group of "prentices and covenant servants to instruct them in the quality of acting and fitting for the stage," as he would testify in a lawsuit a year later. His attempt was not successful, largely due to the continued opposition to professional theatre by the Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
authorities. Beeston was persistent, however; he gained title to the remains of the Salisbury Court Theatre
Salisbury Court Theatre
The 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...
in 1652, and rebuilt it in April 1660; the theatre returned to service when dramatic performances resumed at the start of the Restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
. William Beeston was able to re-form Beeston's Boys for a time; he received a warrant from Sir Henry Herbert, the 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,...
, and his troupe played in the summer of 1660. It did not last, though, and many of its members were absorbed into George Jolly
George Jolly
George Jolly, or Joliffe was an actor, an early actor-manager and a theatre impressario of the middle seventeenth century...
's new company. Thereafter, Beeston himself resumed acting.
(Regarding Beeston's shady reputation, see the 1653 suppressed performance of Thomas Killigrew
Thomas Killigrew
Thomas Killigrew was an English dramatist and theatre manager. He was a witty, dissolute figure at the court of King Charles II of England.-Life and work:...
's Claricilla
Claricilla
Claricilla is a Caroline era stage play, a tragicomedy written by Thomas Killigrew. The drama was acted c. 1636 by Queen Henrietta's Men at the Cockpit Theatre, and first published in 1641...
.)
Francis Kirkman
Francis Kirkman
Francis Kirkman appears in many roles in the English literary world of the second half of the seventeenth century, as a publisher, bookseller, librarian, author and bibliographer...
dedicated his translation of The Loves and Adventures of Clerio and Lozia to Beeston in 1652. In the dedication, Kirkman praises Beeston's "instruction, judgment, and fancy" and calls him "the happiest interpreter & judge of our English stage plays...." Of course, Kirkman, just starting his career, wanted things from Beeston — he nominates Beeston "for my patron & protector" — and so his praise may be suspect; though his choice of Beeston as a potential patron is curious, at the least.
Later years
Beeston was able to organise a new version of Beeston's Boys at the start of the RestorationEnglish Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
era; but the company lasted only for a few years; it was squeezed out of existence by the reigning "duopoly" of the King's Company
King's Company
The King's Company was one of two enterprises granted the rights to mount theatrical productions in London at the start of the English Restoration. It existed from 1660 to 1682.-History:...
and Duke's Company
Duke's Company
The Duke's Company was one of the two theatre companies that were chartered by King Charles II at the start of the English Restoration era, when the London theatres re-opened after their eighteen-year closure during the English Civil War and the Interregnum.The Duke's Company had the patronage of...
.
As for William Beeston's legacy: he may have been the first manager in the public theatre of his era to use scenery. He was also a source of information for the antiquarian and biographer John Aubrey
John Aubrey
John Aubrey FRS, was an English antiquary, natural philosopher and writer. He is perhaps best known as the author of the collection of short biographical pieces usually referred to as Brief Lives...
. William Beeston was Aubrey's source on 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"...
, and so helped to pass on traditions about the poet that were current in the theatrical world of his generation — i.e. that Shakespeare "understood Latin pretty well: for he had been in his younger years a schoolmaster in the country", etc.