William Robbins (actor)
Encyclopedia
William Robbins also Robins, Robinson, or Robson, was a prominent comic actor in the Jacobean
and Caroline
eras.
His career began by 1617
, when he was with Queen Anne's Men
; he remained with that company for the remainder of its existence. In 1625
Robbins joined the newly formed Queen Henrietta's Men
, and worked with that company until 1636. His role as Rawbone in their production of James Shirley
's The Wedding
shows that he was a thin-man clown, what his own era called a "lean fool," like John Sinklo
or John Shank
. Robbins also played Carazie the eunuch in Philip Massinger
's The Renegado
, Clem in Thomas Heywood
's The Fair Maid of the West
, and the title character, the "changeling" Antonio, in Middleton
and Rowley's
The Changeling
.
The Queen Henrietta's company was disrupted by a long theatre closure due to bubonic plague
in 1636–37. Robbins may have been one of the members of the troupe who travelled to Ireland with James Shirley to work at the Werburgh Street Theatre
in Dublin in the later 1630s.
Robbins finished his acting career with a couple of years with the King's Men
. He was made a Groom of the Chamber
in January 1641, along with five other actors in the troupe. After the theatres closed in 1642
, Robbins, like some other actors (fellow King's Men Charles Hart
and Nicholas Burt
are good examples), fought on the Royalist side during the English Civil War
. Robbins attained the rank of captain before dying during the siege of Basing House
in October 1645. James Wright, in his Historia Histrionica
(1699
), maintains that Robbins was shot in the head after surrendering, by a soldier in the Commonwealth forces (the soldier reportedly was Thomas Harrison
, who later became a general in the Commonwealth army.)
Robbins was married to Cicely Sands Brown Robbins, sister of King's Man James Sands
and widow of actor Robert Browne
.
Jacobean era
The Jacobean era refers to the period in English and Scottish history that coincides with the reign of King James VI of Scotland, who also inherited the crown of England in 1603 as James I...
and Caroline
Caroline era
The Caroline era refers to the era in English and Scottish history during the Stuart period that coincided with the reign of Charles I , Carolus being Latin for Charles...
eras.
His career began by 1617
1617 in literature
The year 1617 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*March 4 - Shrovetide riot of the London apprentices damages the Cockpit Theatre...
, when he was with Queen Anne's Men
Queen Anne's Men
Queen Anne's Men was a playing company, or troupe of actors, in Jacobean era London. -Formation:...
; he remained with that company for the remainder of its existence. In 1625
1625 in literature
The year 1625 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*January 1 - The King's Men act Henry IV, Part 1 at Whitehall Palace....
Robbins joined the newly formed Queen Henrietta's Men
Queen Henrietta's Men
Queen Henrietta's Men was an important playing company or troupe of actors in Caroline era 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:...
, and worked with that company until 1636. His role as Rawbone in their production of James Shirley
James Shirley
James Shirley was an English dramatist.He belonged to the great period of English dramatic literature, but, in Lamb's words, he "claims a place among the worthies of this period, not so much for any transcendent genius in himself, as that he was the last of a great race, all of whom spoke nearly...
's The Wedding
The Wedding (1629 play)
The Wedding is a Caroline era stage play, a comedy written by James Shirley. Published in 1629, it was the first of Shirley's plays to appear in print. An early comedy of manners, it is set in the fashionable world of genteel London society in Shirley's day....
shows that he was a thin-man clown, what his own era called a "lean fool," like John Sinklo
John Sinklo
John Sinklo was an English Renaissance theatre actor, known to be active between 1592-1604. He was a member of several playing companies, including Lord Strange's Men, Pembroke's Men, Lord Chamberlain's Men and the King's Men...
or John Shank
John Shank
John Shank was an actor in English Renaissance theatre, a leading comedian in the King's Men during the 1620s and 1630s.-Early career:...
. Robbins also played Carazie the eunuch in Philip Massinger
Philip Massinger
Philip 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....
's The Renegado
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...
, Clem in Thomas Heywood
Thomas Heywood
Thomas Heywood was a prominent English playwright, actor, and author whose peak period of activity falls between late Elizabethan and early Jacobean theatre.-Early years:...
's The Fair Maid of the West
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:...
, and the title character, the "changeling" Antonio, in 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...
and Rowley's
William Rowley
William 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 Changeling
The Changeling (play)
The Changeling is a Jacobean tragedy written by Thomas Middleton and William Rowley. Widely regarded as "among the best" tragedies of the English Renaissance, the play has accumulated a significant body of critical commentary....
.
The Queen Henrietta's company was disrupted by a long theatre closure due to bubonic plague
Bubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
in 1636–37. Robbins may have been one of the members of the troupe who travelled to Ireland with James Shirley to work at the Werburgh Street Theatre
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...
in Dublin in the later 1630s.
Robbins finished his acting career with a couple of years with the King's Men
King'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...
. He was made a Groom of the Chamber
Groom of the Chamber
Groom of the Chamber and Groom of the Privy Chamber were positions in the Royal Household of the English monarchy, the latter considerably more elevated. Other Ancien Régime royal establishments in Europe had comparable officers, often with similar titles...
in January 1641, along with five other actors in the troupe. After the theatres closed in 1642
1642 in literature
The year 1642 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*May - John Milton marries Marie Powell.*September 2 - The theatres in London are closed by the Puritan government; the "lascivious mirth and levity" of stage plays are to "cease and be forborn" for the next eighteen years, during...
, Robbins, like some other actors (fellow King's Men Charles Hart
Charles Hart (17th-century actor)
Charles Hart was a prominent British Restoration actor.A Charles Hart was christened on 11 December 1625, in the parish of St. Giles Cripplegate, in London. It is not absolutely certain that this was the actor, though the name was not common at the time...
and Nicholas Burt
Nicholas Burt
Nicholas Burt , or Birt or Burght among other variants, was a prominent English actor of the seventeenth century. In a long career, he was perhaps best known as the first actor to play the role of Othello in the Restoration era.A "Nicholas Bert" was christened on 27 May 1621, in Norwich; the record...
are good examples), fought on the Royalist side during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
. Robbins attained the rank of captain before dying during the siege of Basing House
Siege of Basing House
The siege of Basing House near Basingstoke in Hampshire, was a Parliamentarian victory late in the First English Civil War. Whereas the title of the event may suggest a single siege, there were in fact three major engagements...
in October 1645. James Wright, in his Historia Histrionica
Historia Histrionica
Historia Histrionica is a 1699 literary work by James Wright , on the subject of theatre in England in the seventeenth century. It is an essential resource for information on the actors and theatrical life of the period, providing data available nowhere else.The work's full title is Historia...
(1699
1699 in literature
The year 1699 in literature involved some significant events.-Events:*Jonathan Swift is out of work after the death of his employer, Sir William Temple.*Joseph Addison receives a pension of £300 to enable him to travel abroad.-New books:...
), maintains that Robbins was shot in the head after surrendering, by a soldier in the Commonwealth forces (the soldier reportedly was Thomas Harrison
Thomas Harrison
Major-General Thomas Harrison sided with Parliament in the English Civil War. During the Interregnum he was a leader of the Fifth Monarchists...
, who later became a general in the Commonwealth army.)
Robbins was married to Cicely Sands Brown Robbins, sister of King's Man James Sands
King's Men personnel
King's Men personnel were the people who worked with and for the Lord Chamberlain's Men and the King's Men from 1594 to 1642...
and widow of actor Robert Browne
Robert Browne (Jacobean actor)
Robert Browne was an English actor and theatre manager and investor of the later sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. He was also part of a long-standing confusion in the scholarship of English Renaissance theatre....
.