Andrew Pennycuicke (

fl. ''Floruit'' (; abbreviated fl. or occasionally flor.; from Latin for "they flourished") denotes a date or period during which a person was known to have been alive or active. In English, the unabbreviated word may also be used as a noun indicatin ...

1638 – 1658) was a mid-seventeenth-century actor and publisher; he was responsible for publishing a number of plays of English Renaissance drama. What little is known of Pennycuicke's acting career comes from his own publications. In his edition of

Robert Davenport Robert Davenport may refer to: * Robert Davenport (dramatist) (fl. 1623–1639), English dramatist * Robert Davenport (Australian politician) Robert Davenport (1816 – 3 September 1896) was a pioneer and politician in the early days of the Co ...

's ''King John and Matilda'', he states that he was the last actor to play the heroine's part in that play, prior to the closing of the theatres in 1642 at the start of the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I (" Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of r ...

. In his edition of

Philip Massinger Philip Massinger (1583 – 17 March 1640) 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 polit ...

's ''

The City Madam ''The City Madam'' is a Caroline era comedy written by Philip Massinger. It was licensed by Sir Henry Herbert, the Master of the Revels, on 25 May 1632 and was acted by the King's Men at the Blackfriars Theatre. It was printed in quarto in 16 ...

'', he states that he acted in that play as well. So Pennycuicke must have been an actor c. 1638–42, up to the closing of the theatres; he was apparently a

boy player Boy player refers to children who performed in Medieval and English Renaissance playing companies. Some boy players worked for the adult companies and performed the female roles as women did not perform on the English stage in this period. Others ...

who took women's roles, and a hired man rather than a sharer in any company. (

Queen Henrietta's Men Queen Henrietta's Men was an important playing company or troupe of actors in Caroline era in 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 The company ...

staged a late revival of the Davenport play, in 1638–39, while the Massinger work belonged to the King's Men. Pennycuicke could have worked for both companies at different times.) With the closure of the theatres (which Pennycuicke himself termed "the absurdity of times"), many actors had to find other means of earning a living. Pennycuicke made the switch from actor to stationer, selling and publishing books. (Other ex-actors,

Alexander Gough Alexander Gough (fl. 1626 – 1655), also Goughe or Goffe, was an English actor in the Caroline era. He started out as a boy player filling female roles; during the period of the English Civil War and the Interregnum (1642–1660) when t ...

and William Cartwright, made the same career shift in the same era.) Pennycuicke's earliest known product was Robert Chamberlain's ''Nocturnal Lucubrations'' (1652). Given his prior career, it is not surprising that Pennycuicke concentrated on publishing plays, including: * ''

The Fatal Contract ''The Fatal Contract: A French Tragedy'' is a Caroline era stage play, written by William Heminges.Carol A. Morley, ed., ''The Plays and Poems of William Heminge'', Madison, NJ, Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 2006.William Heminges, ''The ...

'' by

William Heminges William Heminges (1602 – c. 1653?), also Hemminges, Heminge, and other variants, was a playwright and theatrical figure of the Caroline period. He was the ninth child and third son of John Heminges, the actor and colleague of William Shakespear ...

, published 1653 * ''

King John and Matilda ''King John and Matilda'' is a Caroline era stage play, a historical tragedy written by Robert Davenport. It was initially published in 1655; the cast list included in the first edition provides valuable information on some of the actors of En ...

'' by

, 1655 * ''

The Sun's Darling ''The Sun's Darling'' is a masque, or masque-like play, written by John Ford (dramatist), John Ford and Thomas Dekker (poet), Thomas Dekker, and first published in 1656 in literature, 1656. ''The Sun's Darling'' was licensed for performance by S ...

'', by Thomas Dekker and

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...

, 1656 * ''

'' by

, 1658. Pennycuicke resided in the London parish of St. Giles in the Fields, the home of the

Cockpit 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 named The Phoenix. History The original building was an actual cockpit; that is, a st ...

and of many actors and theatre men of the era, including

William Beeston William Beeston (1606? – 1682) was an English actor and theatre manager, the son and successor to the more famous Christopher Beeston. Early phase William was brought up in the theatrical world of his father; he became an actor, and also his ...

and fellow King's Man

Theophilus Bird Theophilus Bird, or Bourne, (1608 – 1663) was a seventeenth-century English actor. Bird began his stage career in the Stuart era of English Renaissance theatre, and ended it in the Restoration period; he was one of the relatively few acto ...

. Parish records show that Pennycuicke married Dorothy Kinde on 19 October 1647; their infant child was buried there on 4 December 1652. G. E. Bentley, "Players in the Parish of St. Giles in the Fields," ''Review of English Studies'', Vol. 6 No. 22 (April 1930), pp. 149–66.

References

Publishers (people) from London 17th-century English male actors English male stage actors Year of birth missing Year of death missing {{publish-bio-stub