The Earl of Oxford’s Men, alternatively Oxford’s Players, were acting companies in late
Medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...
and
Renaissance England patronised by the
Earls of Oxford
Earl of Oxford is a dormant title in the Peerage of England, first created for Aubrey de Vere by the Empress Matilda in 1141. His family was to hold the title for more than five and a half centuries, until the death of the 20th Earl in 1703. ...
. The name was also sometimes used to refer to tumblers, musicians, and animal acts that were under the patronage of the Earls or hired by them. The most notable troupe of this name was the acting company of the
Elizabethan era
The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The symbol of Britannia (a female personifi ...
patronised by
Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford (1550-1604), that originally derived from an earlier company, the Earl of Warwick’s Men, and was active from 1580 to 1587. It was revived probably in the late 1590s and ultimately was absorbed by yet another troupe,
Worcester's Men
The Earl of Worcester's Men was an acting company in Renaissance England. An early formation of the company, wearing the livery of William Somerset, 3rd Earl of Worcester, is among the companies known to have toured the country in the mid-sixteen ...
, in late 1602.
Beginnings
![John de Vere, 15th Earl of Oxford cropped](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/John_de_Vere%2C_15th_Earl_of_Oxford_cropped.jpg)
The Earl of Oxford’s Entertainers, a troupe patronised by
John de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford
John de Vere, 7th Earl of Oxford (c. 12 March 1312 – 24 January 1360) was the nephew and heir of Robert de Vere, 6th Earl of Oxford who succeeded as Earl of Oxford in 1331, after his uncle died without issue.
John de Vere was a trusted capta ...
(1312 – 1360), was paid 6 shillings, 8 pence for a performance in
Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour.
...
,
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
, on 29 September 1353 or 1354, the earliest record for an Oxford company. Records exist for 57 provincial performances of various animal acts,
minstrel
A minstrel was an entertainer, initially in medieval Europe. It originally described any type of entertainer such as a musician, juggler, acrobat, singer or fool; later, from the sixteenth century, it came to mean a specialist entertainer who ...
s, musicians, and tumblers, including five performances by two playing companies, sponsored by the
13th earl (1442 – 1513) from 1465 to 1513, as well as two performances at the court of
Henry VII. The
14th Earl (1499 – 1526) patronised animal acts and a minstrel company.
John de Vere, 15th Earl of Oxford
John de Vere, 15th Earl of Oxford, Lord Great Chamberlain KG PC (c. 1482 – 21 March 1540). was an English peer and courtier.
Career
John de Vere, born about 1482, was the son of John de Vere and Alice Kilrington (alias Colbroke), and the g ...
(<1490 – 1540), kept a playing company and also employed
John Bale
John Bale (21 November 1495 – November 1563) was an English churchman, historian and controversialist, and Bishop of Ossory in Ireland. He wrote the oldest known historical verse drama in English (on the subject of King John), and developed ...
to write six plays for them from 1534-6. A favourite of
Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
, after 1536 Oxford directed Bale to
Richard Morison
Sir Richard Morrison (or Morison or Morysine) (ca. 1513 – 1556) was an English humanist scholar and diplomat. He was a protégé of Thomas Cromwell, propagandist for Henry VIII, and then ambassador to the German court of Charles V for Edward V ...
for his campaign against the Pope to write anti-Catholic propaganda plays.
John de Vere, 16th Earl of Oxford
John de Vere, 16th Earl of Oxford (1516 – 3 August 1562) was born to John de Vere, 15th Earl of Oxford and Elizabeth Trussell, daughter of Edward Trussell. He was styled Lord Bolebec 1526 to 1540 before he succeeded to his father's title.
...
(1516 – 1562), maintained a playing company that toured the provinces and also played in London, most famously a performance in
Southwark
Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...
on 5 February 1547 at the same time of a dirge for Henry VIII a week after his death, despite the earl serving as one of the twelve chief mourners for the deceased monarch. Records for 25 separate provincial performances survive, and the troupe continued until two years after the earl's death.
Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford
Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford
Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (; 12 April 155024 June 1604) was an English peer and courtier of the Elizabethan era. Oxford was heir to the second oldest earldom in the kingdom, a court favourite for a time, a sought-after patron of ...
(1550-1604), was an enthusiastic and persistent promoter of theatrical companies, and was himself known as a playwright. He sponsored both adult and boys' acting companies, and it is difficult to distinguish between their performance records. He also sponsored a Christmas 1584 court performance of
tumbler John Symons and his group of acrobats between his tenure with
Lord Strange's Men
Lord Strange's Men was an Elizabethan playing company, comprising retainers of the household of Ferdinando Stanley, Lord Strange (pronounced "strang"). They are best known in their final phase of activity in the late 1580s and early 1590s. After ...
and
Queen Elizabeth's Men
Queen Elizabeth's Men was a playing company or troupe of actors in English Renaissance theatre. Formed in 1583 at the express command of Queen Elizabeth, it was the dominant acting company for the rest of the 1580s, as the Admiral's Men and the ...
.
Oxford’s adult playing company was formed with actors who were formerly members of the Earl of Warwick’s Men in the early 1580s during the period when noblemen were using their playing companies to promote themselves at court by competing to furnish court entertainments. The original members included the well-known actor brothers John and Laurence Dutton, Robert Leveson, Thomas Chesson, and possibly Jerome Savage and
Richard Tarlton
Richard Tarlton (died September 1588), was an English actor of the Elizabethan era. He was the most famous clown of his era, known for his extempore comic doggerel verse, which came to be known as "Tarltons". He helped to turn Elizabethan theatre ...
. The formation of the troupe by the desertion of the Duttons caused court gossip and served as the occasion of
an excoriating poem by an unknown court poet in the tradition of scatological court
flyting
Flyting or fliting is a contest consisting of the exchange of insults between two parties, often conducted in verse.
Etymology
The word ''flyting'' comes from the Old English verb meaning 'to quarrel', made into a noun with the suffix -''ing''. ...
.
Oxford's players almost immediately got involved in a brawl with some
Inns of Court
The Inns of Court in London are the professional associations for barristers in England and Wales. There are four Inns of Court – Gray's Inn, Lincoln's Inn, Inner Temple and Middle Temple.
All barristers must belong to one of them. They have ...
students while playing at
The Theatre
The Theatre was an Elizabethan playhouse in Shoreditch (in Curtain Road, part of the modern London Borough of Hackney), just outside the City of London. It was the first permanent theatre ever built in England. It was built in 1576 after the ...
in
Shoreditch
Shoreditch is a district in the East End of London in England, and forms the southern part of the London Borough of Hackney. Neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets are also perceived as part of the area.
In the 16th century, Shoreditch was an impor ...
, and several members were thrown into gaol, but they were out and on the road by early June. De Vere solicited letters of recommendation for his players from his father-in-law,
Lord Burghley
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley (13 September 15204 August 1598) was an English statesman, the chief adviser of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State (1550–1553 and 1558–1572) and Lord High Treasurer from 1 ...
, and the
Lord Chamberlain
The Lord Chamberlain of the Household is the most senior officer of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom, supervising the departments which support and provide advice to the Sovereign of the United Kingdom while also acting as the main cha ...
, the Earl of Sussex, addressed to the vice-chancellor of
Cambridge University
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
. Burghley's letter is dated 9 June 1580:
''Where the bearers hereof servauntes to the Right honorable my very good Lord the Erle of Oxford are desierous to repaire to that universitie and there to make shewe of such playes and enterludes as have bene by them heretofore played by them publykely, aswell before the Queens majestie as in the Citie of London, and intend to spend iiij or v. daies there in Cambridg as heretofore they have accustomed to do with other matters and arguments of late yeres, and because they might the rather be permitted so to do without empeachment or lett of yow the vicechauncelor or other the heades of howses, have desired my lettre unto yow in their favor.''
No record exists of Oxford's players entertaining the court before 1583, so Burghley's claim that they had done so by 1580 is taken by
Andrew Gurr
Andrew John Gurr (born 23 December 1936) is a contemporary literary scholar who specializes in William Shakespeare and English Renaissance theatre.
Life and work
Born in Leicester, Gurr was raised in New Zealand, and educated at the Universi ...
as promotional hyperbole. Of course, court records of the time are unreliable. In any case, the vice-chancellor refused permission to play with the excuse that the plague was still feared and that commencement was at hand, and gave them 20 shillings towards their expenses.
![Weakest Goeth to the Wall TP 1600](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8b/Weakest_Goeth_to_the_Wall_TP_1600.png)
The company supported itself touring the provinces in what appears to be a regular circuit that wound across England, ranging from
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean.
The county town is the city of Gl ...
to
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
up to
East Anglia
East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in ...
, including towns in the
Midlands
The Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England and Southern England. The Midlands were important in the Ind ...
. While Oxford's biographer Alan Nelson calls Oxford's troupe "one of the four principal companies of London" based it being mentioned in a 1587 letter complaining about stage plays, Gurr, a specialist in
English Renaissance theatre
English Renaissance theatre, also known as Renaissance English theatre and Elizabethan theatre, refers to the theatre of England between 1558 and 1642.
This is the style of the plays of William Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe and Ben Jonson ...
, notes that no evidence exists that the company appeared regularly in London after 1580.
[Gurr 1996 308.] John Dutton was drafted into the Queen's Men and left the company in 1583.
Notes
{{authority control
English early modern theatre companies