''The Cobbler of Preston'' (first published as ''The Cobler of Preston'') is a 1716 comedy play by

Christopher Bullock Sir Christopher Llewellyn Bullock, KCB, CBE (10 November 1891 – 16 May 1972), a prominent member of the Bullock family, was Permanent Under-Secretary at the British Air Ministry from 1931 to 1936. Appointed at the age of 38, he remains one o ...

, although a separate play of the same title was written by Charles Johnson the same year. A one-act afterpiece is the origin of the phrase " Tis impossible to be sure of anything but Death and Taxes". In the preface to the published version Bullock suggested that he had begun writing the play just four days before its premiere. It takes inspiration from '' The Taming of the Shrew'' by William Shakespeare and is set in Preston, Lancashire. The town had recently been scene of fighting during the

1715 Jacobite Rebellion The Jacobite rising of 1715 ( gd, Bliadhna Sheumais ; or 'the Fifteen') was the attempt by James Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) to regain the thrones of England, Ireland and Scotland for the exiled Stuarts. At Braemar, Aberdeenshire, lo ...

at the Battle of Preston. Bullock's play does not overtly reference the rebellion, but has undertones supportive of the Hanoverian Dynasty. It first appeared at the

Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre Lisle's Tennis Court was a building off Portugal Street in Lincoln's Inn Fields in London. Originally built as a real tennis court, it was used as a playhouse during two periods, 1661–1674 and 1695–1705. During the early period, ...

as the afterpiece to a revival of ''

The Confederacy The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognized Secession in the United States, breakaway republic in the ...

'' by

John Vanbrugh Sir John Vanbrugh (; 24 January 1664 (baptised) – 26 March 1726) was an English architect, dramatist and herald, perhaps best known as the designer of Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard. He wrote two argumentative and outspoken Restora ...

. The cast included

John Ogden John Ogden may refer to: *John Ogden (colonist) (1609-1682), an American colonial leader *John Ogden (actor) (died 1732), a British stage actor * John B. Ogden (1812–?), 19th century Arkansas judge *John Ogden (academic), co-founder of Fisk Unive ...

as Sir Jasper Manly,

James Spiller James Spiller (c.1761–1829) was an English architect and surveyor, a close associate of Sir John Soane. His designs included the Church of St John-at-Hackney, and the Great Synagogue, London. Life Spiller was a pupil of the architect James Wy ...

as Toby Guzzle,

as Snuffle and William Bullock as Grist and Benjamin Griffin as Dorcas Guzzle.

Alternative version

On 3 February 1716 a separate version premiered at the rival

Drury Lane Theatre The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Drur ...

, managed by Robert Wilks. A two act

farcical Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical humor; the use of deliberate absurdity or ...

afterpiece written by Charles Johnson it was more overtly political than Bullock's play and ultimately less successful. Johnson's piece is likely to have been written first, with Bullock hearing of its production and deciding to steal a march to get his own version performed first. The cast included Lacy Ryan as Sir Charles Briton, Thomas Walker as Captain Jolly,

William Pinkethman William Pinkethman(also Penkethman, Pinkeman, Pinkerman, etc.; nicknamed Pinkey) (c.1660–1725) was an English comic actor, a low comedian with a droll style, and theatre manager. He was considered an imitator of Anthony Leigh. Starting in th ...

as Sir Kit Sly,

Elizabeth Willis Elizabeth Willis (born April 28, 1961, Bahrain) is an American poet and literary critic. She currently serves as Professor of Poetry at the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Willis has won several awards for her poetry including the National Poetry Serie ...

as Joan and Mary Willis as Betty.Van Lennep p.387-88

References

Bibliography

* Burling, William J. ''A Checklist of New Plays and Entertainments on the London Stage, 1700-1737''. Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press, 1992. * Nicoll, Allardyce. ''History of English Drama, 1660-1900, Volume 2''. Cambridge University Press, 2009. * Van Lennep, W. ''The London Stage, 1660-1800: Volume Two, 1700-1729''. Southern Illinois University Press, 1960. 1716 plays West End plays Plays by Christopher Bullock Plays by Charles Johnson Comedy plays {{1710s-play-stub