William Robbins (died October 1645), also Robins, Robinson, or Robson, was a prominent comic actor in the Jacobean and Caroline eras. During 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 re ...

he was a captain in the Royalist army and was killed during the

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. John Paulet ...

Biography

Robbins career began by

1617 Events January–June * February 27 – The Treaty of Stolbovo ends the Ingrian War between Sweden and Russia. Sweden gains Ingria and Kexholm. * April 14 – Second Battle of Playa Honda: The Spanish navy defeats a Dutch f ...

, when he was with

Queen Anne's Men Queen Anne's Men was a playing company, or troupe of actors, in Jacobean era London. In their own era they were known colloquially as the Queen's Men — as were Queen Elizabeth's Men and Queen Henrietta's Men, in theirs. Formation The group w ...

; he remained with that company for the remainder of its existence. In 1625 Robbins joined the newly formed

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 ...

, and worked with that company until 1636. His role as Rawbone in their production of

James Shirley James Shirley (or Sherley) (September 1596 – October 1666) was an English dramatist. He belonged to the great period of English dramatic literature, but, in Charles Lamb's words, he "claims a place among the worthies of this period, not so m ...

's '' The Wedding'' shows that he was a thin-man clown, what his own era called a "lean fool," like

John Sinklo John Sinklo (also Sinclo, Sincklo, Sincler, Sinkler, Sinclair) was an English Renaissance theatre actor, known to be active between 1592 and 1604. He was a member of several playing companies, including Lord Strange's Men, Pembroke's Men, Lord C ...

or John Shank. Robbins also played Carazie the eunuch in

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 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. The play has attracted critical attention for its treatment of cultural conflict between Christia ...

'', Clem in

Thomas Heywood Thomas Heywood (early 1570s – 16 August 1641) was an English playwright, actor, and author. His main contributions were to late Elizabethan and early Jacobean theatre. He is best known for his masterpiece '' A Woman Killed with Kindness'', ...

's ''

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 The dates of authorship of the two parts of ''The Fa ...

'', 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 Bubonic plague is one of three types of plague caused by the plague bacterium (''Yersinia pestis''). One to seven days after exposure to the bacteria, flu-like symptoms develop. These symptoms include fever, headaches, and vomiting, as well a ...

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 The Werburgh Street Theatre, also the Saint Werbrugh Street Theatre or the New Theatre, was a seventeenth-century theatre in Dublin, Ireland. Scholars and historians of the subject generally identify it as the "first custom-built theatre in the c ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

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 Groom of the Chamber was a position in the Household of the monarch in early modern England. Other ''Ancien Régime'' royal establishments in Europe had comparable officers, often with similar titles. In France, the Duchy of Burgundy, and in Eng ...

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 Nicholas Burt (1621 ? — after 1689), 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 Restora ...

are good examples), fought on the Royalist side during the

. Robbins attained the rank of captain before dying during the

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. John Paulet ...

in October 1645. James Wright, in his ''

Historia Histrionica ''Historia Histrionica'' is a 1699 literary work by James Wright (1643-1713), 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 d ...

'' ( 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.)Harrison answered Robbins plea for quarter with a quote from the bible: "Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord negligently, and keepeth back his sword from blood!"
Jeremiah 48:10
before killing him (Isaac Disraeli,1824, ''A second series of Curiosities of literature: consisting of ...'', Volume 3
Page 439
.

Family

Robbins was married to Cicely Sands Brown Robbins, sister of King's Man

James Sands James Hoban Sands (born July 6, 2000) is an American professional soccer player who plays as a center-back or defensive midfielder for Major League Soccer club New York City FC. He became NYCFC's first ever homegrown player in July 2017. ...

and widow of actor Robert Browne.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robbins, William English male stage actors 17th-century English male actors 1645 deaths Year of birth unknown Cavaliers People killed in the English Civil War King's Men (playing company)