"Mr Pett"

The instance in Philip Henslowe's Diary that cites "m^r pett" as seller with William Haughton of the lost play, "Strange News Out of Poland" is unique. Fleay queried whether "Pett" is not a mistake by Henslowe for "Chett," or Henry Chettle. He adds that the only "Pett" he knows is Peter Pett, author of Time's journey to see his daughter Truth, a verse publication in 1599 (BCED, I.273). Greg is skeptical; his reluctance is that Henslowe, while he does use "Cett" for "Chettle," does not use "Mr" with "Cett"(Greg, II. 213, Item #205). Greg does not comment on Fleay's Peter Pett.

Recently, in "Identifying 'Mr Pett'? A Forgotten Early Modern Playwright" (EMLS, 17.1 [2014), Matteo Pangallo reopens the question of m^r pett's identity. He offers one of the three brothers (two of whom are named Peter) from a shipbuilding family from Deptford. The middle brother, who is referred to as Peter of Wapping, is Fleay's Peter Pett. Pangallo finds reasons—but nothing definitive— to consider both the elder brother, Phineas, and the younger (also named Peter) as possibilities.

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Title	Year	Auspices
Strange News Out of Poland	1600	Admiral's