Richard the Confessor

Anon. (1593)

Historical Records

Performance Records (Henslowe's Diary)

F. 8^v (Greg, I.16)

In a listing headed as follows:

"In the name of god Amen begninge the 27 of

desember 1593 the earle of susex his men

Res at Richard the confeser the 31 of desembʒ 1593 . . .	……….	xxxviijs
Res at Richard the confeser the 16 of Jenewarye 1593 [i.e., 1594]	……….	xjs

Theatrical Provenance

Sussex's Men at the Rose Playhouse. The play is not marked "ne". No other records of it are known apart from these two performances by Sussex's Men, one earning a very respectable 38 shillings,the second taking only 11 shillings.

Probable Genre(s)

History (Harbage)
Saints play (Wiggins, Steggle)

Possible Narrative and Dramatic Sources or Analogues

The life of St. Richard of Chichester (c.1197-1253), a twelfth-century British saint famous, primarily, for continuing to practise his ministry as a bishop even when Henry III had deprived him of all the assets of the bishopric. For a brief online overview of St. Richard's life, see Huddleston: for a more specific discussion of early modern accounts of St Richard, see Steggle.

References to the Play

None known.

Critical Commentary

For discussion of the run by Sussex's Men of which these performances formed part, see the LPD entry on The Fair Maid of Italy.

See also Wiggins serial number 917.

For What It's Worth

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Works Cited

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