Black Dog of Newgate, Parts 1 and 2
Black Dog of Newgate, Part I (1602)
- John Day, Richard Hathaway, Wentworth Smith, and "the other poete"
Black Dog of Newgate, Part 2 (1603)
- John Day, Richard Hathaway, Wentworth Smith, and "the other poete"
Historical Records
Henslowe's Diary
F. 118 (Greg I. 185) pd at the a poyntment of John ducke the 24 of novmber 160[3]2 to mr hathwaye [blacke doge of] in earneste of a playe called [John dayes [comodye]] the some of ... xxxxs [newgate] |
Lent vnto xpofer beston & Robart palante the 26 novemb[er] 1602 to paye vnto John day mr smythe mr hathway & the other poete in parte of payment of the playe called [John dayes comody’ the some of ... xxxxs the blacke dogge of newgate |
F. 118v (Greg I. 186) pd at the apoyntment of the company the 20 |
F. 119 (Greg I. 187) Lent vnto John dewcke the 10 Janewarye 1602 to by Lame skenes for the blacke dogge of newgate the some of ... xs |
pd more for the company the 16 of Janewarye 1602 vnto Goodman freswatr for [c] a canves sewt & skenes for the black doge of newgate xijs |
F. 119v (Greg I. 188) Lent vnto John Lewen vpon John duckes noote of his hande the 29 of Janewarye 1602 to geue in earneste of the second part of the boocke called the blacke dooge of newgate vnto mr hathwaye & John daye & mr smythe & the other poete the some of ... iiili |
pd at the apoyntment of John ducke the 3 of febreary 1602 vnto mr hathwaye mr smythe John daye & the other poet in fulle payment for the boocke called the second parte of the blacke dooge the some of ... iiijli |
F. 120 (Greg I. 189) Pd vnto the tyerman for the companye 1602 to bye viij yrdes & a hallfe of blacke satten at xijs a yrde to macke a sewt for the 2 parte of the blacke dogge the some of ... vli ijs |
Lent vnto Thomas blacke wode the 21 of febreary 1602 to geue vnto the 4 poetes in earneste of ther adicyones for the 2 parte of the blacke doge ... xs |
Lent vnto Thomas black wode the 24 of febreary 1602 to geue vnto the 4 poetes in parte of paymente for ther adycyons in the 2 parte of the blacke doge ... xs |
Lent vnto John dewcke the 26 of febreary 1602 to paye the poetes in fulle payment for ther adycyones for the 2 parte of the blacke doge the some of ... xxs |
Stationers' Register
Arber III.6b/56
22 December 1595 John Danter.
- Entred for his copies vnder th[e h]andes of bothe the wardens
- iij ballades the firste the Deathe of Sir Roger Williams the
- Second the Divelles wake / and the Third Luke Huttons
- Lamentacon ... xviijd
6 January 1595/6 Gabriell Sympson william white/
- Entred for their copie vnder the hands of the wardens, a booke
- intituled, The black Dogge of Newgate bothe pythie and profitable for all Readers ... vjd
Arber III. 7b/58
9 February 1595/6 Symon Stafford and [Gabriel] Simpson
- Entred for his copie vnder the handes of the wardens. The black
- Dog of newgates Lmentation for all his knauery. vilany bribery and
- Conny catchinge to the Tune of 'Huttons Deldul' ... vjd
Theatrical Provenance
The play belonged to Worcester’s Men, who leased the Rose playhouse in August 1602 where they played through May 1603.
Probable Genre(s)
Comedy (Henslowe’s entries) “Topical Play” (Harbage)
Possible Narrative and Dramatic Sources or Analogues
“The Discovery of a London Monster, called The Blacke Dogg of New-gate …” EEBO
“Luke Hutton’s Lamentation” The ballad opens with a conventional lament by Hutton of his imprisonment and impending execution (it includes a claim that his parents were well-born and he disobeyed them). Hutton, not yet 20 years old, describes his criminal behavior, mainly highway robbery (not murder) with 12 fellows he dubs his “apostles.” There is a hint of Robin-Hoodishness in his hitting rich men for their gold. In one stanza, Hutton says he was made a jailor (a common practice, rather like a fox guarding the henhouse) and he set the prisoners free. Claiming a three-year career, he recounts some details of his life: he was born on St. Luke’s Day, and to celebrate his birthday he had robbed 19 men. He was caught in London but taken to York to stand trial. Nine score and seventeen felony indictments were delivered against him (197). As the ballad concludes, he is waiting to ascend the gallows to be hanged.outlawsandhighwaymen.com
References to the Play
Critical Commentary
Greg repeats the suggestion by F. G. Fleay that the “other” poet was William Haughton, then disagrees because Haughton did not otherwise write for Worcester’s Men. He cites as source a chapbook “said to have been printed before 1600, and ascribed to Luke Hutton who was executed in 1598” (II. 233, Items 273 & 277). He gives the title and provenance of the ballad, “The Discovery of a London Monster, called, The Blacke Dogg of New-gate ...".
The headnote to the ballad (Roxburge Collection) comments on the popularity of “Luke Hutton’s Lamentation,” quotes Collier’s comments in his ballad collection, and also quotes C. H. Cooper as believing that Luke Hutton was probably a younger son of Matthew Hutton, Archbishop of York in 1595. After matriculating at Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1582, Hutton dropped out and turned to criminal activity including highway robbery. He wrote The Black Dog of Newgate from prison.
McMullen defines “black dog” as a canting term that refers to a warrant system by which a person (often himself a criminal) arrested others on mere suspicion of a crime and bullied them into providing information with threats of prison time for themselves. Such warrants were gotten from justices of the peace and the privy council (p. 149). According to McMullan, “[t]he main idea of the black dog system was to prolong the possibilities of intermediary payoffs from thieves and to amass intelligence” (p. 151).
For What It's Worth
St. Luke’s Day is 18 October.
Keywords
Canting terms [category:canting terms], Scaffold speeches [category:Scaffold speeches], Highwaymen [category:Highwaymen], Hanging [category:Hanging, Monster [category:monster], Ballad [category:ballad], Execution [category:Execution]
Works Cited
McMullan, John L. The Canting Crew: London’s Criminal Underworld 1550-1700. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers UP, 1984.
Spraggs, Gillian. outlawsandhighwaymen.com
Site created and maintained by Roslyn L. Knutson, Professor Emerita, University of Arkansas at Little Rock; last updated, 4 November 2009.