Funeral of Richard Coeur de Lion, The

Henry Chettle, Michael Drayton, Anthony Munday and Robert Wilson (1598)


Historical Records

Payments to Playwrights (Henslowe’s Diary)


F. 46 (Greg I.87)

lent vnto mr willsone the 13 of June 1598 [called] vpon
a bocke called Richard cordelion funeralle . . . . . . . . . vs


lent vnto cheattell the 14 of June 1598 in earneste of
a boocke called Richard cordeliones funeralle . . . . . . vs


F. 46v (Greg I.88)

lent vnto Cheattell the 15 of June 1598 in
earneste of ther boocke called the funerall
of Richard cvrdelion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vs


lent vnto cheattell willsone & mondaye
the 17 of June 1598 vpon earneste of ther
boocke called the funerall of Richard
cordelion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvs


lent vnto mr cheattell the 21 of June 1598
in earneste of a boocke called the fenerall
of Richard cvrdelion the some of . . . . . xxvs
J saye xxvs wittnes wm birde


lent vnto anthony mvnday the 23 of June 1598
in earneste of a boocke called the fenerall of
Richard cvrdelion the some of . . . . . . . xxs


lent vnto mr drayton the 24 of June 1598
in earneste of a boocke called the funerall of
Richard cordelion the some of . . . . . . . . xxxs


lent vnto mr willson the 26 of June 1598
the some of xxs wch is in full paymente of
<of> his pte of the boocke called Richard cordelion
funerall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
& so mr willson Reasteth in my deate albeinge
payd [xxvs] . . . pd xs Rest to pay xs . . . . . . . . xxs




Dramatic Records of Sir Henry Herbert

Revels Documents, 1660-1673 (Bawcutt 249, item R29):

A declaration under William Earle of Pembrokes Hande of the Antient powers of the Office dated the 20th of Nouemb. 1622.

Seuerall Plays allowed by Mr Tilney In 1598. which is .62. years since.

Sir William Longsword allowed to be Acted the. 24. May. 1598
The Faire Mayd of London
And Richard Cordelyon.

Kinge and noe Kinge to be Acted In 1611 & ye same to be printed,
Allowed by Sir George Bucke
And Hogg Hath Loste His Pearle by Sir George Buck.

Richard Hall


A variation of this note was subsequently reproduced in the "Breviat of Sir Henry and Simon Thelwall v. Thomas Betterton" (Bawcutt 255, item R33):

A Declaration under William Earle of Pembrokes hand of the Ancient Powers of the Office Dated Nouember 20. 1622.

Seuerall Plays allowed by Mr Tilney In 1598. As

Sr William Longsword Allowed to bee Acted in 1598.
The Fair Maid of London
Richard Cor de Lyon.
See the Bookes

Allowed by Sir George Buck

King and Noe Kinge to bee Acted in 1611. and the same to bee Printed
Hogg hath lost his Pearle and hundreds more
Richard Hall

Joseph Quincy Adams includes transcriptions of both, with minor differences, in the "Miscellaneous Papers" section of his edition of Herbert's records (Adams, 105; Adams, 112).


Theatrical Provenance

The Admiral's men were at the Rose when Henslowe paid £6 5s to Chettle, Drayton, Munday and Wilson for this play. Herbert's records of Tilney's Elizabethan licences need not be taken as evidence that the play survived into the Restoration; Tilney's licencing refers to two extant plays (The Hog Hath Lost Its Pearl and A King and No King) as well as the lost "William Longsword", "Fair Maid of London" and "The Funeral of Richard Coeur de Lion".


Probable Genre(s)

History (Harbage).


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Site created and maintained by David McInnis, University of Melbourne; updated 16 October 2013.