Warlamchester
Historical Records
Performance Records (Henslowe’s Diary)
F. 10v (Greg, I. 20)
ye 28 of novmber 1594 ………. Res at warlamchester ………. xxiijs ye 30 of novmber 1594 ………. Res at warlamchester ………. xxxviijs ye 12 of desember 1594 ………. Res at warlamchester ………. xvs
F. 11v (Greg, I. 22)
ye 29 of aprell 1595 ………. Res at warlamchester ………. xxixs ye 10 of maye 1595 ………. Res at warlam chester ………. xxixs
F. 12v (Greg, I. 24)
ye 30 of maye 1595 ………. Res at warlamchester ………. ixs ye 16 of June 1595 ………. Res at warlamchester ………. xxvs
Theatrical Provenance
Admiral's Men at the Rose. The play is not marked with Henslowe's enigmatic "ne," so it is possible that "Warlamchester" had been performed before its debut at the Rose.
Probable Genre(s)
Saint's life? Anglo-Roman history?
Possible Narrative and Dramatic Sources or Analogues
Walarmchester (one of numerous variant spellings) was the Saxon name of the settlement previously known by the Romans as Verulamium. It subsequently came to be called St Albans in memory of the martyr executed there in the third century.
The use of the Saxon name in the play's title suggests that its subject matter is derived from the period prior to the Norman Conquest in 1066. One obvious possibility is the martyrdom of St Alban, referred to in the first volume of Holinshed's Chronicles (1577), in the chapter entitled "Asclepiodotus duke of Cornewall" (Oxford Holinshed Project, p. 88)).
The other obvious possibility is the earlier destruction of Verulamium during the revolt of Boudicea, referred to in the first volume of Holinshed's Chronicles (1577), in the chapter entitled "Aruiragus" (Oxford Holinshed Project, p. 64).
References to the Play
Information welcome.
Critical Commentary
See Wiggins serial number 860.
For What It's Worth
Information welcome.
Works Cited
Site created and maintained by Tom Rutter, Sheffield Hallam University; updated 22 April 2010.