“To William Kempe, William Shakespeare, and Richard Burbage, servants to the Lord Chamberlayne, upon the Councelles Warrant, dated at Whitehall XV of Mar., 1594, for two several comedies or interludes showed by them before her Majestie on Christmas time laste paste, viz., upon St. Stephen’s days and Innocentes days XIIIli, VIs. VIId. and by waye of her Majesties reward VIli, XIIIs, VIId, in all XXli.”
“For making ready at Greenwich for the Qu. Majestie against her Highness coming thither by the space of VIII days, December, 1594, as appeareth by a bill signed by the Lord Chamberleyne.”
Although the two plays performed are not mentioned by name, one of them may have been “The Comedy of Errors,” as this play was performed on the same date in Gray’s Inn Hall, and was acted by the same company as appeared before the Queen at Greenwich.
1606. On October 18th, John Hemings was paid £30 for three plays acted before his Majesty and the King of Denmark, two of them at Greenwich and one at Hampton Court.
ST. JAMES’S PALACE
The ground on which St. James’s Palace stood was originally a hospital for lepers, and was in existence years before the Conquest. When it surrendered to Henry VIII, the maiden lepers (being a hospital for women) were pensioned.
The building and grounds were in possession of Eton College, with which the King made an exchange. The building, on coming into possession of the King, was entirely demolished, and upon the same site a magnificent Palace was erected, and was named after the adjoining fields.
The Palace was designed in the Gothic style. In course of time the building has been much altered, and further additions have been made by subsequent sovereigns. A goodly part of the old structure remained until a disastrous fire at the beginning of the last century destroyed nearly the entire fabric. Fortunately, the Clock Tower escaped destruction as also did the famous Gateway, together with the celebrated Chapel Royal, one of the special features of the ancient residence. The Chapel is built of brick, with battlements coped with stone, somewhat after the Gothic fashion; this part is quite ancient, forming the original chapel as it existed in the time of Henry VIII. Some authorities would even ascribe it as part of the old hospice, but this is more than doubtful. Many records exist that during the reigns of Elizabeth and James many theatrical representations were given. In Elizabeth’s reign no special room was set aside for these court performances, but at a later period the Ball Room was generally the scene of action. Several of Shakespeare’s plays are known to have been performed before Charles I and Queen Henrietta.
The famous Children of the Revels performed regularly before Queen Elizabeth, and many are the plays extant, by all the famous Tudor dramatists, in which these children companies acted before private and semi-private audiences.