100 CHILDREN OF THE CHAPEL AT BLACKFRIARS 
It was he who had charge over expenditures in the “‘setting out” 
of plays at Court.t It was through him, then, that this “super- 
abundance of rich apparel” was furnished the Blackfriars Chil- 
dren. And as the Queen maintained this division of the Children 
of the Chapel as actors, it was through him, from some account 
yet to be discovered, that the weekly expenditures were made. 
“The said complainant,” then, meant the Yeoman of the Rev- 
els, Edward Kirkham, who as the Queen’s official had, prior to 
any personal connection with the management, “disbursed and 
allowed great Somes of monie” for “the dietting and ordering of 
the Boyes vsed about the plaies there.” 
Both the expenditures* and the furnishing of apparel* were 
official. The possibility of surreptitiousness by “confederacy” 
or “conspiracy” is precluded by the nature of the case. Clifton’s 
charges of illegitimate conduct of the theatre under color of au- 
thority, with his implication in the word “others” by which he 
our iustes and Turneys,” &c. Also 
he is “to have and enioye one suf- 
ficient house or mansion as here- 
after shalbe assigned vnto the said 
Edward Kirkham for the suer bet- 
ter and safe keeping of our said 
Vestures apparrell and Trappers,” 
&c.—From the Patent creating Ed- 
ward Kirkham Yeoman for life, 
dated 28 April, 28 Elizabeth (1586). 
Printed in A Collection of Ancient 
Documents Respecting the Office of 
Master of the Revels, &c. (ed. J. O. 
Halliwell, 1870. Only 11 copies 
printed. No. 11 in British Mu- 
seum. ) 
*The respective duties of the 
Master and the Yeoman of the Rev- 
els are not exactly known. But an 
examination of the Revels Accounts 
indicates that the Yeoman of the 
Revels, agreeable with the Patent, 
had full charge over purchase and 
use of apparel required in Court 
entertainments, while the Master’s 
duties related to the larger func- 
tions of providing appropriate en- 
tertainments, plays, masques, &c., 
and especially for the “rehersinge 
and choise makinge” of plays, in- 
terludes, and masques.—See Ev-x- 
tracts from the Accounts of the 
Revels at Court (ed. P. Cunning- 
ham, Shakesp. Soc. Pub., 1842), 
passim. Cunningham here gives 
only part of the accounts. See fur- 
ther the original documents, u. 1., 
101°. 
*Expenditures for board and 
lodging of children-actors through- 
out the year are new to the close 
of Elizabeth’s reign. But tempo- 
rary board and lodging for several . 
days at a time were given different 
sets of children during their re- 
hearsals and on their journeyings 
to and from the place of acting, as 
shown by various items in the ac- 
counts relating to such. See for 
example under year 1573, 
“Ttem for the diettes & Lodging 
of dyvers childré at saint Jones 
whiles thay Learned theier partes & 
Jestures meete for the Mask in w% 
ix of them did serve at Hampton 
Cootie tc: ce es XK j" ye 
—Extracts from the Accounts of 
the Revels at Court (ed. P. Cun- 
ningham, S. S. Pub., 1842), 73. 
Here the amount would indicate 
about ten days maintenance. 
°Infra, 106-7, 178. 
214 
See en 
Ee 
oe 
