Henry Herbert (Master of the Revels)
| Sir Henry Herbert | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1595 |
| Died | 1673 (aged 77–78) |
| Occupation | master of revels |
| Known for | theatrical censor in England from 1623-1641 and again from 1660-1673 |
Sir Henry Herbert (1595–1673) was Master of the Revels to both King Charles I and King Charles II.
Herbert was the son of Richard Herbert of Montgomery Castle, and a younger brother of Edward Herbert, Baron Herbert of Cherbury and the poet George Herbert. Their family was related to the Herbert Earls of Pembroke, prominent figures in English government and society throughout the Jacobean and Caroline era.
Herbert's role as Master of the Revels involved reading and licensing plays and supervising all kinds of public entertainment. Officially, Herbert became Master of the Revels in 1641 but he had been doing the work of the office even earlier. John Astley, the official Master from 1622 to his death in January 1641, had appointed Herbert his deputy the year that he was knighted in 1623. For this arrangement Herbert paid Astley £150 per year in return for the income that the office provided.
Since Herbert was responsible for licensing and also censoring plays, he had a powerful influence on English drama for two decades, 1623-42. Herbert had barely gained the official position of master in 1641 when the theatres were closed at the start of the English Civil War in August 1642. Herbert retained the office throughout the time it was dormant, down to the re-opening of the theatres at the Restoration in 1660. When Charles II allowed Thomas Killigrew and Sir William Davenant to form two theatre companies under royal patronage, the King's Company and the Duke's Company, in August 1660, Herbert complained bitterly at what he perceived as the violation of his rights, and started court actions; he was especially irate with Davenant, who had carried on clandestine theatrical performances in the 1656-60 period, without Herbert benefitting. Over the next two years, Herbert's claims were adjusted and the two royal companies had their privileges renewed by royal patent in 1662. Afterward, he was no longer the power in the theatre that he had been before.
...
Wikipedia