Licensing Act 1737 - Wikipedia Licensing Act 1737 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to navigation Jump to search British legislation For the Act concerning the licensing of premises to sell alcohol, see Licensing Act 2003. First page of the Licensing Act of 1737, which established the office of Examiner of Plays The Licensing Act of 1737 is a defunct Act of Parliament in the Kingdom of Great Britain, and a pivotal moment in theatrical history. Its purpose was to control and censor what was being said about the British government through theatre. The act was modified by the Theatres Act 1843 and was finally named as the Theatres Act 1968. The Lord Chamberlain was the official censor and the office of Examiner of Plays was created under the Act. The Examiner assisted the Lord Chamberlain in the task of censoring all plays from 1737–1968. The Examiner read all plays which were to be publicly performed, produced a synopsis and recommended them for licence, consulting the Lord Chamberlain in cases of doubt. Contents 1 Forerunner 2 Purpose of the Act 3 Examiner of Plays 4 See also 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External links Forerunner[edit] The function of censorship of plays for performance (at least in London) fell to the Master of the Revels by the time of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. The power was used mostly with respect to matters of politics and religion (including blasphemy). It was certainly exercised by Edmund Tylney, who was Master from 1579 to 1610. Tylney and his successor, George Buck, also exercised the power to censor plays for publication.[1][2] The Master of the Revels, who normally reported to the Lord Chamberlain, continued to perform the function until, with the outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642, stage plays were prohibited.[3] Stage plays did not return to England until the Restoration in 1660.[4] During the creation of the Licensing of 1737, Robert Walpole was the standing Master of the Revels[5]:4 Purpose of the Act[edit] Laws regulating theatre in the early 18th century were not strictly enforced.[5]:13–22 People had free rein to say anything they wanted through theatre, including all their troubles with the government.[5]:3–5 Free speech in theatre was seen as a threat to the government, facilitating the spread of revolutionary ideas.[5]:xi The act enhanced government control and censorship.[5]:4–5 Examiner of Plays[edit] In addition to reading plays and writing Reader's Reports for the Lord Chamberlain the Examiners were expected to visit theatres to ensure their safety and comfort and to see that the Lord Chamberlain's rules were carried out with regard to the licences. They were also required to appear at subpoenas in law cases relating to licensing, and to examine Play Bills.[6] From 1911 Examiners were required to write reports on plays for the Lord Chamberlain.[7] A copy of the play script and Reader's Report were held by the Lord Chamberlain's office and are now held by the British Library in the Lord Chamberlain's Plays collection. In the years 1922–1938 when The Earl of Cromer was the Lord Chamberlain nearly 13,000 plays were licensed, an average of 820 a year; under 200 plays were refused a licence, an average of 12 per year.[6] There were 21 Examiners of Plays between 1738 and 1968.[6][8] Date Examiner Notes 1738–1778 Chetwynd, William 1738–1749 Odell, Thomas Deputy Examiner 1749–1781 Capell, Edward Deputy Examiner 1778–1824 Larpent, John Assisted by his wife Anna Larpent 1824–1836 Colman, George Known as 'Colman the Younger' 1836–1840 Kemble, Charles 1840–1857 Kemble, John 1857–1874 Donne, William Bodham 1874–1895 Pigott, Edward Frederick Smyth 1895–1911 Redford, George A. 1911–1913 Brookfield, Charles Joint examiner with Redford for one month in 1911 1913–1920 Bendall, Ernest Alfred Joint Examiner 1914-1920 1914–1936 Street, George Joint Examiner 1914-1920 Senior (Sole) Examiner 1920-1930 Joint Examiner 1930–1936 1930–1953 Game, Henry Joint Examiner 1930-1936 Senior Examiner 1936-1953 1931–1968 Jones, Rev. Albert Evans Welsh Reader 1936–1958 Dearmer, Geoffrey Examiner 1936-1953 Senior Examiner 1953-1958 1937–1968 Heriot, Charles Examiner 1937-1958 Senior Examiner 1947-1968 1952–1963 Troubridge, Lt-Col. Sir St Vincent Assistant Examiner 1952-1963 1958–1965 Coles, Maurice Assistant Examiner 1964–1968 Kyrle Fletcher, Ifan Assistant Examiner 1965–1968 Harward, Timothy Assistant Examiner The Examiners had a variety of qualifications and experience for the position. Edward Pigott (1824–1895) was a journalist on the Daily News and had an extensive knowledge of European literature and languages.[9] George Redford (d. 1916), a playwright, resigned his post in 1913 to become the first president of the British Board of Film Censors.[6][10] Ernest Bendall (1846–1924) had been a clerk in the Paymaster-General's Office for 30 years retiring in 1896 to become a journalist and drama critic for several London newspapers.[6][11][12][13] Charles Brookfield was an actor, playwright and journalist.[14] George Street was an essayist, novelist and playwright.[15][16] Henry Game (d. 1966) trained as an artist, was an amateur actor and was known for his knowledge of the theatre.[17] Charles Heriot (d. 1972) was an actor and producer.[6][18] Sir St Vincent Troubridge (1895–1963) was in the military as well as being a theatre historian.[19][20] Ifan Kyrle Fletcher (d. 1969) was a theatre historian and antiquarian bookseller.[21] Timothy Harward studied theatre and literature at university, becoming a theatre journalist for the Irish Times and lecturer at Regent Street Polytechnic.[6] See also[edit] Censorship in the United Kingdom Lord Chamberlain Lord Chamberlain's Office References[edit] ^ "The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography". 2004. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/3821. Cite journal requires |journal= (help) ^ Buck was granted "a portion of the powers previously vested" in the Church Court of High Commission, to license plays for publication. Dutton, p. 149. ^ "September 1642: Order for Stage-plays to cease", British History Online, accessed 6 November 2014 ^ Baker, p. 85 ^ a b c d e Liesenfeld, Vincent J. (1984). The Licensing Act of 1737. University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 978-0-299-09810-0. ^ a b c d e f g Johnston, John (1990). The Lord Chamberlain's blue pencil. London: Hodder & Stoughton. pp. 46–57, 119–125, 265–266. ISBN 978-0340525296. OCLC 59148445. ^ Dominic, Shellard; Nicholson, Steve; Handley, Miriam (2004). The Lord Chamberlain regrets-- : a history of British theatre censorship. London: British Library. p. 25. ISBN 978-0712348652. OCLC 57430574. ^ Bucholz, R.O. (2006). "'Chamber Administration: Examiner and Deputy Examiner of Plays, 1738-1837', in Office-Holders in Modern Britain: Volume 11 (Revised), Court Officers, 1660-1837". British History Online. Retrieved 10 January 2019. ^ "Death of Mr. E.F.S. Pigott". The Era. 2 March 1895. p. 9. ^ "Death of Mr. G.A. Redford". The Era. 15 November 1916. p. 15. ^ "Joint Examiner of Plays". The Sphere. 19 July 1924. p. 17. ^ "Mr. E.A. Bendall". The Times (London). 15 July 1924. p. 16. ^ "Obituary". Sheffield Daily Telegraph. 15 July 1924. p. 10. ^ "Mr Charles Brookfield". The Times (London). 21 October 1913. p. 11. ^ "Mr George Street". The Times (London). 2 November 1936. p. 19. ^ "Cues and comments". The Stage. 5 November 1936. p. 9. ^ Dearmer, Geoffrey (9 June 1966). "Mr Henry Game". The Times (London). p. 16. ^ "Mr Charles David Heriot". The Times (London). 22 November 1972. p. 18. ^ "Sir St. Vincent Troubridge". The Times (London). 18 December 1963. p. 12. ^ Marriott, R.B. (27 June 1968). "For the benefit of the player". The Stage: 8. ^ "Mr I.K. Fletcher". The Times (London). 3 January 1969. p. 8. Further reading[edit] Antitheatricality: 16th and 17th century Baker, Roger (1994). Drag: A History of Female Impersonation In The Performing Arts. New York City: NYU Press. ISBN 978-0814712535. Liesenfeld, Vincent J. The Licensing Act of 1737. University of Wisconsin Press. 1984. print. ISBN 0-299-09810-9 External links[edit] The text of the act v t e Legislation of the United Kingdom Pre-Parliamentary legislation List of English statutes Charter of Liberties Magna Carta Acts of Parliament by states preceding the Kingdom of Great Britain Parliament of England to 1483 1485–1601 1603–1641 Petition of Right Interregnum (1642–1660) 1660–1699 Habeas Corpus Act Bill of Rights 1700–1706 Parliament of Scotland to 1707 Acts of Parliament of the Kingdom of Great Britain 1707–1719 1720–1739 1740–1759 1760–1779 1780–1800 Acts of the Parliament of Ireland to 1700 1701–1800 Acts of Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 1801–1819 1820–1839 1840–1859 1860–1879 1880–1899 1900–1919 1920–1939 1940–1959 1960–1979 1980–1999 2000–2019 2020 to date Halsbury's Statutes Legislation.gov.uk Short titles relating to the European Union (formerly European Communities) 1972 to date Church of England measures List Church of England Assembly (Powers) Act 1919 Legislation of devolved institutions Acts of the Scottish Parliament List Acts and Measures of the National Assembly for Wales List Acts of the Northern Ireland Assembly Acts of the Parliament of Northern Ireland Orders in Council 1994 to date for Northern Ireland 1972–2009 Secondary legislation United Kingdom statutory instruments Scottish statutory instruments Acts of Sederunt Acts of Adjournal Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Licensing_Act_1737&oldid=992190783" Categories: Great Britain Acts of Parliament 1737 British drama Theatre in the United Kingdom Censorship in the United Kingdom 1737 in theatre Hidden categories: CS1 errors: missing periodical CS1: Julian–Gregorian uncertainty Articles with short description Short description matches Wikidata Navigation menu Personal tools Not logged in Talk Contributions Create account Log in Namespaces Article Talk Variants Views Read Edit View history More Search Navigation Main page Contents Current events Random article About Wikipedia Contact us Donate Contribute Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file Tools What links here Related changes Upload file Special pages Permanent link Page information Cite this page Wikidata item Print/export Download as PDF Printable version Languages Deutsch Español Français Italiano 日本語 Edit links This page was last edited on 4 December 2020, at 00:03 (UTC). 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