Francis Langley facts for kids
Francis Langley (born 1548, died 1602) was an important person in London's theatre world during the Elizabethan era. He built theatres and helped put on plays. Along with James Burbage and Philip Henslowe, Langley was one of the top three business people who helped develop English Renaissance theatre.
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Early Life and Work
Francis Langley was a goldsmith by trade, meaning he worked with gold and made jewelry. He also had a job as an "Alnager," which meant he was an official who checked the quality of cloth. He got this job through a recommendation from a powerful person named Sir Francis Walsingham.
Langley started getting involved in theatre in the mid-1590s. He worked a lot like Philip Henslowe, hiring actors and acting groups to perform only for him. He also lent them money when they needed it. However, Langley didn't keep as many detailed records as Henslowe, so some of his business dealings are a bit of a mystery.
The Swan Theatre
Langley's biggest achievement in theatre was building the Swan Theatre. He built it in Southwark, on the south side of the River Thames in London, between 1595 and 1596.
The Swan was the fourth large public theatre in London. Before it, there was Burbage's The Theatre (built in 1576), the Curtain (1577), and Henslowe's Rose (1587). The Swan was considered the most beautiful and well-equipped of these theatres at the time.
Langley had bought the land for the theatre, called the Manor of Paris Garden, back in 1589. This area was a special district called a "liberty" in Bankside, Southwark. In 1594, the Lord Mayor of London complained about Langley's plans to build another theatre there, as the Rose and the Beargarden (a place for bear-baiting) were already nearby.
However, the Lord Mayor's complaint didn't stop Langley. The Swan Theatre was ready by February 1597. Langley signed a contract with a group called Pembroke's Men to perform there. The contract mentioned that plays had already been performed at the theatre, suggesting it was open in the summer of 1596. It's not clear which acting company performed first, but some historians think it might have been the Lord Chamberlain's Men, which was William Shakespeare's company.
Shakespeare and a Legal Problem
Francis Langley had some kind of connection with the famous playwright William Shakespeare. In November 1596, some legal orders were issued in the area where Southwark is located. First, Langley took out an order against two people, William Gardiner and William Wayte. Then, William Wayte took out an order against William Shakespeare, Langley, and two women named Anne Lee and Dorothy Soer.
William Gardiner was a local official in Surrey. He had a reputation for being dishonest. He had previously accused Langley of lying, but Langley strongly defended himself, saying he could prove his statements were true. Gardiner then dropped his charges. William Wayte was Gardiner's stepson and was described as someone who followed Gardiner's orders completely.
Shakespeare's exact role in this disagreement is not clear. The two women mentioned with Shakespeare cannot be identified, but they might have worked at the theatre. Shakespeare may have known Langley through Pembroke's Men, an acting group he worked with earlier. His later company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, might have performed at the Swan in 1596. Shakespeare was also living in the area at that time.
Some historians believe that the argument between Langley and Gardiner grew bigger after Gardiner's accusations against Langley failed. They think Gardiner might have tried to cause problems for Langley's theatre business, perhaps with the help of people who didn't like theatres. There was even an order to tear down Langley's theatre, but it was quickly cancelled. The disagreement ended when Gardiner died in November 1597.
The Isle of Dogs Play
After a good period, things took a bad turn for Langley in July 1597. A play called The Isle of Dogs, written by Thomas Nashe and Ben Jonson, caused a big scandal. The Privy Council (a group of royal advisors) was very angry, calling the play "seditious and scandalous," meaning it was upsetting to the authorities. They ordered all London theatres to close for the rest of the summer.
When other theatres were allowed to reopen in the autumn, Langley's Swan Theatre remained closed. This was a serious blow to his business. Langley was also having another problem with the authorities, possibly related to a stolen item. This might have been an extra reason why his theatre stayed closed.
Five actors from Pembroke's Men, now out of work, joined another company called the Admiral's Men. They also seemed to take some of their play scripts with them. Langley sued them, but we don't know the final result of the case. It seems Langley worked something out with Philip Henslowe, as the actors stayed with their new company. Langley's business was not in a strong position at this time. The remaining members of Pembroke's Men toured outside London in 1598–99, performing in towns like Bath and Bristol.
The Boar's Head Theatre
Even after his difficult experience with the Swan Theatre, Langley didn't give up on the theatre business. The Boar's Head Inn, located outside the City of London, had been used for plays for many years. In 1598, it was converted into a theatre by two partners, Oliver Woodliffe and Richard Samwell.
In November of that year, Langley bought Woodliffe's share in the theatre. The first conversion wasn't very good, so a major reconstruction began in 1599. At the same time, Langley started several lawsuits against Samwell about the costs of fixing up the theatre. These legal battles continued until Langley's death in early 1602. However, the Boar's Head never became a successful theatre and the project failed after 1604.
Death and Legacy
Francis Langley died in January 1602. After his death, his Paris Garden estate, where the Swan Theatre was located, was sold.
His theatre continued to be used after he was gone. It hosted different events like fencing contests, boxing matches, and magic shows. Eventually, it became a place for plays again. The Lady Elizabeth's Men performed at the Swan between 1611 and 1613. They performed Thomas Middleton's play A Chaste Maid in Cheapside there in 1613. Over time, the building fell apart. A pamphlet from 1632 described the Swan as "fallen to decay, and like a dying swan hanging down her head, seemed to sing her own dirge."
Images for kids
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A 1596 court order entry related to the dispute involving William Shakespeare and Francis Langley.
