Edward Alleyn and Henslowe's Will

Abstract

OME difficult questions about Edward Alleyn, Philip Hens{ -olowe, and their property interests on the Bankside have been * S raised by William Rendle and Professor C. J. Sisson. They *P hi 8 M P may now be answered in considerable part by the results of i*. [ i f further work at the Public Record Office. In i887 Rendle discovered the depositions of a suit in Chancery in which John Henslowe, Philip's nephew, sued Alleyn, Agnes Henslowe, and Roger Cole for confederacy in the preparation of Henslowe's will, for illegally suppressing a formerly written will, and for criminally misrepresenting the extent of Henslowe's estate.' The depositions in that suit provided a good deal of biographical information about Henslowe's last hours, his relationship with Agnes and others in his family, and the handling of his property in Surrey. Sir Walter Greg subsequently used this material extensively in his introduction to Henslowe's Diary.2 In i929 Prof. Sisson added to our knowledge through the discovery of a Star Chamber suit instigated by John Henslowe and William Henslowe, Philip's younger brother, against the defendants in the Chancery suit and also the principal witnesses in that suit, charging them, collectively, with perjury and collusion in Chancery, and Alleyn, individually, with subornation to perjury.8 Although the discovery of this action brought much new information to light, it left the question of the final settlement of the issues in the case still unresolved. On the basis of the information given in the discovered documents, Rendle, Greg, E. K. Chambers, and Sisson all came to the conclusion that Alleyn was essentially guiltless and had undoubtedly won the case. Only Sisson,