Jacob Hall and other Rope Dancers at The Hague, 1679–1681

Abstract

ABSTRACT The present article is based on a number of unexplored notarial acts preserved in the City Archives at The Hague, which contain new evidence about Jacob Hall (fl. 1662–1681), the most famous of English rope dancers. Having become a citizen of The Hague in 1679, Hall envisaged continuing his career in the Low Countries, where in 1680 he entered into a partnership with Moritz von der Beck (ca. 1649–1694), a French manager-rope dancer. The archival records are also of interest for offering a glimpse of the lives of some British and French performers recruited by both managers and for the insight they provide into the provisions laid down in rope dancers' contracts. The continued presence of British and French professional entertainers who entered into co-operation agreements attests to the significance of the Low Countries as the meeting-point for cross-Channel cultural exchange.