Worcester’s/Queen Anne’s/Revels Company, 1562–1625

The earls of Worcester ran a company or companies during the early years of Elizabeth’s reign. Edward Somerset, the fourth earl, was a rising power in the land from his accession to the title in 1589. He succeeded Essex as Master of the Horse in 1601, when his company was beginning to compete for the third London foothold. He was a signatory to the Privy Council’s warrant of March 31, 1602 ordering the Lord Mayor to accept the Boar’s Head as a playing-place for the merged Oxford’s and Worcester’s. Thomas Heywood, an early writer for his company and always a loyal client, suggested that it was through Worcester’s own generosity that he handed over the patronage of his company to Queen Anne in 1603. This chapter looks at the history of the Worcester’s/Queen Anne’s/Revels Company, their performances, the plays they performed, the playhouses where they performed, their playing sharers, and their travelling records.