f 134v (21 October–20 October) (Mayors' accounts) (Disbursements)
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| giuen Lady Elizabeths players december 3 | vj s. viij d. |
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| giuen mr Swinerton and his Company the Princes players december 13 | vj s. viij d. |
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f 135
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| giuen the Princes players Ianuary 15 | vj s. viij d. |
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| giuen other players Ianuary 19 | v s. |
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| giuen Slater and others being players | vj s. viij d. |
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| giuen to one Nicholas Hanson servant to the Kinge for the Chamber of Bristoll | vj s. viij d. |
+
The rendering date given on f 134, 20 February 1623/4, is presumably an error because it fell on a Saturday. 19 February was the Friday following Quadragesima, the normal day for presentation of the accounts.
Thomas Swinnerton's name is given here with the prince’s players, but he is named in 1627–8 as a king's man and in December 1629 with unspecified players.
Martin Slater was an admiral's man from 1594–7, and was last recorded in London as manager of the King's Revels in 1608; after that he appears in the provinces as master of the Queen's children of Bristol in 1618–9. Here he appears as leader of an unnamed troupe. It is not unlikely that he returned to London before his death; one Martin Slawter, servant, appears in the Southwark token books from 1595 to 1602, and was buried in Southwark on 4 August 1625 (See E.K. Chambers, Elizabethan Stage, vol 2 (Oxford, 1923), 340).
Nicholas Hanson is unidentified, but possibly he was appearing with Slater in connection with the children of Bristol. In the mayor’s accounts 1627–8 he was rewarded in December 1627 as leader of Lord Dudley’s players.
The ‘Chamber of Bristoll’ was a children’s company established in 1615 under the patronage of Queen Anne; it appears from a complaint that by 1619 the company included a number of adults as well as children. They are not found in London (see Chambers, Elizabethan Stage, vol 2, p 69).
Another copy of these accounts appears in Thomas Worswicke's Book, f 175v.
Record title: Bailiffs', Churchwardens',
and Mayors' Accounts
Repository:
STRO
Shelfmark: D1323/E/1
Repository location: Stafford
This volume contains (a) copies of earlier accounts, beginning in 1519, which are in the same hand as entries for the years 1611 onwards, so they presumably were copied by the town clerk or his scribe; (b) accounts of bailiffs, chamberlains, churchwardens, and schoolwardens, because the accounts of the minor officials were presented and approved by the corporation officials before being entered into the town book. In the transcriptions, the entries from the churchwardens are differentiated from the bailiffs' (later the mayors') accounts because they originated from different authorities. The churchwardens' accounting year was 21 December–20 December, with the accounts presented to the bailiffs between 13 February and 19 March, the Friday following Quadragesima Sunday. The bailiffs' accounting year was 18 October–17 October, with the accounts similarly being presented between 13 February and 19 March. The mayoral accounting year was later adjusted slightly to begin the next Monday after St Luke's Day (ie, 27 October).
1611–62; English; paper; v + 353; 350mm x 225mm (text area variable); modern pencil foliation to f 310 (ff 5–19, 21, 152, 161, 179, 250, 305–53 blank; 60–2, 142–7, 149–50, 153–7, 168, 244–7, and 253 missing; 158, 166, 167, 193, and 201 foliated twice [a/b]; 221 foliated thrice [a/b/c]); early tooled calf binding, much worn, with loose leather cover; remains of brass closures; also preserved is an older (perhaps original?) parchment binding which has title on inside front and back covers: 'Burgiis Stafford Liber Compotus This book was bought and In<.>veded by Richard Drakeford and Iohn Wilson Bailiffes of the said Borough vicesimo die Novembris Anno regn Domini Iacobi vnum Regis Anglie & Nono Scocie <......> gracias. 1611 IS R Drakeford I Willson Bailliffs.' On f [ii] is written: 'The Old Book of Accounts.'