C 54/2594, item 15
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Document-specific information
Creator: Chancery and Supreme Court of Judicature
Date: 1624
Repository: The National Archives, Kew, UK
Call number and opening: C 54/2594, item 15
View online bibliographic record
Images reproduced by permission of The National Archives, London, England.
Terms of use
The National Archives give no warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or fitness for the purpose of the information provided.
Images may be used only for purposes of research, private study or education. Applications for any other use should be made to The National Archives Image Library, Kew, Richmond, Surrey TW9 4DU, Tel: 020 8392 5225 Fax: 020 8392 5266.
Document-specific information
Creator: Chancery and Supreme Court of Judicature
Date: 1624
Repository: The National Archives, Kew, UK
Call number and opening: C 54/2594, item 15
View online bibliographic record
Alan H. Nelson, "Indenture of Bargain and Sale for the Globe playhouse site 1623/4," Shakespeare Documented, https://doi.org/10.37078/542.
The National Archives, C 54/2594, item 15. See Shakespeare Documented, https://doi.org/10.37078/542.
Dated March 12, 1623/4, this is the fifth of five enrolled indentures of bargain and sale for the Globe site, naming William Shakespeare as a leasee. The Globe playhouse was first built in 1599 on land leased from Sir Nicholas Brend. Though the lease of February 19, 1599 has not survived, it is referenced in nearly a dozen legal documents, including the five indentures: two from 1601 (October 7 and October 10) and one each from 1608, 1622, and 1624. Though the originals are lost, their full texts are enrolled in the C 54 series of Close Rolls now held at The National Archives.
Like the first indenture, this fifth indenture focuses on the site of the “playhouse” on Maid Lane, Southwark. Here, the Globe property, specifically so-named, is sold by Matthew Brend to Sir William Smith the younger and his brother Thomas Smith. The intent of the sale is to secure the jointure of Dame Francis Brend, Sir Mathew’s wife, daughter of Sir William Smith the elder and the sister of the two purchasers. In effect, since Dame Francis, as a married woman, could not hold the property in her own right, it was sold to her two brothers, who would hold it on her behalf. To expedite the arrangement, the two brothers paid Sir Matthew Brend £100. This same indenture records the earlier transfers of the property from Sir Nicholas Brend (deceased) to John Collett and Sir John Bodley, and from those two to Sir Matthew Brend, as instructed by the late decree of the Court of Wards and Liveries in 1622. Separate provision is made for Dame Margaret Zinzan alias Allexander, late the wife of Sir Nicholas Brend and mother of Sir Matthew Brend; following the death of Sir Nicholas she married Sir Sigismond Zinzan alias Allexander.
The “playhouse” is not given a name in the first four indentures, but here the property is positively identified as “the Playhowse comonly called or knowne by the name of the Globe.” While the first four indentures associate the playhouse with Richard Burbage and William Shakespeare only, the this fifth indenture adds the names of John Heminges and Cuthbert Burbage, current leaseholders following the deaths of Shakespeare and Richard Burbage in 1616 and 1619 respectively.
[Transcription by Alan H. Nelson. This transcription is pending final vetting]
[Image 1: item 15]
[Left margin:] Brende Mil' & Smith Mil'
This Indenture made the twelveth day of March in the yeares of the raigne of our Soveraigne Lord James
by the grace of god of England Scotland ffrance & Ireland king defendor of the faith &c videlicet of
England ffrance and Ireland the one & twentith and of Scotland the seaven & fiftith Betweene Sir Mathew
Brende of Westmosley in the County of Surrey knight of the one part and Sir William Smith of the
Middle Temple nere fleetestreet of London knight eldest sonne & heire apparent of Sir William Smith of
Thaydon Mounte in the County of Essex knight & Thomas Smith of Graies Inne in the County of
Middlesex Esquier youngest sonne of the said Sir William Smith the father of the other part witnesseth
that the said Sir Mathew Brende aswell for & in consideracion of the performance & accomplishment of
a certaine promise & agreement by him had & made to & with the said Sir William Smith the father for and
concerning an increase of ioynture to Dame ffrancis wife of the said Sir Mathew Brende & daughter of
the said Sir William Smith the elder & sister to the said Sir William Smith the sonne & Thomas Smith
As also for and in consideracion of the somme of one hundred poundes of good & lawfull money of
England to him the said Sir Mathew Brende by the said Sir William Smith the sonne & Thomas
Smith in hand paid before the insealing & delivery of theis pressentes the receipt whereof the said
Sir Mathew Brende doth not onely acknowledge & confesse and himselfe fully contented satisfied & paid
but thereof & of every part & parcell thereof doth exonerate acquite & discharge the said Sir William Smith
the sonne of Thomas Smith & either of them their & either of their heires executors and
administrators by theis presentes hath granted aliened bargained & sold and by their presentes doth
graunt alien bargaine & sell vnto the said William Smith the sonne and Thomas Smith & their heires
All that the messuage or tenemente and all that the Playhowse comonly called or knowne by the name
of the Globe with their & either of their rightes members & appurtenances set scituate lying & being in
or neere Mayden Lane within the parishe of St Savior alias St Mary Overes in or neere Southworke
in the said County of Surry now or late being in the possession or occupacion of John Heminges Cutbert
Burbage Richard Burbage William Shakespare or any of them their or any of their assignee or assignes or
in whose possession soever the same or either of them now are or late were And which said
messuage or tenemente & Playehouse or the lande soyle or ground wherevpon the same or either of
them are erected & builte were sometymes the inheritance of Nicholas Brende Esquire father of
the said Sir Mathew Brende lately deceased and by him in his life tyme conveyed & assured to one
John Collett and by him to Sir John Bodley knight and by the said Sir John Bodley & John Collet lately
conveyed & assured to the said Sir Mathew Brende & his heires according to a late Decree of the Court
of Wardes & liveries together with all & singuler edifices buildinges cellers Sollers chambers lightes easementes
orchardes gardeines Courtes backsides walles inclosures waies pathes and all other profittes comodities & emolumentes
whatsoeuer to the said messuage or tenemente & Playehouse called the Globe or either of them belonging
or in any wise apperteyning or together with them or either of them had holden vsed occupied demised
letten or inioyed or reputed taken or knowne as part parcell or member of them or either of them and
the revercion & revercions remainder & remainders of all and singuler the premisses and of every part & parcell
thereof And also all yerely rentes profittes & comodities reserved vpon any graunt demises or lease grauntes
demises or leases of the premisses or of any part or parcell thereof And likewise also all the estate right
title interest possession property clayme & demaund whatsoeuer of him the said Sir Mathew Brende of in or
to the said messuage or tenemente & Playehoue and other the premisses and every part & parcell thereof And
also all writinges & counterpartes of leases concerning only the same or either or any of them To have &
to hold the said messuage or tenemente & Playehouse called the Globe and all & singuler other the
premisses with their appurtenances vnto the said Sir William Smith the sonne & Thomas Smith & their
heires to the vse of them their heires & assignees for & during the naturall life and soe longe as the
said Dame ffrancis now wife of the said Sir Mathew Brende shall happen to live And the said
Sir Mathew Brende doth for himselfe his heires executors & administrators covenant graunt & agree
to & with the said Sir William Smith the sonne & Thomas Smith & either of them their & either of their
heires executors & administrators by theis presentes that it shall & may be lawfull to and for the said
Sir William Smith the sonne & Thomas Smith and either of them their & either of their heires and
assignees to have hold occupy possesse & inioy the said messuage or tenemente & Playehouse and all
other the premisses with their appurtenances for & during the naturall life of the said Dame ffrancis
and soe longe tyme as she shall happen to live without the lett ympediment hinderance or
interrupcion of him the said Sir Mathew Brende his heires or assignees or of any other person or
persons whatsoeuer saving of Dame Margaret Zinzan alias Allexander the now wife of Sir Sigismonde
Zinzan alias Allexander knight for & during her naturall life only And that all & every fine & fines
heretofore acknowledged levied or executed or hereafter to be acknowledged levied or executed
by the said Sir Mathew Brende either soly by himselfe or together with any other person or
persons of the premisses hereby ment mencioned or intended to be granted aliened bargained or sold
or of any part thereof either soly by themselves or together with any other messuage landes
or tenementes shall as to the said messuage or tenemente & Playehouse & other the said premisses to be
& invre and that the Counzee or Counzees in every such fine or fines and his & their heires shall
stand & be seized to the only vse & behoofe of the said Sir William Smith the sonne & Thomas Smith
& their heires for & during the naturall life of the said Dame ffrancis and soe longe
as the said ffrancis shall happen to live In witness whereof the parties abovenamed to theis
present Indentures have interchangeably set their handes & seales the day & yere first above written.
Et memorandum [est] quod vicesimo tertio die Aprilis anno regni dicti domini nostri Regis
Jacobi Anglie vicesimo secundo prefatus Matheus Brende mil' venit coram dicto domino
Rege in Cancellaria sua & recogn' Indenturam predictam ac omnia & singula in eadem contenta
& specificata in forma supradicta
Irrotulata decimo nono die Maij Anno Regni Regis Jacobi Anglie vicesimo secundo.
To learn more, read Alan H. Nelson's essay on the 1599 lease of the Globe playhouse site.
Written by Alan H. Nelson
Last updated November 29, 2022
