The licensing act of 1737 required that copies of all plays and other stage performances in Great Britain must be submitted to the Lord Chamberlain's office for licensing. John Larpent served as Examiner of Plays from November 20, 1778 until his...
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The licensing act of 1737 required that copies of all plays and other stage performances in Great Britain must be submitted to the Lord Chamberlain's office for licensing. John Larpent served as Examiner of Plays from November 20, 1778 until his death on January 18, 1824. Soon after their 1782 marriage, Larpent's second wife, Anna Margaretta (neé Porter) acted as her husband's deputy, cataloging and helping to read all productions submitted. The official copies of plays were in Larpent's possession at the time of his death. They were acquired by the Huntington Library in 1917. Manuscript notebook with alphabetical listing of plays (leaves 2-47), and a chronological index (leaves 48-61). In the handwriting of John Larpent and Anna Larpent, who has written two later (post-January 1824) autograph notes on the title page verso, both signed "AML." Red ink is used for dates, headings and underlinings in the alphabetical listing up through the letter "K." Contains some 28 titles not in the Huntington Library's Larpent collection, but a large number of titles in that collection are not in this manuscript list (see D. MacMillan's Catalogue of the Larpent Plays, 1939, page vi, note 5). Quarter calf notebook, marbled boards; with the stationer's ticket of T. Hookham of New Bond Street, corner of Bruton Street.
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