Catholic sympathies, but he died on 26 July 1561, and it is difficult to suppose that the high dramatic reputation of his successor Richard Edwardes was not based upon a greater number of Court productions than actually stand to his name.[1] Edwardes had been a Gentleman of the Chapel from 1556 or earlier. His patent as Master is dated on 27 October 1561, and on the following 10 December he received a commission the terms of which served as a model for those of the next two Masterships:[2]
Memorandum quod x^o die Januarii anno infra scripto istud breve
deliberatum fuit domino custodi magni Sigilli apud Westmonasterium
exequendum.
Elizabeth by the grace of God Quene of England Fraunce & Ireland
defender of the faythe &c. To our right welbeloved & faythfull counsaylour
Sir Nicholas Bacon knight Keper of our great Seale of Englande,
commaundinge you that vnder our great Seale aforsayd ye cause to be
made our lettres patentes in forme followinge. To all mayours sherifs
bayliefes constables & all other our officers gretinge. For that it is
mete that our chappell royall should be furnysshed with well singing
children from tyme to tyme we have & by these presentes do authorise
our welbeloved servaunt Richard Edwardes master of our children of
our sayd chappell or his deputie beinge by his bill subscribed & sealed
so authorised, & havinge this our presente comyssion with hym, to
take as manye well singinge children as he or his sufficient deputie shall
thinke mete in all chathedrall & collegiate churches as well within
libertie[s] as without within this our realme of England whatsoever
they be, And also at tymes necessarie, horses, boates, barges, cartes,
& carres, as he for the conveyaunce of the sayd children from any place
to our sayd chappell royall [shall thinke mete] with all maner of necessaries
apperteynyng to the sayd children as well by lande as water at
our prices ordynarye to be redely payed when they for our service shall
remove to any place or places, Provided also that if our sayd servaunt
or his deputie or deputies bearers hereof in his name cannot forthwith
remove the chyld or children when he by vertue of this our commyssyon
hathe taken hym or them that then the sayd child or children
shall remayne there vntill suche tyme as our sayd servaunt Rychard
Edwardes shall send for him or them. Wherfore we will & commaunde
you & everie of you to whom this our comyssion shall come to be
helpinge aydinge & assistinge to the vttermost of your powers as ye
- ↑ Strype, Survey of London (App. i. 92), gives the date from Bower's tombstone at Greenwich, and as his death is recited in Edwardes' patent (Stopes, Hunnis, 146) and his will of 18 June 1561 was proved on 25 Aug. 1561 (Wallace, i. 106), it is clear that the entry of Rimbault, 1, '1563. Rich. Bower died, M^r of the children, A^o 5^{to}', must be an error.
- ↑ Wallace, Blackfriars, 65, from Privy Seal in P. R. O. The patent dated 10 Jan. 1562 is on Patent Rolls, 4 Eliz. p. 6, m. 14 dorso.
