I invite members of REED-L to peruse the Records of Early English Drama Pre-publication Collections website at http://www.reedprepub.org. Recent additions to the site have made the Hampshire collection (edited by Jane Cowling and myself) nearly complete. The site now includes:

• The addition of civic records of Winchester from 1337 to 1554 means the site now contains complete runs of records from Southampton, Winchester, and Winchester College.

• Newly added records of Newport on the Isle of Wight and of John Oglander, who was deputy governor of the island, provide evidence of itinerant performers' visits to the Isle of Wight, and of a folk custom involving the gathering of wood in Parkhurst Forest, accompanied by music and dancing.

• Parish records from Crondall and Stoke Charity offer further evidence of king ales—church ales combined with king games—along with a 1585 diocesan letter from Bishop Cooper of Winchester prohibiting ales, morris dancing and similar entertainments throughout the diocese.

  The site also includes:

• Records of St Laurence, Reading, 1498 to 1573, covering a range of Biblical plays and folk customs (edited by Alexandra F. Johnston).

• Records of the Scottish Royal Court from 1579 to 1585 include plays, masking, dancing and other activities at the court of James VI in the early years of his rule (edited by Sarah Carpenter).

Comments and questions gratefully received.

 

Peter Greenfield

University of Puget Sound