Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Palmer. Mainpiece: For the Last Time. No Building on Stage, &c

Event Comment: Benefit for Palmer. Part of Pit laid into Boxes

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Palmer. Mainpiece: By Particular Desire. Dress'd in the Habits of the Times. [See note on Mrs Pritchard, 2 Nov. 1758.

Event Comment: Benefit for Several. Watson, Roberts, Palmer. Tickets deliver'd by Daney and C. Roberts will be taken

Event Comment: Paid Mr Palmer of Bath 2 bills for spermecetti candles #91 3s.; Rec'd of Mr Blagden One Year's rent due at Xmas #3 10s. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #190 14s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: [R+Rich's Register lists The English Merchant.] Paid Blandford (tallow chandler) #49 8s. 10d. Paid George Garrick for use of the managers #15 15s.; Paid French on account #20; Advanced to Granier on note #4 2s. 10d.; to Keen on note #4 4s. Rec'd stopages 16s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book). Sylas Neville (Neville MS Diary): With difficulty got into the Pit at Drury Lane, where I stood at the side so jambed up that I could not read the newspaper I carried: But I saw the play very well. It was Rule a Wife and Have a Wife, with the Farce of the Devil to Pay. Duke by Havard, Cacafago by Love, very well. Copper Capt. by Palmer, pretty well. Old woman pretty well by Mrs Baddeley, Astifania by Mrs Pritchard excellently, tho she is too old for the first part of this character. Leon inimitably by Garrick. I think he shows a good deal of Abel drugger, [both published and unpublished portions of the Neville Diary.] Receipts: #261 15s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: MMrs Jeffries made her first appearance on this stage in Belinda.--not perfect.--was pretty well received.--is a little smart figure (Hopkins MS Notes). At 15 minutes past 4, took my place in the Pit at Drury Lane to see the Provok'd Wife. Mr Garrick is inimitable as Sir John Brute, Palmer does Heartfree, and Mrs Abington Lady Fanciful (with a song not printed in the play) very well. Constant by Cautherly, whose figure and manner I do not like, Vernon in Col. Bully sings a song (Neville MS Diary)

Event Comment: Benefit for W. Palmer, Clough, Wright, Mrs Millidge. Tickets deliver'd by Wilson and Mr Costin will be admitted

Event Comment: Benefit for W. Palmer, Booth and Kear. Tickets deliver'd by Jacobs and Costin will be taken

Event Comment: Benefit for Palmer

Event Comment: Benefit for Waldron, W. Palmer, and Atkins

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted these 6 years. [See 24 Oct. 1770.] Miss P. Hopkins made her first appearance in Celia-great applause (+Hopkins Diary). [The Young Lady who played Celia indentified by Winston MS 11 as Miss Pricilla Hopkins who became Mrs Brereton, then was married a second time to John Kemble. She had acted Celia 19 April 1773 in As You Like It. The Young Lady who played Tragedy was Miss Sharp, later married to W. Palmer (Winston MS 11).] Paid Mr Neale for a laced Hat #1 15s. Receipts: #155 7s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for R. Palmer, Walker, Kirk, house-keeper, & Mrs Cross. The Doors to be opened at 5:30. To begin at 6:30 [same for rest of season]. Receipts: #247 9s. 6d. (45.5.0; 11.12.6; 0.0.0; tickets: 190.12.0) (charge: #67 5s.)

Event Comment: Benefit for R. Palmer, Harwood, Walker & Kirk, housekeeper. Receipts: #287 5s. (27.17; 4.18; 0.6; tickets: 254.4) (charge: #64 4s.)

Event Comment: Benefit for R. Palmer, Harwood & Thompson. Tickets delivered by Dale will be taken. Receipts: #273 5s. [51.12; 9.14; 0.3; tickets: 211.16) (charge:#105)

Event Comment: Benefit for Palmer. Receipts: #253 17s. (157.18; 0.15; tickets: 95.4) (charge: #74 14s()

Event Comment: Benefit for Watson, Carleton Jun., Wilson, Hicks & R. Palmer? Sen.. Receipts: #289 16s. 6d. (30.16.0; 7.7.6; 0.11.0; tickets: 251.2.0) (charge: none listed)

Event Comment: Benefit for Wood, Percey, Cameron & Morris. [Palmer's 1st appearance as Archer was at the HAY, 17 Aug. 1779. Afterpiece in place of The Alchymist, announced on playbill of 30 May.] Receipts: #254 17s. (36/2; 19/6; 0/0; tickets: 199/9) (charge: none listed)

Event Comment: Benefit for Palmer. Part of the Pit will be laid into the Boxes. To prevent Confusion Ladies are desired to send their Servants by Half past Four o'clock. Receipts: #145 17s. (140/0/0; 5/9/6; 0/7/6; tickets: none listed) (charge: #66 7s. 4d.)

Event Comment: "[Kemble's] 'Did not you speak to it?' is an Emphasis not at all justified by the Context... Palmer should not have worn in the Farce the Breeches which but a little before were on Ostrick's thigh" (.Public Advertiser, 6 Oct.). Receipts: #242 16s. (211/3/0; 31/0/6; 0/12/6)

Event Comment: Benefit for Palmer. Mainpiece [1st time; C 3, by William Hayley. Text in his Plays . . . for a Private Theatre (T. Cadell, 1784). Prologue by George Colman, the elder. Epilogue by Edward Topham (Gazetteer, 13 Sept., which also gives the names of the speakers). The parts are assigned (see 18 Aug.)]: A new Comedy, in Rhyme

Event Comment: By Command of Their Majesties. [Mainpiece in place of The Merchant of Venice; afterpiece of Love a-la-Mode, both announced on playbill of 2 Nov. In afterpiece the playbill assigns Young Wilding to Bonnor, but on the Kemble playbill a MS annotation substitutes Palmer.]

Event Comment: [In mainpiece the playbill assigns Ferdinand to Johnstone, but "The sudden illness of Johnstone gave much dissatisfaction, though Cubitt did all in his power to supply his place" (Town and Country Magazine, Sept. 1785, p. 451). William Palmer was from the Norwich theatre; Meadows from the HAY.] The Doors to be opened at 5:30. To begin at 6:30 [see 14 Nov.]. Places for the Boxes to be taken of Brandon, at the Stage-Door. [No playbill this season lists the various prices of admission; they were probably, as usual: Boxes 5s. Pit 3s. 1st Gallery 2s. Upper Gallery 1s.] The Alterations and Improvements in the Theatre this Season are made by Richards, and executed under his Superintendance by Catton and others. [Public Advertiser, 22 Sept., notes that these improvements consisted of the enlargement of the boxes, in which "the seats are formed into recesses which communicate with the other boxes"; all the pillars, "even those of iron in the back boxes [being] capped, cased, fluted and gilt"; the front of the boxes and galleries being newly painted a "warm lilac"; the back of the boxes being wainscotted and painted crimson.] Paid Charewomen for cleaning Theatre #13 0s. 6d. Receipts: #214 2s. 6d. (210/10/0; 3/12/6)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted these 7 years [acted 18 Jan. 1782]. [In afterpiece the playbill retains Edwin, but "At the conclusion of the play an apology was made for Edwin's non-appearance, owing to indisposition, and Palmer and Meadows announced as his substitutes in the two songs in Omai" (Morning Post, 6 Feb.).] Receipts: #231 15s. (229/7; 2/8)

Event Comment: Benefit for R. Palmer and Staunton. 2nd piece [1st time; INT 1, by Charles Stuart. Larpent MS 777; not published]. Receipts: #283 3s. 6d. (44.4.0; 16.6.6; 1.11.0; tickets: 221.2.0) (charge: #109 13s. 9d.)