Event Comment: No persons to be admitted without tickets, which will be delivered this day at the Office in the Theatre. Charges paid by, and receipts gained by Messrs Smith and Stanley. Galleries opened at half past Four. Pit and Boxes at Five. Prices 10s. 6d., 5s., 3s. 6d. Oratorio to begin at 6:30 p.m. Received (Account Book): @368 tickets at 10s. 6d. #193 4s.@410 tickets at 5s. #102 10s.@435 tickets at 3s. 6d. #76 2s. 6d.@1215 persons.@Receipts: #371 16s. 6d.@Charges: #35.

Event Comment: Benefit for Doorkeepers. Tickets sold at the Door will not be admitted. Benefit for Mr Dickinson, (First Gallery office keeper)

Event Comment: Mainpiece: Not acted these two years. [George II's death had closed the theatres on 4 Nov. the previous year.] Income from Boxes #14 15s. Paid Mr Powell for two years att[endin]g Office & pass [?] Ac[count]. #100. Advanced to Hull #20. Receipts: #64 16s. (Winston Theatrical Record)

Event Comment: By Command of their Majesties. Pit and Boxes to be put together. No persons to be admitted without tickets, which will be delivered this day at the Office in the Theatre at Half a Guinea each. First Gallery 5s. Upper Gallery 3s. 6d. Galleries to be opened at Half an Hour after Four o'clock. Pit and Boxes at Five. To begin at Half an Hour after Six

Event Comment: Benefit for Dickinson. First Gallery Office Keeper

Event Comment: By Command of their Majesties, an Occasional Oratorio "selected from the most celebrated compositions of the late George Frederick Handel." Pit and Boxes to be put together. No person to be admitted without Tickets which will be deliver'd this day at the Office in the Theatre at half a guinea each. First Gallery 5s. Upper Gallery 3s. 6d. Galleries to be opened at half past Four. Pit and Boxes at Five. To begin at half after Six. This day Publish'd Price 1s. An Occasional Oratorio, as it is to be performed at Covent Garden...J. and R. Tonson. [The most provocative commentary on Oratorios may be found in [Robert Maddison's] An Examination of the Oratorios performed This Season at Covent Garden, (London, 1763) 63 pages, wherein he seeks to define the genre, then judge the performances in terms of his definition.

Event Comment: It having been maliciously reported that the return of money was refused on the night of the late disturbance at this theatre, the managers think it necessary to assure the public that [the] principal part of the money was returned the same evening, as the remainder would have been, had it not been prevented by some hundreds of persons forcing in, and the office-keepers being drove from their posts by the violence of the tumult. Upwards of #40 have since been repaid to those who have been pleased to apply for it, and the residue remains in the hands of the Stage Door-Keeper for the same purpose (Public Advertiser)

Event Comment: Benefit for the Colleges of Philadelphia and New York. Mainpiece a Sacred Ode written by Dr Brown set to select Airs, Duets and Choruses from Mr Handel, and other Eminent Composers, with the addition of several new songs. Pit and Boxes to be put together. No Persons to be admitted without tickets, which will be deliver'd at the Office of the theatre at 1!2 a Guinea each; and also at the following Coffee House, viz: the Smyrna, Pall Mall; the Mount, Grosvenor St; George's, Temple Bar; the Rainbow, Cornhill, the New York, Sweetings's Alley; and the Pennsylvania, Birchin Lane. First Gallery 5s. Second Gallerp 3s. 6d. Galleries to be opened at half past Four, Pit and Boxes at Five. To begin at 1!2 after Six (playbill). This philanthropic enterprise, of which the theatrical benefit was but a part, seems not to have born much fruit for the respective Colleges. See Letter to the Governors of the Colleges of New York, respecting the Collection that was made in the Kingdom in 1762 and 1763, for the Colleges of Philadelphia and New York, to which are added Explanatory notes and appendix. By Sir James Jay, M. D. (London, 1771). The funds collected seem largely to have been used up in a law suit. The Governor of the College of New York, Rev. Dr Johnson, asked Jay to collect funds, which he did. Alderman Trecothick wrote Dr Johnson that the funds were not safe in Jay's hands. The Governors insulted Jay, and when they found they were wrong refused to apologize. They entered a bill against him in Chancery to gain the funds. It dragged out for four years. When the power of Attorney had been given to Trecothick, he claimed that a sum of #1437 15s. 6d. was unaccounted for by Jay, and was supposed to be in Jay's hands. Jay explained the Governors had not reckoned on reimbursement for his time and expenses for two years.

Event Comment: Benefit for Dickinson (First Gallery Office-Keeper)

Event Comment: By Command of Their Majesties. Pit and Boxes put together. No Person to be admitted without Tickets, which will be delivered this Day at the Office in the Theatre at Half a Guinea each. First Gallery 5s. Upper Gallery 3s. 6d. Gallery to be opened at half an hour after Four. Pit and Boxes at Five. To begin at Half after Six

Event Comment: By Command of their Majesties. Pit and Boxes to be put together and no person to be admitted without tickets, which will be delivered this day at the Office in the Theatre at Half a Guinea each. 1st Gallery 5s. Upper Gallery 3s. 6d. Galleries to be opened at half after Four. Pit and Boxes at Five. To begin at half an hour after Six

Event Comment: By Command of their Majesties. Pit and Boxes to be put together. Tickets delivered this day at the Office in the theatre at Half a Guinea each. 1st Gallery 5s. 2nd Gallery 3s. 6d. Galleries to be opened at half after Four, Pit and Boxes at Five, To begin at Half an Hour after Six

Event Comment: Benefit for Dickinson (first gallery office-keeper)

Event Comment: Benefit for Smith (box-office-keeper) and Cridland (box-keeper). Tickets deliver'd by Berrisford, Chinnaw, Humphreys, and Carlton will be taken

Event Comment: Paid one year's Insurance to Xmas Next #15 (Treasurer's Book). [Probably a renewal of the same #4000 policy held, with Sun Fire Office referred to on 22 Dec. 1749.] Receipts: #215 18s. 6d. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: CCymon deferred on account of Mrs Baddeley's indisposition. Receiv'd from Condell, 2nd payment for Fruit Office #20. Paid Barrow & Co. Oil Bill #51 14s. 6d. and Nichol's bill for line #1 6s.; Chorus singers 2 nights #5 1s. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #97 5s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: By Command of their Majesties. With the latest improvement by Mr Handel. Pit and boxes to be put together. Tickets will be deliver'd that day, at the Office in the theatre at Half a Guinea each. First Gallery 5s. Second Gallery 3s. 6d. Galleries to be opened at Half an Hour past Four. Pit and Boxes at Five. To Begin at Half an Hour after Six (Public Advertiser, 4 March). [N.B. This is an Advance notice. No notice occurs on this day, but the following: This Day publish'd Esther: An Oratorio, with the last improvements by Mr Handel. To be performed, by Their Majesties Command at the Theatre Royal in Covent Garden. Price 1s.] Went into the First Gallery at Covent Garden to hear the Oraortio, Esther, composed by Handel. The Stage was formed into an orchestra, like one side of an amphitheatre divided by an organ, atop of which was a head of Handel in a radiated frame. In the front sat the vocal performers, Champney, Vernon, Mrs Arne, Mrs Pinto, Miss Young, and Mrs Frasi. Stanley played on the Organ but retired after the 1st or 2nd act. The house was not much crowded, tho the King and Queen, those idols of fools, were there (Neville MS Diary). Charges: #35 (Account Book)

Event Comment: Full Prices. Hopkins MS Memorandum Book: By the Manager's order I ask'd Mr Joseph? Reed what he had a benefit for the next night. His answer was The Managers give it him for his withdrawing Dido and on account of The Register Office and to clear them from all demands he had upon them whatever

Event Comment: By command of their Majesties. Pit and Boxes to be put together. Tickets will be deliver'd this day at the Office in the Theatre at Half a Guinea each. First Gallery 5s. Second Gallery 3s. 6d. Galleries will be opened at Half an Hour after Four. Pit and Boxes at Five. To Begin at Half after Six. House Charges to Stanley and Smith #35 (Account Book)

Event Comment: Benefit for Dickinson (1st gallery office-keeper)

Event Comment: The Last time of the company's performing this season. [Following deficiencies for this season paid up: Richard Smith, Lewes, Dumay, Condell, Potter, Thomas Smith, Quick, Furkins, Wilkinson, Abbott, Simmonds, Pullen, Stephenson, Asbury, Wilde, Francis, Mrs Griffiths, Claridge, and Sharratt (Account Book). This includes payment of half value of tickets for those who were granted partial benefits on that basis.] Music forfeits at end of season #17 6s. 11d. Neville MS Diary: Went...to see Cymbeline...chiefly to hear Powell speak an occasional prologue. Would not have gone had I known it was only a stale piece of flattery to George. [See The Gentleman's Magazine, 9 July p. 346: "On shutting up the playhouse in Covent Garden at the end of the season, admission into the theatre having been denied to Mr H and R through any other passage but Mr Powell's House, those gentlemen at the head of a large posse on the 17th of last month, [June] made a forcible entry by breaking open a window near the playhouse door in Hart street; after which they expelled by violence Mr Sargeant the Housekeeper, all his family and others; but the acting managers not being inclined to submit to the arbitrary proceedings of their colleagues, immediately applied for redress, where redress was effectually to be had, and this day they were formally expelled by virtue of a warrant from under the hand and seal of the high sherrifs of London and Middlesex, and the old housekeeper, Mr Sargeant, restored to his office of trust, to the great mortification of one of the champions who had been heard to say: That he had now got possession and d--n him if he would not keep it while he had a drop of blood in his body, and while there was one brick upon another belonging to the house."

Event Comment: Benefit for Dickinson (1st Gallery office-keeper)

Event Comment: Benefit for Dickinson (first-gallery office-keeper)

Event Comment: Paid one year's Assurance on #3000 in the Royal Exchange Assurance Office to 15 Dec. 1772...#6; Paid Morris (herald painter) #19 16s. 6d.; Paid Walker for Partizans &c. #9 6s. 6d.; Paid Snivley & Davis (worsted lace men) #4 4s. 6d. (Account Book). [The Heraldry and Partizans &c. probably for the Institution of the Garter.] Receipts: #147 1s. (Account Book)

Event Comment: [Vernon's Song specified in later bills as the "Original Epilogue Song."] Mainpiece: Not acted in 8 years. [See 6 Jan. 1764.] This Comedy was well perform'd & had great applause (Hopkins Diary). Rec'd Mr Condill's 1st payment for fruit Office #20; Paid Mr Williams, 1 night in Musical Lady #1 1s. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #162 2s. (Treasurer's Book)