Event Comment: Benefit for Palmer. 1st piece: Never acted here. 2nd piece: Altered from Prior. Never acted here. The Songs and Chorusses composed by Shield. Tickets to be had of Palmer at his house in Bow-street, Bloomsbury

Event Comment: Benefit for Palmer. Public Advertiser, 26 Aug.: Tickets to be had of Palmer, No. 39, Goodge-street, Rathbone-place. Afterpiece: 1st time at that theatre. With a Sea Fight

Event Comment: Benefit for Suett and R. Palmer. Public Advertiser, 30 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Suett, No. 230, High Holbourn, and of R. Palmer, No. 3, Cecil Street, Strand. Afterpiece: Not acted these 20 years [not acted since 4 Nov. 1762]. Receipts: #227 18s. (29/18/0; 31/14/6; 0/5/6; tickets: 166/0/0) (charge: #107 0s. 9d.)

Event Comment: Mainpiece [1st time in London; T 3, by William Hayley, 1st acted at Chichester, late in May 1784. Text in his Plays . . . for a Private Theatre (T. Cadell, 1784). Prologue by George Colman, the elder (European Magazine, Aug. 1784, p. 165). Contrary to the usual custom on the 1st night of a new play, the parts on this occasion are assigned]. "Palmer had done with Lord Russel as he did with many other characters, that is, totally neglected to study the words of the part . . . Whenever he felt himself at a loss he dexterously introduced some passages from The Earl of Essex, which he contrived to fit into the cues received by Lord Russel." His brother, R. Palmer, who told this anecdote to Boaden, said that the audience suspected nothing amiss (Boaden, Kemble, I, 193)

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. Public Advertiser, 12 Mar.: Tickets to be had of Palmer, No. 39, Goodge-street, Rathbone-place. Receipts: #308 1s. (150/16/0; 11/7/6; 0/14/6; tickets: 145/3/0) (charge: #66/1/8)

Event Comment: Benefit for Suett and R. Palmer. Public Advertiser, 19 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Suett, No. 14, Broad-street, Bloomsbury; of R. Palmer, No. 23, Cecil-street, Strand. 1st piece: Never performed there. 3rd piece: Never acted there. Receipts: #247 13s. 6d. (40/15/0; 19/1/0; 0/13/6; tickets: 187/4/0) (charge: #106 4s. 8d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for R. Palmer. 1st, 2nd and 3rd pieces: Never performed there. By Permission of G. Colman, Esq. [owner of the copyrights]. Public Advertiser, 30 Apr.: Tickets to be had of R. Palmer, No. 14, East Place, Lambeth. Receipts: #144 17s. (43.5; 18.13; 0.14; tickets: 82.5) (charge: #105 9s. 8d.)

Event Comment: [Extra night] Benefit for Palmer. The Proprietors having liberally granted to Palmer (for One Night) the Use of the Theatre, and his Brethren having kindly consented to perform for him, the Public is most respectfully informed that this Evening will be presented...[as above]. Receipts: #131 11s. 6d. (104.15.0; 25.16.0; 1.0.6; tickets: none listed) (charge: #45 15s. 2d. [Account-Book: House charge given him]). Account-Book, July-Sept.: Paid Renters #20 14s. apiece; 5 Sept.: Paid Duke of Bedford One Yrs. Rent #343 5s. 1d

Event Comment: Benefit for R. Palmer. 2nd piece [1st time; INT I(?), author unknown; not in Larpent MS; not published]. Public Advertiser, 12 May: Tickets to be had of R. Palmer, No. 14, East Place, Lambeth. Receipts: #302 (104.8.0; 18.16.6; 1.6.6; tickets: 177.9.0) (charge: #106 17s.)

Event Comment: Benefit for R. Palmer. The Public is respecfully inform'd that the Prelude of The Hop formerly advertised for Mr Palmer's Benefit is on a very particular account withdrawn from the Theatre. Oracle, 7 May: Tickets to be had of R. Palmer, No. 14, East Place, Lambeth. Receipts: #292 5s. 6d. (77.13.0; 30.15.6; 2.6.0; tickets: 181.11.0) (charge: #117 0s. 7d.)

Event Comment: [In mainpiece the playbill retains Palmer, but "Last night previous to the new play R. Palmer came forward to make an apology for his brother not being able to make his appearance, having met with an accident in returning from the country in his professional pursuit. His place was supplied by Williamson" (Morning Post, 15 July). He "was thrown out of a chaise on Wednesday evening, by which accident his collar bone was broken" (Gazetteer, 16 July)

Event Comment: [Miss Palmer, a daughter of John Palmer, was from the Edinburgh theatre.]

Event Comment: Benefit for Palmer. Account-Book: The Proprietors made Palmer a present of Mrs Siddons's [charge for] playing this Night, #20. Morning Chronicle, 1 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Palmer, No. 12. New Lisle-street, Leicester-square. Receipts: #473 5s. (284.15; 54.14; 4.14; tickets: 129.2) (charge: #231 11s. 6d.)

Event Comment: "The shrillness of [Mrs Hopkins's] voice, and the squabbishness of her figure are admirable accompaniments to the peevish expression of her features, and thus as far as natural requisites go, she is perfectly suited to old maids and crabbed aunts" (Monthly Mirror, Aug. 1796, p. 240). [On this evening the following performers appeared both at dl and at the hay: Palmer, Trueman, R. Palmer, Burton, Wathen, Suett, Miss DeCamp.

Event Comment: Benefit for Palmer. [1st piece originally acted in 1767 as Dido. Prologue by David Garrick.] 3rd piece [1st time; INT 1, consisting of 3 tales in verse inserted into a continuous verse narrative]: As intended for Representation at the Theatre Royal, Hay-market, by George Colman Ynger. Morning Herald, 3 Apr. 1797: This Day is Published My Nightgown and Slippers (2s. 6d.). True Briton, 25 Apr.: Tickets to be had of Palmer, No. 39, Great Pulteney-street, Golden-square. Receipts: #491 16s. (152.3; 77.16; 11.16; tickets: 250.1) (charge: #232 18s. 6d.)

Event Comment: Benefit for Palmer. No Building on Stage. Leon by Powell (Hopkins). Leon by Mr Powell-Queer enough-Not above charges in the House (Hopkins Diary-MacMillan). Receipts: #61 4s. (MacMillan); charges: #64 4s. [Deficit to Palmer: #3.

Event Comment: Benefit for Mrs Vincent. No building on the Stage. Mr Havard sent word that his Wife dy'd this morning. Mr Lee read his part. Imogen by Mrs Palmer (Hopkins). Charges: #64 4s. (MacMillan). Mrs Havard died this morning, on which account Mr Lee read Bellarius, and introduc'd two long speeches that were never spoke before. Miss Bride, being with child, cou'd (not) go into breeches, Mrs Palmer-Imogen (Hopkins Diary-MacMillan)

Event Comment: Benefit for Palmer (doorkeeper) and Roberts. Tickets deliver'd for the Benefit of Danny, C. Roberts, and Hawksby will be admitted

Event Comment: Benefit for King. House charges #76 10s. [Profit to King #55 14s.] Paid Master Burney 15 nights #3 2s. 6d. Printer's bill #9 6s. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #132 4s. (Treasurer's Book). At 5 went to the Pit at Drury Lane to see the Clandestine Marriage...I could see this play, as it is now performed, every night, but J. Palmer was not so good in Brush as the other Mr Palmer whose character it is. Plym did not please tonight. The scene between the lawyers was omitted. We had the Irish Lilt by Mrs King, Giorgi, &c., and a comic scene by her and M Dugermay, with Linco's Travels...Mrs King is certainly a very fine dancer and has the best legs I ever saw. Past eleven ere we got out. A little girl of 7 or 8 years old danced very prettily (Neville MS Diary)

Event Comment: Benefit for Dickinson (1st Gallery Office Keeper). House charges #84. [Deficit #54 14s.] Went at 5 to see King Lear...oblig'd to stand in a corner of ye Pit. It is said that Powell does Lear as well as Garrick...Mrs Palmer-Cordelia. This is Mrs Yates's part, but she is become a great woman and refuses to play for many of ye Benefits (Neville MS Diary). Receipts: #29 6s. (Treasurer's Book)

Event Comment: By His Majesty's Company. At the Theatre Royal in the Haymarket [repeated in all bills] will be performed, by particular Desire, a Comedy...Places to be taken of Mr Jewel, at the Theatre. 7 p.m. [Repeated in the bills.] The house has been altered, as there was formerly but one gallery. [Miss Ogilvie was the young gentlewoman.] Went at 5:30 (before ye doors were open) to Foote's new Theatre in ye Haymarket which was open for ye first time tonight, and is very neatly fitted up. Got a good place in ye Pit...a very humorous Prologue in Prose by J. Palmer as Snarl a writer of Political Letters for the newspapers. Weston as Laconic a newspaper poet--Foote as Manager and Scaffold ye Builder (ye real one of ye house as some said)...in Smirk (Foote) took off Langford to a hair, not forgetting his son's affair with Dr Chauncey. Shift and ye Epilogue as Dr Squintum by Bannister, who took off Holland, Dodd, Moody, and Champneys surprisingly well...The house pretty full. York there awhile (Neville MS Diary)

Event Comment: NNeville MS Diary: Went to ye Pit to see ye Beggar's Opera-oblig'd to stand till ye play was over-Read some parts of ye Opera which I borrowed at Davies's, before it began and between the acts. Barry is a good Macheath, but most persons who have seen him when young observe that he has not ye activity and fire he then had. He sings tolerably as does Mrs Dancer; but both are greatest in ye acting part. Mrs D. is ye best Polly I ever saw, having that sensibility which your mere singing Pollys generally want. Mrs Mahon did Lucy with great ease and propriety, and has a good deal of expression in her countenance. Thomson has a force and mellowness of voice very suitable to ye character of Lockit. I do not think Weston excels in Filch. Shuter raised vast applause by adding, after Trapes has said "done under the Surgeon's hand'--"Oh dreadful and in such weather too!" Bannister in Mat added--"Die hard"--and Palmer in Budge--"Die game--" Mrs Gardner's pretending to get drunk in Mrs Slam is new. We had at ye end of Act 2 the Fing., of Act 3 a New Hornpipe, and at ye end of ye Opera the H. Peasant by $Miss Froment, with Duke and No Duke-of which I am tired

Event Comment: Went into the Pit to see Garrick do Abel Drugger. Read three acts of the play. Subtle, Face and Dapper are well played by Burton, Palmer and Dodd. Love and Mrs Pritchard excellent as usual. Mrs Love did Tag in Miss in her Teens (Neville MS Diary)

Event Comment: HHopkins Diary: This morning a printed paper was handed about requesting the lovers of theatrical Performances to meet this evening at the theatre to insist upon the doors not being opened till five o'clock.--As soon as the curtain was up, they called for Mr Garrick, and would not suffer the play to begin. Mr King went on and told the audience, "that he was desired by the managers to tell them the doors for the future should not be opened till Five," A great Clap,--He added, "that the managers was always willing to oblige the publick in everything that was in their power; but they thought that on very full nights it would be attended with some inconvenience." They would not hear of any alteration,--he then told them, "the doors should always for the future be opened at five, unless the public applyed to have it altered." All then was quiet and the play began. Mr Weston, whose name was in the Bills for Jerry, was taken suddenly ill, and Mr W. Palmer went on for it without an apology.--called out, "Mr Holland, what is the reason we have not Mr Weston according to your publication in the Bills?" They then were told he was taken suddenly ill--"then pray make an apology for him" they said.--Another gentleman called out "Don't answer him, Mr Holland, you do him too much honor by deigning to answer him."--then all was quiet, and the play went on

Event Comment: Mr Barry being Ill Mr Palmer pay'd Bajazet-So-So (+Hopkins Diary). Barry suddenly taken ill, Palmer hopes for the indulgence of the public as he has undertaken Bajazet at short warning (Winston MS 10). Paid Mr Evans one year wardrobe acct, #10 10s.; Chorus 2 nights (this incl.) #4 16s. (Treasurer's Book). Receipts: #175 19s. (Treasurer's Book)