Tamburline and Edward Alleyn’s Ring

Summary

Before Edward Alleyn died on 25 November 1626 he made some very careful arrangements. In his will he provided detailed instructions for bequests to his wife and servants, for the maintenance of the poor parishioners in St Giles Cripplegate (the parish in which he built the Fortune Playhouse), and for the future administration of the College of God's Gift at Dulwich (now Dulwich College). He left his personal papers - from which we derive the nucleus of our knowledge concerning theatrical management in the English Renaissance - to the College as well. And in his characteristically precise manner he concluded:

I give and bequeath to the Corporation of God's Gift College aforesaid, these goods and implements following, that is to say: first my seal ring with my arms, to be worn by the Master and his successors. Next I appoint that a common seal shall be made for the said College, at the charge of my executors, which said two seals shall be repaired by the College as often as need shall require.

Not surprisingly, some of Alleyn's bequests have disappeared over the years, including his collection of playbooks and the copy of Shakespeare's Sonnets he purchased for 5d when it was first printed in 1609. But fortunately, Alleyn's ring, his seal, and his silver-gilt chalice survive, and are today the only known personal effects that belonged to a Renaissance actor. For theatre historians interested in Marlowe's plays and Alleyn's acting style, Alleyn's ring is perhaps the most important piece of evidence to emerge in many decades.