Viewing Event Record: Requests, Witter vs Heminges and Condell: The bill of complaint

Abstract

John Witter submits the bill of complaint in his Court of Requests suit against John Heminges and Henry Condell. John Witter had married Anne Phillips soon after the death of her first husband, Augustine Phillips, an actor in the King's Men company. When Anne died, Witter brought John Heminges and Henry Condell to court over Anne's shares in the Globe playhouse. In his bill of complaint, Witter explains that at one point he been forced to mortgage his interest in the playhouse to John Heminges for the sum of £50, which he subsequently repaid in full, with interest. Recently, however, Heminges and Condell have managed to acquire the original documents relating to Phillips' share in the property, and have since taken possession of the share and deprived Phillips' heirs of the profits arising from it. Witter asks that Heminges and Condell be made to 'confesse and acknowledge all the whole truth' in the Court of Requests, as they 'are not compellable at or by the Common lawes of this Realme.'

Date Event Recorded

Date
From: 20 April 1619 (Source of claim: original)

Date Event Happened

Date
From: 20 April 1619 (Source of claim: original)

Date notes

Notes
The court document is dated 'xx[o] die Aprilis Anno Regni Regis Jacobi Angliae ffranciae et Hiberniae xvij[o] et Scotiae lij[do]'.

Venues

Name
Globe (II)
Name
Globe (I)

Troupes

Name
King's Men (1625-1642)

People

Name Event Role(s) Document Role(s)
Phillips, Augustine deceased husband, playhouse sharer
Heminges, John defendant gentleman, playhouse sharer
Condell, Henry defendant
Bennett, John judge of the Prerogative Court
Witter, John plaintiff gentleman, husband, playhouse sharer
Willbraham, Raphe plaintiff's counsel
Brend, Nicholas property holder
Phillips, Anne widow executrix, wife