Features the John Larpent Archival Collection from the Huntington Library which includes over 2,500 digital facsimile of almost every play submitted for license in England between 1737 and 1824. This resource is provided by Adam Matthew.
John Larpent was the English Inspector of Plays from 1778-1824 and responsible for executing the Licensing Act of 1737, a landmark act of censorship which required Lord Chamberlain’s Office to approve any play before it was staged. In addition, this online collection of primary sources also includes: diaries of Larpent’s wife and professional collaborator Anna, hundreds of related documents including playbills, theatre records and correspondence and much more