Margaret Brayne sues James and Cuthbert Burbage in Chancery court over her share of the Theatre playhouse profits. Henry Bett, James Burbage's lawyer, deposes 30 September 1591. His testimony provides details of the building of the Theatre, its lease, and John Brayne's financial dealings with John Hyde. Bett, who as a scrivener had access to Burbage's accounts, affirms that Burbage spent more than £220 on improvements to the Theatre and adjoining properties and that John Brayne paid no part of this sum. He affirms that Brayne received at least £135 1s in profit from the Theatre, as acknowledged by a receipt in Brayne's own hand. Bett says that there was an arbitrament between Brayne and Burbage in writing but that neither Brayne nor his widow have abided by it. Bett affirms that James Burbage did mortgage and default the Theatre to John Hyde. Hyde and his father-in-law George Cloughe then tried to collect the earnings from the Theatre, but were disappointed by the low profits, and after failing to evict the Burbages from the Theatre they agreed to sell the lease to Cuthbert Burbage. They only made the sale, however, because of the intervention of Walter Cope.
| Name | Event Role(s) | Document Role(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Jones, Henry | court officer | |
| Burbage, James | defendant | |
| Burbage, Cuthbert | defendant | |
| Bett, Henry | deponent | scrivener |
| Clough, George | father-in-law | |
| Cope, Walter | lord treasurer's gentleman | |
| Hyde, John | mortgage holder | |
| Brayne, Margaret | plaintiff | |
| Brayne, John | playhouse financier |