Margaret Brayne sues James and Cuthbert Burbage in Chancery court over her share of the Theatre playhouse profits. James and Cuthbert Burbage submit eleven questions to be asked of witnesses on their behalf: John Hyde, grocer, and George Clough, clothworker (and Hyde's father-in-law). The interrogatories are undated, but must be before 8 December 1590, when Hyde and Clough deposed. The questions elaborate on the financial dealings between James Burbage and John Brayne, and provide details of the Theatre lease and division of playhouse profits. Hyde and Clough both lent money to Brayne and Burbage to finance the operation of the Theatre. Burbage asks whether Brayne kept profits of the playhouse for himself while in default to Hyde and Clough. Burbage asks how much money Hyde and Clough received from sending their own servants to collect £5 a week at the Theatre, since Brayne would not pay them directly. Burbage then asks whether Hyde and Clough sold their interest in the lease of the Theatre to Cuthbert Burbage at the entreaty of Walter Cope, a gentleman of the lord treasurer.
| Name | Event Role(s) | Document Role(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Burbage, James | defendant | |
| Burbage, Cuthbert | defendant | |
| Hyde, John | deponent | grocer, money lender, son-in-law |
| Clough, George | deponent | father-in-law, gentleman, money lender |
| Cope, Walter | lord treasurer's gentleman | |
| Prynne, John | mortgage broker | |
| Brayne, Margaret | plaintiff | widow |
| Brayne, John | playhouse financier | |
| Allen, Giles | property holder | |
| Allen, Sara | wife |