Theatre and the Church of Scotland

Patent Law of 1737 Closed Venues and Canongate Concert Hall Built

Aug 23, 2009 Kathleen Airdrie

Theatrical endeavours were soon reactivated in England and Ireland, but not in Scotland following the restoration of Charles II in1660.

Progress in Scotland was hampered by the lack of royal presence and patronage. The Church of Scotland denounced the theatre as a place of evil. Patent laws caused problems for theatrical entrepreneurs.

Church of Scotland Denounced Theatre

A powerful force in Scotland, the Canongate Kirk (church) took an unequivocal stand against all theatrical endeavours. It believed that the theatre was “the temple of the devil”, and threatened dire consequences for anyone involved in the activities. That included visiting players as well as Scottish performers and audiences.

Despite the palpable hostility, performances did occur in Edinburgh and nearby towns between 1663 and 1689. The first recorded performance of Shakespeare’s Macbeth was given in 1672.

In 1736, poet Allan Ramsay supported a small theatre company which he attempted to establish at Carrubber’s Close, Edinburgh, in a small playhouse. The theatre was closed when a new Act was passed in 1737.

Licensing Act of 1737

First Lord of the Treasury Robert Walpole was seen by many as too powerful. Dramatists constantly attacked him and his Whig Party. He responded with the patent law of 1737. Under the Act, all theatres inside and outside London were deemed illegal unless they had a patent from the Lord Chamberlain. Also, all plays had to be approved before they were performed.

In 1739, Allan Ramsay requested help of his supporters among the Scottish nobility. They presented the first patent petition to Parliament under the Act. With the combined opposition mounted by the University of Edinburgh and civil authorities, the petition was defeated.

Tailor’s Hall Concerts and Theatre

Performers often found a way to circumvent the rules. In 1741, the English actor Thomas Este took his acting company to Edinburgh. The performances at Tailor’s Hall Hotel in the Cowgate were advertised as concerts. As Tony Aston’s had earlier, Este’s company presented plays, free of charge, following the concerts. Tailor’s Hall was used by iterant acting companies until 1753.

English actress Sarah Ward joined the company at Tailor’s Hall in 1745 for a brief time. She then started a campaign to raise funds for a permanent theatre in Edinburgh. Wealthy citizens and local tradesmen fully supported the plan. In 1746, London actor John Ryan laid the foundation stone in the burgh of Canongate (now part of Edinburgh).

Canongate Concert Hall and John Home

Canongate Concert Hall, as it was officially known, opened in November 1747. The first offering was a concert followed by a performance of Hamlet.

John Home was an ordained minister of the Church of Scotland. He was also a dramatist whose play Douglas was presented at Canongate in 1756. Set at the time of the Viking incursions into Scotland, the play tells the story of a long-lost son, Douglas. It was highly successful in Scotland and England for decades.

The Church of Scotland acted quickly with condemnation of John Home. Not only had he written a play, but he had shown complete disregard for church views on theatre. They published an Admonition and Exhortation that was read in all churches.

It railed against the theatre as a “pedlar of folly and vice”. Reverend Home was forced to resign, though he received great support from the public. The Church of Scotland eventually gave permission to attend the theatre.

Successful Theatrical Venues in Edinburgh

The theatre successfully operated for another ten years without a patent. In January 1767, a great riot broke out in which the auditorium and stage were mostly destroyed. The theatre was repaired by its proprietors that included Scottish judges. In June 1767, the first patent since the Licensing Act of 1737 was obtained by the Canongate Concert Hall proprietors.

The theatre was sold to actor/manager David Ross shortly after the patent was obtained. In 1769, Ross opened his new Theatre Royal in Shakespeare Square, Edinburgh which became the main venue in the city. Some portions of the innovative theatre at Canongate remain as part of the Edinburgh and Leith Brewery.

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The copyright of the article Theatre and the Church of Scotland in Theatre History is owned by Kathleen Airdrie. Permission to republish Theatre and the Church of Scotland in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.