© 2004 by Oxford University Press
‘Last of the Poore Flock of Hatfield’ Sir Thomas Benger's Biography
University of Washington
Sir Thomas Benger was appointed Master of the Revels in 1560 partly as a reward for his loyalty to Elizabeth. As her auditor and member of her household at Hatfield he had been imprisoned several times by Mary's Council. During his tenure as Master of the Revels Benger produced an average of six masques, four plays, and other entertainments each year at court. Some of his masques and entertainments were connected to the factional intrigues surrounding the queen's marriage negotiations between 1560 and 1572. Of the forty-six plays he produced, only eleven were performed by adult playing companies; the rest were performed by boys. The preponderance of boy players in his revels schedule, together with Benger's use of three-dimensional scenery and his emphasis on verisimilar effects, defined a unique period in the history of Elizabeth I's revels. Benger's family was not wealthy, and the financial burden of undertaking a court office proved disastrous. Despite several attempts by the Crown to ease his situation, Benger died so heavily in debt that he made a special plea to the queen: as ‘one of the last of the poore flock of Hatfield’ he requested that one of the grants he had received be exercised by his executors in order to pay his bills and legacies.