Edward Alleyn

Lore & Background

Alleyn was born on 1 September 1566 in Bishopsgate, London, according to his own writing in the Biographia Britannica, though he does not distinctly identify his birthplace as Bishopsgate. He was baptized at St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate. His father was an innkeeper and porter to Queen Elizabeth I; his mother was Margaret Townley, daughter of John Townley. The road that passes Alleyn's School was named after her in 1884. Alleyn married Joan Woodward, stepdaughter of Philip Henslowe, on 22 October 1592; she died on 28 June 1623. He married Constance, daughter of John Donne, on 3 December 1623; she was 37 years his junior. He had no children. Alleyn died in November 1626 and was buried in the chapel of the college he founded. His gravestone fixes his death as 21 November; he was buried on 25 November. His memorial stone was moved from the interior to exterior in 1925.

Reader's Guide

Alleyn was known as 'Ned' and his surname is alternatively spelled Allen or Alleyne. He was rated as the foremost actor of his time, with Richard Burbage as his only close rival. He played title roles in Marlowe's Doctor Faustus, Tamburlaine, and The Jew of Malta. Other parts thought to be associated with him include Orlando in Robert Greene's Orlando Furioso and perhaps Hieronymo in The Spanish Tragedy. He retired around 1598 but returned to the stage in 1604. He went into business with his father-in-law Philip Henslowe, becoming part-owner of the Rose Theatre, Paris Garden, and the Fortune Theatre. He filled the post of 'master of the king's games of bears, bulls and dogs.' He bought the manor of Dulwich in 1605 and founded the College of God's Gift, completed in 1617, with the charter granted on 21 June 1619.

Did You Know?

• Alleyn was baptized the day after his birth, according to St. Botolph parish registers.
• He mocked himself in a private letter as a 'fustian king'.
• In 1593, during a plague in London, Alleyn and fellow players toured provinces including Bristol, Shrewsbury, Chester, and York.
• The Fortune Theatre was built square rather than round, by the same contractor who built the Globe.
• A legend recorded by John Aubrey attributes the founding of Dulwich to Alleyn's encounter with an apparition of the devil.