Henry Condell
William Shakespeare bequeathed Henry Condell money for a mourning ring. So did Augustine Phillips. Nicholas Tooley and Alexander Cooke went further, naming Condell as trustee for their estates. Such a concentration of trust, inside one theatre company, points to a man worth knowing. He was baptized on the 5th of September 1576, most likely in Norwich. His professional life unfolded inside the King's Men, the company Shakespeare wrote for. Who he was, where he came from, and what he accomplished are the questions this documentary explores.
Robert Condell, a fishmonger at St Peter Mancroft in Norwich, was most likely Henry's father. His mother, Joan, née Yeomans, came from New Buckenham, a market town not far to the south. Their son's attachment to Norfolk persisted long into adulthood. Henry's will refers to "my Cosen Gilder late of newe Buckenham," a phrase that tethers him to the county long after he had left it.
Whether Condell appeared on the London stage as early as 1590 remains uncertain. A performer named "Harry" is recorded in the cast list for Richard Tarlton's The Seven Deadly Sins. That production was staged by Lord Strange's Men, a company that included John Heminges and Augustine Phillips. Scholars regard this connection as little more than conjecture.
What is certain is that by the 24th of October 1596, Condell was in London. On that day he married Elizabeth Smart at the church of St Laurence Pountney. Elizabeth was the only child of John Smart of the Strand, a gentleman. The couple then settled in St Mary Aldermanbury, the same parish where Heminges had made his home.
At St Mary Aldermanbury, both Condell and Heminges served as churchwarden. The parish register recorded nine Condell baptisms between 1599 and 1614. Only three of those children survived to adulthood: a daughter, Elizabeth, baptized on the 26th of October 1606, who later married Herbert Finch; a son, Henry, baptized on the 6th of May 1610, who died in 1630; and a second son, William, baptized on the 26th of May 1611. By the time William was born, Condell had become one of the senior figures in the King's Men.
Every Man in His Humour, performed in 1598, is the earliest confirmed Ben Jonson play in which Condell took part. He went on to appear in five more of Jonson's works. Every Man Out of His Humour followed in 1599, then Sejanus in 1603, Volpone in 1605, The Alchemist in 1610, and Catiline in 1611.
He was also the original Cardinal in John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi, staged around 1613. Eight of the cast lists added to the second Beaumont and Fletcher folio of 1679 include his name. Those plays were Bonduca, The Captain, The Humorous Lieutenant, The Knight of Malta, The Loyal Subject, The Mad Lover, The Queen of Corinth, and Valentinian. His stage career appears to have wound down around 1619. The First Folio was four years away.
In official communications, Condell was generally listed shortly after Richard Burbage and Heminges. That ordering was a reliable marker of rank within the company.
He purchased a country home at Fulham in Middlesex. He also acquired an estate called Brockhampton in Snowshill, Gloucestershire; the indentures contain the only known example of his handwriting outside his will.
John Heminges was about to call on Condell for the most lasting work either of them would do.
The First Folio, published in 1623, was the work of two men who had spent their careers inside the King's Men. Henry Condell and John Heminges were instrumental in preparing and editing it. The volume gathered the collected plays of William Shakespeare into a single edition. Condell signed his last will and testament on the 13th of December 1627, four years after the Folio appeared in print.
Condell died at Fulham in December 1627, aged 51. His burial was recorded at St Mary Aldermanbury on the 29th of December 1627. His widow, Elizabeth, was buried in the same church on the 3rd of October 1635.
His estate included shares in both the Globe and Blackfriars Theatres.
In the 2011 film Anonymous, Condell is played by Mark Rylance. In the 2016 sitcom Upstart Crow, Dominic Coleman takes the role. Dominic Coleman's portrayal brought Condell to a British prime-time audience nearly four centuries after his burial at St Mary Aldermanbury.
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Common questions
Who was Henry Condell and what is he known for?
Henry Condell (baptized the 5th of September 1576, died December 1627) was an English actor in the King's Men, the playing company William Shakespeare wrote for. He is best known for co-editing the First Folio, the collected plays of Shakespeare, alongside John Heminges. The volume was published in 1623.
What was Henry Condell's contribution to the First Folio?
Henry Condell and John Heminges were instrumental in preparing and editing the First Folio, which gathered the collected plays of William Shakespeare into a single edition published in 1623. Both men had spent their careers inside the company Shakespeare wrote for.
When did Henry Condell die and where is he buried?
Henry Condell died at Fulham in December 1627, aged 51. He signed his last will and testament across nine sheets on the 13th of December 1627. His burial was recorded at St Mary Aldermanbury on the 29th of December 1627.
What plays did Henry Condell perform in?
Henry Condell appeared in six of Ben Jonson's plays, from Every Man in His Humour in 1598 through Catiline in 1611. He was the original Cardinal in John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi, staged around 1613. His name appears in eight cast lists from the second Beaumont and Fletcher folio of 1679, including Bonduca, Valentinian, and six others.
Where did Henry Condell live?
Henry Condell lived in St Mary Aldermanbury in London, the same parish as his colleague John Heminges. He also owned a country home at Fulham in Middlesex and an estate called Brockhampton in Snowshill, Gloucestershire.
How is Henry Condell depicted in film and television?
Henry Condell is played by Mark Rylance in the 2011 film Anonymous and by Dominic Coleman in the 2016 sitcom Upstart Crow.