The Records of Early English Drama is delighted to announce the open access publication of its latest edition in the REED series. The remarkable collection of medieval and renaissance dramatic records for the county of Hampshire, edited by Peter Greenfield and the late Jane Cowling, is now available on REED Online (https://ereed.library.utoronto.ca).
The Hampshire records span 4 centuries, ranging from the late 10th century to the start of the Civil War in 1642. Highlights of the collection include records of the Quem quaeritis at Winchester, the boy bishop tradition at St Swithun’s Priory, a legal dispute over a 1409 St Agnes play, and a wealth of evidence from Southampton, Winchester College and the city of Winchester, as well as from private households, other towns and monasteries, for touring minstrels, players and other entertainers. Seasonal parish festivities and aristocratic entertainments, including the 1591 visit of Queen Elizabeth to the earl of Hertford’s estate at Elvetham, are also featured from across the county and including the Isle of Wight. All locations are linked to the GIS provincial map of England, which now defines, for the first time, pre- and post-Reformation diocesan boundaries.