Charles Fleetwood, the 1744 Drury Lane Riots, and pricing practices in eighteenth-century British theatre

Shipp, Leo (2024) Charles Fleetwood, the 1744 Drury Lane Riots, and pricing practices in eighteenth-century British theatre. Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies, 47 (4). pp. 405-424. ISSN 1754-0194

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Abstract

In November 1744, a series of riots broke out at Drury Lane theatre, forcing its proprietor, Charles Fleetwood, to sell his majority share of the theatrical patent. Theatre scholarship has long held that the riots were caused by Fleetwood's attempt to raise admission prices for old pantomimes, yet also, somewhat contradictorily, has maintained that admission prices definitively increased at London's patent theatres in the period around 1740. This article shows both points to be mistaken: prices did not rise in the period, and Fleetwood was forced out due to a range of grievances that had developed over the preceding decade. By revealing how pricing practices, Fleetwood's tenure, and the riots developed, this article provides new insights on a crucial period in London's theatre history (the 1730s–40s) and on the wider social and economic dynamics of Georgian theatregoing.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2024 The Author(s).
Divisions:	LSE
Subjects:	P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN2000 Dramatic representation. The Theater H Social Sciences > HF Commerce D History General and Old World > DA Great Britain H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform
Date Deposited:	09 Oct 2025 16:03
Last Modified:	10 Oct 2025 13:21
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/129772

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