The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1898-09-30
BUST OF SHAKESPEARE.
The Interesting History Of the Davenani
Head OF the Poet,

Head Of the Poet.
When Lincoln's Inn Fields was still
a rural suburb, where aristocratic and
wealthy people lived, say the ST.. James
budget, there stood on the southern
SIDE, or ION the back side Of Portugal
ROW. close by an old inn called the
Grange, a famous tennis court, together
with one Of those great and stately
inn of court from which the name
OF that locality was obtained. Early in
the year 1860, or late in 1859, Sir Will.
lam Davenant obtained possession OF
che tennis court-then called Gibson's-
converted it into a handsome and roomy
theater, which a contemporary, Pepys.
said was the "the finest playhouse that
ever was in England Over it's two
chief entrances recesses were made tc
accommodate busts, and these, appa.
rently. were those Of the managers
godfather, and his predecessor as poet
laureate, Ben JOnson. At that time
many or S"hakespeare's younger friends
were still alive, n SO were Did actors
who had been the poets fellow players,
and so was Shakespeare's youngest
daughter, and his granddaughter, and
ola pIaygoers who had seen the poet
play. 10 all OF these Shakespeare's
pust would be attractive, and many of
them doubtless often paused on theil
way past, into or out Of the theater to
look up at 1t. Presently came the reign
OF opera In the italian style and ONE
lies IN he French style, and Shakes
peare was again neglected. The men
VINO remembered the mighty poet were
booming very few. the stories that were
told OF him were being fast forgotten,
ana the bdsts over the theaters were
no longer the objects Of interest they
had been. In 1868 Sir William Davenant
died. Sir William had looked his last
upon the beloved bust above the thea
ter door. and after his death we grad
ually hear less and less Of Shakespeare
and his works n more Of dancing and
singing Nod coarse buffoonery. If, then,
ShakesI .are's plays were contemptu-
ously neglected, what wonder is it to
fnd his personal relics equally disre-
garded? When in 1714 the Dukes
theater ceased to be a playhouse and
became a barrack, the busts over the
entrance remained. They were portraits
or men unknown; and when (probably
about that time) the entrances were
hr1cked up, they were lost to sight al
together. When the building was de-
serted by the military it became an auc-
t1on-room and warehouse, and after
ward, in 1887, Messrs. Copeland and
Spode converyted it into a pottery ware
house. In 1875 the old building was re-
moved for Il e erection Of the College
OF Surgeons, in 184S, when it's last
remains were also removed, the long
forgotten terra Gotta busts once more
saw daylight. Before their real value
and Importance were discovered the
Workmen had thrown down the bust of
Jonson and utterly destroyed it. From
this fate the Shakespearean bust was
preserved by MI. Cliff, whose daughter
afterward became the wife Of the late
Sir Richard Owen, to whom it was be-
q%ueathed, and from whom, thanks to
the kindness of his son, Rev. Mr.. Owen
OF Richmond, n Sir William Flower,
it has now become the most valuable
OF the many valuable Shakespearean
relics in the library Of the Shakespeare
Memorial at Standardization. There
we may hope it's continued existence
will never again be endangered by that
ignorance and careless Indifference
through which we had so narrow an
escape Of losing it altogether.
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