Transcription
In 1782, His Majy [Majesty] granted him Letters Patent, for 14 years, to enable
him solely to Exercise & Train Horses, in a peculiar manner,
to stand the noise of Drums, Trumpets, music Explosion of
large ordinance, & small arms, as also to practice agility on
Horseback, as a reward for his unexampled pains,
In this year Hughes opened the Royal Circus, & on 27th Dec
both [...] Hughes, and Astley, were taken up & committed
to New Bridewell in St Geo Fds [St. George’s Fields]— they were liberated on 13th
Jan [January]. Hughes by some manoeuvre, continued his stage
but Astley, was obliged to pull his [^ his] down – the theatres
were both suspended – In the Autumn of this year the King
of France gave him ground in Paris & he built a theatre
There, afterwards Franconis [Franconi’s], & for several years passed his winter
there
1786 see letter X: The following letter by Mr Astley [occurred(?)] on one of their Journies [Journeys]
1792 - after 20 years management he gave it up to his son.
1794 - While in France, his Theatre was burnt – aug 17 & his wife
died within a few days – he rebuilt the Theatre & opened it the follg [following]
Easter Monday – —
1803 - in Sep [September] the Theatre was again burnt down, and again rebuilt as
before, and opened on the following Easter Monday —
In 18 he built a Theatre in Wych St. which he called the
Olympic Pavillion, which he disposed to Elliston.
