to write reports on plays for the Lord Chamberlain. A copy of the play script and Reader's Report were held by the Lord Chamberlain's office and are now held by the British Library in the Lord Chamberlain's Plays collection. In the years 1922–1938 when The Earl of Cromer was the Lord Chamberlain nearly 13,000 plays were licensed, an average of 820 a year; under 200 plays were refused a licence, an average of 12 per year. There were 21 Examiners of Plays between 1738 and 1968. The Examiners had a variety of qualifications and experience for the position. Edward Pigott (1824–1895) was a journalist on the Daily News and had an extensive knowledge of European literature and languages. George Redford (d. 1916), a playwright, resigned his post in 1913 to become the first president of the British Board of Film Censors. Ernest Bendall (1846–1924) had been a clerk in the Paymaster-General's Office for 30 years retiring in 1896 to become a journalist and drama critic for several London newspapers. Charles Brookfield was an actor, playwright and journalist. George Street was an essayist, novelist and playwright. Henry Game (d. 1966) trained as an artist, was an amateur actor and was known for his knowledge of the theatre. Charles Heriot (d. 1972) was an actor and producer. Sir St Vincent Troubridge (1895–1963) was in the military as well as being a theatre historian. Ifan Kyrle Fletcher (d. 1969) was a theatre historian and antiquarian bookseller. Timothy Harward studied theatre and literature at university, becoming a theatre journalist for the Irish Times and lecturer at Regent Street Polytechnic. See also Censorship in the United Kingdom Lord Chamberlain Lord Chamberlain's Office References Further reading Antitheatricality: 16th and 17th century Liesenfeld, Vincent J. The Licensing Act of 1737. University of Wisconsin Press. 1984. print. External links The text of the act Great Britain Acts of Parliament 1737 British drama Theatre in the United Kingdom Censorship in the United Kingdom 1737 in theatre de:Patent Theatre