Puppetry before 1500

History of puppetry in Britain

Red Devil Glove Puppet, Walter Wilkinson. Museum no. S.261-1998

There are four main types of puppet used around the world: glove or hand puppets, rod puppets, marionettes (operated from above by strings or rods), and shadow puppets. There are also other special types of puppet, including jigging puppets and water puppets. In Britain we have evidence of puppet performance dating back over 600 years.

Puppetry before 1500

Nobody knows when the first puppet shows were performed in Britain although the Romans probably had puppets, since they were known in Italy. Minstrels in France performed puppet shows as early as the 13th century and would have entertained with them when they came to England. The word 'puppet' was common in 14th-century England and Chaucer used the word twice. The 'Romance of Alexander' is a 14th-century manuscript illustrated with pictures of glove puppet shows in booths like those used for Punch and Judy today. Although written in Flemish, the manuscript may have been made by English scribes and artists and represents English puppet shows.

Glove puppets are very portable which is why they were popular in medieval times and were used by travelling minstrels and other entertainers. These shows were probably based on Bible stories and Greek and Roman legends. Monks and priests also used puppets and automated figures to tell Bible stories in church and to spread Christianity.

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