On 16 March 1544 Thomas Carwarden, a former mercer's apprentice, became the first Master of the Revels. Combined with his being Master of the Tents, this office gave him control over most of the festivities at court. He was in charge of supplying costumes, decorations, pavilions, structures, and other like necessities for all feasts and celebrations as well as for indoor and outdoor festivals and games (Astington 18). He also lent out many articles of clothing and costumes to rich merchants and lower nobility for these celebrations. In fact, he supplied outfits for a large number of city merchants during Elizabeth's coronation. He was not always successful at getting articles back. There are many stories of nobles walking off with things at the end of a party. It was the need to regularize the operations of the office of the Revels that compelled Carwarden to create the positions of Clerk and Comptroller. His papers show that they were in charge of keeping an inventory of all items, issuing receipts for purchases, and overseeing production of garments and decorations. This helped reduce the amount of waste from making items that were sometimes not even needed. They were also in charge of ensuring that the King's property was not lent out without special commands-though not necessarily eliminating the aforementioned problems (Chambers, Notes 12). Thomas Carwarden also consolidated the location of the Revels office. After multiple moves in their respective histories, both the Revels and Tents became situated in the Blackfriars precinct around 1544. Carwarden began to acquire personal property on the site as well and on March 12, 1550 he gained a free burage from the crown in the area (Chambers, Notes 15). The move to the Blackfriars was strategic. Not only did it provide a stable place to store inventory, it was far closer to the city merchants, especially the mercers, than any location at court. It was also located across the road from the King's Wardrobe with which it was heavily involved. This was so helpful a location that a bridge was built across St. Andrew's Hill, giving the two offices a direct connection to each other. It also helped that the tastes of the court were changing with successive monarchs. The majority of the time was spent preparing for the major festival at Christmas instead of for regular jousting events. Because the office was now situated directly on the Thames, money formerly spent on transporting items could now be spent on preparations. In addition to this, being in London also allowed Carwarden better access to the slowly emerging city players which he hired to perform at some major festivals and mummer's dances. By the time of Carwarden's death in 1560 the Revels had become an important fixture at court. His tenure lasted from the reign of Henry VIII to the first year of Elizabeth. He lived long enough to supervise the festivities of her coronation (Chambers, Notes 18). He adapted to the changes of different monarchs, all with different tastes, and he kept the Revels under tight and efficient control.

--Michael Davis, 2000