The examiner read all plays which were to be publicly performed, produced a synopsis and recommended them for licence, consulting the Lord Chamberlain in cases of doubt.

The function of censorship of plays for performance (at least in London) fell to the Master of the Revels by the time of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

[1][2] The Master of the Revels, who normally reported to the Lord Chamberlain, continued to perform the function until, with the outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642, stage plays were prohibited.

[4] During the creation of the Licensing of 1737, Robert Walpole was the standing Master of the Revels[5]: 4 Laws regulating theatre in the early 18th century were not strictly enforced.

Edward Pigott (1824–1895) was a journalist on the Daily News and had an extensive knowledge of European literature and languages.

[9] George Redford (d. 1916), a playwright, resigned his post in 1913 to become the first president of the British Board of Film Censors.

[6][10] 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.