Abt 1648 - Yes, date unknown
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Name |
Moll (Mary) Davis |
Birth |
Abt 1648 |
Gender |
Female |
Death |
Yes, date unknown |
Person ID |
I123255 |
My Genealogy |
Last Modified |
17 Nov 2020 |
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Notes |
- Moll Davies A popular singer, dancer and comedienne and in about 1667became mistress to Charles II (1630-1685) to whom she bore one child,Mary Tudor (1673). "Charles was not fussy about the status of his women.A pretty face and a comely figure were enough for a mistress to be takenon the strength, and he was particularly prone to actresses. . The stageprovided a handy hunting- ground for the regular royal theatregoer, andit was here that Charles encountered Moll Davis in about 1667. Moll was apopular singer-dancer- comedienne, but she had her dark side. Mrs. Pepys,wife of Samuel Pepys the diarist, called her 'the most impertinent slutin the world' and she was grasping and vulgar with it. Moll flaunted hersuccess as a royal mistress, showing off her 'mighty pretty fine coach'and a ring worth the then vast sum of ?600. Moll , who gave up the stagein 1668, had a daughter by Charles the following year but soon fell foulof Nell Gwynne, one of the King's concurrent mistresses, who had a wickedsense of humour. Hearing that Moll was due to sleep with the king on anight early in 1668, Nell invited her to eat some sweetmeats she hadprepared. Unknown to Moll, her rival had mixed in a hefty dose of thelaxative jalap. After that, the night in the royal bed did not exactly goas planned. Charles, too, had a sharp sense of humour, but this time, hewas not amused and Moll was summarily dismissed. Being a generous man,though, Charles sent Moll packing with a pension of ?1,000 a year."
From http://www.antiqnet.com/detail%2Cportrait-lady-thought%2C104978.html
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