Rochester, John Wilmot, 2nd Earl
- Rochester, John Wilmot, 2nd Earl
(1647-1680)
The son of Henry Wilmot, first earl of Rochester, he was born at Ditchley, Oxfordshire, and succeeded to the title in 1657. He was educated at Wadham College, Oxford, and created M.A. in 1661. He served with credit with Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Teddeman on board HMS Royal Katherine and later under Admiral Sir Edward Spragge on the Victory. When he was 18 he abducted the heiress Elizabeth Malet, who later married him. At the court of Charles II he quickly gained the reputation of a philanderer and for drunken debauchery. Rochester wrote satires and lampooned just about everyone, yet is a witty and entertaining poet. His biting tongue spared neither Charles nor the royal mistresses, and he was frequently dismissed and reinstated. He patronized many poets (including John Dryden), but was scathingly critical of many others. He died young, after a deathbed conversion, and was buried in the north aisle of Spelsbury church in Oxfordshire. Some of his poems: "A Ramble in Saint James's Parke," "A Satire on Charles II," "Farewell to the Court," "Sodom; or the Quintessence of Debauchery," "The Bully," "The Mistress."
Sources: Dictionary of National Biography. Electronic Edition 1.1. Oxford University Press, 1997. Invitation to Poetry: A Round of Poems from John Skelton to Dylan Thomas. Lloyd Frankenberg, Doubleday, 1956. The National Portrait Gallery (www.npg.org.uk). The Cavalier Poets. Robin Skelton, ed. Oxford University Press, 1970. The Columbia Granger's Index to Poetry. 11th ed. The Columbia Granger's World of Poetry, Columbia University Press, 2005 (http://www.columbiagrangers.org). The New Oxford Book of Seventeenth Century Verse. Alastair Fowler, ed. Oxford University Press, 1991. The Oxford Book of Satirical Verse. Geoffrey Grigson, ed. Oxford University Press, 1980. The Oxford Book of Short Poems. P.J. Kavanagh and James Michie, eds. Oxford University Press, 1985. The Oxford Companion to English Literature. 6th edition. Margaret Drabble, ed. Oxford University Press, 2000. The Penguin Book of Homosexual Verse. Stephen Coote, ed. Penguin Books, 1983. The Poems of John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester. Shakespeare Head Press, 1984.
British and Irish poets. A biographical dictionary.
William Stewart.
2015.
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Rochester, John Wilmot, 2nd earl of — born April 10, 1647, Ditchley Manor House, Oxfordshire, Eng. died July 26, 1680, Woodstock, Oxfordshire English poet and wit. The most notorious debauchee of the Restoration court, Rochester was also its best poet and one of the most original and … Universalium
Rochester, John Wilmot (2nd Earl of) — (1647 1680) Poet, s. of the 1st Earl, b. at Ditchley in Oxfordshire, and ed. at Oxf., saw some naval service when he showed conspicuous bravery. He became one of the most dissolute of the courtiers of Charles II., and wore himself out at 33 by … Short biographical dictionary of English literature
John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester — *cite book last = Lamb first = Jeremy authorlink = coauthors = title = So Idle a Rogue: The Life and Death of Lord Rochester publisher = Sutton date = New edition, 2005 location = pages = 288 pages url = doi = id = ISBN 0 7509 3913 3 *cite book… … Wikipedia
John Wilmot — may refer to:* John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester (1647 ndash;1680), English libertine, friend of King Charles II, and writer of satirical and bawdy poetry * Sir John Eardley Wilmot PC (1709 ndash;1792), Chief Justice of the Common Pleas 1766… … Wikipedia
Henry Wilmot, 1st Earl of Rochester — Lieutenant General Henry Wilmot, 1st Earl of Rochester (26 October, 1612 ndash; 19 February, 1658) was an English Cavalier who fought for the Royalist cause during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. [Staff, thepeerage.com… … Wikipedia
john — /jon/, n. Slang. 1. a toilet or bathroom. 2. (sometimes cap.) a fellow; guy. 3. (sometimes cap.) a prostitute s customer. [generic use of the proper name] * * * I known as John Lackland born Dec. 24, 1167, Oxford, Eng. died Oct. 18/19, 1216,… … Universalium
John — /jon/, n. 1. the apostle John, believed to be the author of the fourth Gospel, three Epistles, and the book of Revelation. 2. See John the Baptist. 3. (John Lackland) 1167? 1216, king of England 1199 1216; signer of the Magna Carta 1215 (son of… … Universalium
Wilmot — /wil meuht/, n. 1. David, 1814 68, U.S. politician and jurist: congressman 1845 51; senator 1861 63. 2. John. See Rochester, John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of. * * * … Universalium
Wilmot — /wil meuht/, n. 1. David, 1814 68, U.S. politician and jurist: congressman 1845 51; senator 1861 63. 2. John. See Rochester, John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of … Useful english dictionary
Earl of Rochester — John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester. Earl of Rochester was a title that was created twice in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1652 in favour of the Royalist soldier Henry Wilmot, 2nd Viscount Wilmot. He had already been created… … Wikipedia
