Mary "Moll" Davis (c. 1648 – 1708), also spelt Davies or Davys, was a courtesan and mistress of

King Charles II of England Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651, and King of England, Scotland and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Charles II was the eldest surviving child of ...

. She was an actress and entertainer before and during her role as royal mistress.

Early life

Mary Davis was born in

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

, as a presumed illegitimate child of Thomas Howard, 3rd Earl of Berkshire. The eminent diarist

Samuel Pepys Samuel Pepys (; 23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English diarist and naval administrator. He served as administrator of the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament and is most famous for the diary he kept for a decade. Pepys had no mariti ...

wrote of Mary as "… a bastard of Collonell Howard, my Lord Barkeshire." Her parentage is also attributed to Thomas' elder brother Charles Howard. Mary's birth is often contradicted, though it is believed to be around 1648. In 1663 Mary had installed herself as an actress in the Duke's Theatre Company, and boarded with the company's manager,

Sir William Davenant Sir William Davenant (baptised 3 March 1606 – 7 April 1668), also spelled D'Avenant, was an English poet and playwright. Along with Thomas Killigrew, Davenant was one of the rare figures in English Renaissance theatre whose career spanned bot ...

.Olive Baldwin and Thelma Wilson, ''Davis avies; married name Paisible Mary oll(c.1651–1708), actress and royal mistress'' in ''

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

'' (Oxford University Press, 2004) There she quickly became a popular singer, dancer and comedian, and began using the name "Moll". Although Samuel Pepys wrote good tidings about Moll, his wife Elisabeth claimed her to be "the most impertinent slut in the world".Samuel Pepys Diary 1668 – complete
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Royal mistress

Moll had met King Charles II in a theatre or a

coffeehouse A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-ca ...

in 1667, and soon became his mistress—for her beauty and charm. As a mistress, she was said to have flaunted the wealth she acquired from her association with Charles and gained a reputation for vulgarity and greed. She showed off her "mighty pretty fine coach" and a ring worth £600.The Mistresses of Charles II: by Brenda Ralph Lewis
at Britannia.com Moll left the stage in 1668.

Fall from affection and exile

In 1669 Moll gave birth to a daughter, whom she named Mary. The father was King Charles himself. Shortly after the birth of the child, Charles dismissed Moll, possibly due to some chicanery caused by

Nell Gwyn Eleanor Gwyn (2 February 1650 – 14 November 1687; also spelled ''Gwynn'', ''Gwynne'') was a celebrity figure of the Restoration period. Praised by Samuel Pepys for her comic performances as one of the first actresses on the English stag ...

; a new rival for the king's affection. In fact, Nell Gwyn and Moll Davis were such rivals for the king's affection that Nell purposely dropped a powerful

laxative Laxatives, purgatives, or aperients are substances that loosen stools and increase bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation. Laxatives vary as to how they work and the side effects they may have. Certain stimulant, lubri ...

into a piece of cake Moll was to eat before she was to leave for the king's chamber. Moll, however, did not leave empty-handed: Charles awarded her an annual pension for life of £1,000. In January 1667–68, Pepys notes that the king had furnished a house specifically for Moll Davis, stating, "… in Suffolke Street most richly, which is a most infinite shame." At the time this street belonged to a certain James Howard, 3rd Earl of Suffolk, a nephew of Thomas Howard, the presumed father of Moll. She is given in the home rate books of 1672-3 but not earlier. As a celebrated actress and society lady, she was the subject of many portraits by the preeminent artist Sir Peter Lely.

House in St James's Square

In October 1673 Moll Davis bought a new house in St James's Square, paying £1800.'St James's Square: Army and Navy Club', in ''Survey of London'', volumes 29 and 30 (St James Westminster, Part 1 (1960) pp. 180–186, online a
St James's Square: Army and Navy Club
at british-history.ac.uk(accessed 18 January 2008) Moll, listed as "Madam Davis", first appears in the ratebook for the year 1675 and lastly appears in 1687. This house (which was surveyed by John Soane in 1799) was almost square and had three storeys, each with four evenly spaced windows, all dressed with a wide architrave and cornice. The staircase hall was south of a large room in front, and two smaller rooms and a secondary staircase at the rear. There was a massive cross-wall, containing a few fireplaces. It would now have been Number 22, St James's Square, if it had survived. It was demolished in 1847 to make way for a new club house for the Army and Navy Club, having survived longer than any other of the other original houses in the square.

Marriage

In December 1686, Moll married the French musician and composer James Paisible—a member of James II's ''private musick''. Sir George Etherege wrote scornfully of the marriage: "Mrs Davies has given proof of the great passion she always had for music, and Monsieur Peasible has another bass to thrum than that he played so well upon." The Paisibles joined James' court in exile at

St Germain-en-Laye Saint-Germain-en-Laye () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the centre of Paris. Inhabitants are called ''Saint-Germanois'' or ''Saint-Ge ...

, but in 1693 returned to England, where Paisible became a composer to

Prince George of Denmark Prince George of Denmark ( da, Jørgen; 2 April 165328 October 1708) was the husband of Anne, Queen of Great Britain. He was the consort of the British monarch from Anne's accession on 8 March 1702 until his death in 1708. The marriage of Geor ...

, the husband of

Princess Anne Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950), is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of ...

, heir to the throne.Lasocki, David, ''Paisible, James acques(c.1656–1721), composer and recorder player'' in ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (OUP, 2004)

Death

Moll died in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, at her home in Dean Street, in 1708. She was buried at St Anne's Church in

Soho Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century. The area was deve ...

, on 24 February. Moll's daughter, Mary, earned the title of countess and became an actress herself.Urban, Sylvanus (1794). The Gentleman's Magazine: And Historical Chronicle For The Year MDCCXCIV (1794). Vol. LXIV (64). London (Church Yard, Ludgate-Street): Arkose Press. p. 889.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Moll 1640s births 1708 deaths English courtesans Mistresses of Charles II of England 17th-century English actresses English stage actresses Howard family (English aristocracy)