Other Women

by Fiona McDonald

  After Charles ended his affair with Lucy she did take on more lovers and it is possible that with such a promiscuous lifestyle she may have contracted venereal disease. One of her lovers was Lord Theobald Taffe, an Anglo-Irishman who was one of the exiled prince’s main confidantes. Taffe was in all probability the father of Mary Walter, Lucy’s daughter. It was Taffe to whom Charles appealed to ask that he urge discretion on Lucy in the aftermath of the couple’s failed relationship. Taffe was to tell Lucy to leave The Hague, as it was too public and was in neither her interest nor Charles’s that she was in such close proximity to him. Taffe was also entrusted with the duty to arrange a monetary allowance to keep Lucy and the children. Unfortunately Lucy had been the mistress of an exiled prince, not an established king, and money was never in great abundance or handed out regularly enough to keep her from accepting protection from other lovers.

  A couple of years before her death Lucy took her two children back home to England. Whatever thought was behind the action, the result was that she was arrested by Cromwell. While imprisoned she was referred to both as Charles’s wife and his mistress. The former title held no weight: it was not believed and she was released and allowed to return to Holland.

  The diarist John Evelyn refers to Lucy Walters as a Mrs Barlow. He describes her as being brown and beautiful but insipid in nature. Later, after Charles II’s death, Evelyn called her a strumpet, although he still remembered she had been beautiful. He claims Lucy was of low birth and that in his opinion there was certainly doubt as to the true paternity of her son James Monmouth. Pepys claims that he could see a strong resemblance to the younger Sidney brother. This may have been in response to the fact that Monmouth had been arrested and tried for treason against the king, for which he was executed.

  Lucy Walter was unlucky to have lived in a time of turmoil, when Royalists were stripped of land and money – and becoming a mistress to one meant leaving oneself open to penury. If Lucy had managed to stay close to Charles until 1651 then she could have been the mistress to a king, and may well have managed to secure herself a lifetime’s pension and comfort. Instead she was seen as nothing more than a nuisance to Charles, and his prospects, and he treated her with little regard even though she was the mother of his eldest son.

  In 2012 DNA tests were made concerning James Monmouth. The results strongly suggest that Charles II was indeed his father.

  Barbara Palmer (née Villiers), Countess of Castlemaine, Duchess of Cleveland

  Barbara Villiers (1640–1709) was born into the gentry. Her father was William Villiers, the 2nd Viscount Grandison, who also happened to be a nephew to the Duke of Buckingham. Barbara’s mother, Mary Bayning, was the daughter of the 1st Viscount Bayning and an heiress to her father’s estate. As a staunch Royalist family there was no denying that Barbara had the right credentials to become the King of England’s mistress.

  As with many of the royal supporters during the time of England’s Civil War, Barbara’s family suffered many losses. First, her father used much of the estate’s money to fund his part in the war, which left the family in reduced circumstances. Then he was killed at the Battle of Newbury in 1643; Barbara was only 4 years old. Not long after his death Mary Villiers married a cousin of her late husband’s, Charles Villiers, 2nd Earl of Anglesey. The marriage may have provided some stability to the mother and daughter but money was still in very short supply. Charles Villiers, like his late cousin, was a Royalist and, after Charles I was executed in 1649, the family became supporters of the dead king’s son.

  Barbara Palmer

  Barbara Villiers was beautiful, clever and witty enough to attract many would-be suitors, until they discovered that she was almost penniless. At that time, not many men could afford to marry for love alone. Barbara’s first paramour was Philip Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Chesterfield. Yet the match was not going to be anything more than a romance as Stanhope was in need of a wife with a good dowry.

  At age 19 Barbara married Roger Palmer, 1st Earl of Castlemaine (this is the name that Barbara was often referred to by contemporary diarists of the time), who was a devout Catholic. The marriage was not to the liking of the groom’s family; Roger’s father told him that Barbara would make him a very unhappy man. He was not wrong. Barbara ended up having six children of whom it is thought that not one of them was Roger’s.

  As supporters of the exiled Prince Charles, Roger and his wife travelled to The Hague shortly after their marriage. It was here that Barbara met Charles and quickly became his foremost mistress. It was for services rendered (probably Barbara’s not Roger’s) that the title of Castlemaine was bestowed upon the couple in 1661 after Charles was restored to the throne.

  When Charles II ascended the throne he was in want of a suitable wife. Kings, queens, princes and princesses rarely had a say in the lifelong partners chosen for them. Marriage was usually a political and economic business deal. Charles II married the Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza. Barbara made sure that her second child with Charles was born at Hampton Court while the royal couple were on honeymoon.

  Unlike poor Lucy Walter, Barbara Palmer was openly acknowledged as the king’s mistress and was given the position of the Lady of the Bedchamber. The queen, knowing who and what Barbara was, argued strongly against the appointment. Yet her pleas were unheeded and Barbara was installed at the heart of the royal household. For the queen’s defence there was at least one strong advocate, Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon who, as the king’s adviser, spoke against Barbara’s employment. The queen and her Lady of the Bedchamber did not become friends. Barbara made sure that the queen knew how things stood between herself and the king.

  As Charles II took other mistresses his passion for Barbara declined. While she was still relatively young though, the flame would rekindle and, as a result, at least five children were born to Barbara and Charles.

  In 1663 Barbara publicly announced her conversion to Catholicism. What her motives were are unclear. It is thought that she could have been trying to increase her influence with the Protestant king, who felt pulled towards Catholicism himself, or it may have been because of something to do with Roger Palmer, Barbara’s estranged husband; whatever the reason it was certainly for personal gain.

  Barbara Palmer enjoyed the status of being the king’s mistress, she enjoyed the financial position it put her in and the titles she was able to claim through it. She was not averse to dabbling in politics either, though not that she had a large degree of sway in that area.

  In 1670, at the age of 30, Charles II made Barbara a very handsome gift of Phoenix Park in Dublin and named her Baroness Nonsuch (a title to go with Nonsuch Palace, which she owned). It was well in the way of being a payoff for her long and faithful service. At 30, Barbara would have been considered old and the king had replaced her several times over. The young actress Nell Gwyn had replaced Barbara as Charles’s favourite long-term mistress. In fact Barbara was asked to vacate her premises in the Whitehall Apartments so that the young Nell could be installed there. In 1672 Barbara produced a sixth child, another girl, but the king refused to name it as his own. This was a definite sign that sexual relations were over between them.

  Barbara’s position as royal mistress and insider came to an end in 1676. An Act of Parliament was passed making it illegal for a Catholic to hold office. The queen’s hated Lady of the Bedchamber was sacked.

  Barbara took her four youngest children and spent the next three to four years in Paris, where she took a number of lovers. In the last days of Charles’s life it is recorded that he spent them in the company of three of his favourite women: Barbara, Nell and Louise de Kérouaille.

  After Charles’s death Barbara took up with some undesirable men, one of whom, Cardonell Goodman, an actor, she is supposed to have had a child with in 1686. In 1705 her husband Roger Palmer died and Barbara was free to marry again, which she did so with Major General Robert ‘Beau’ Fielding. The major was only after her fortune and, as he was already married, Barbara wa
s able to prosecute him for bigamy. She died four years later in 1709 of dropsy.

  Moll Davis

  Moll (c.1648–1708) was an actress and singer born in Westminster, apparently illegitimately to Colonel Howard, 3rd Earl of Berkshire. Obviously her father did not think his connection with her was sufficient to have any kind of upbringing that would prepare her to be a lady. In the 1660s Moll joined the ‘Duke’s Theatre Company’ and lived with the family of the manager, Sir William Davenant.

  Charles II was a frequent theatregoer and it is likely that it was there that he first became acquainted with Moll. They began their affair in 1667 and Moll retired from the stage a year later. In 1669 Moll gave birth to a girl, Mary Tudor. The relationship between the king and Moll was not a long one. While she was one of his favourites she was showered with money and jewels, housed sumptuously, even sporting her own coach. A comfortable house full of furniture was provided for her in a street belonging to a nephew of Moll’s father.

  Why she fell out of favour is not really known, but it is popularly attributed to a rather nasty trick supposedly played on her by her rival, the actress Nell Gwyn. The story goes that Nell understood Moll was going to spend the night with the king so, in a fit of jealousy, laced Moll’s food with jalap, well known for its laxative effects. Moll was not well that night and the symptoms put a halt to any thoughts of lovemaking.

  Moll was well provided for even though she was no longer part of the king’s retinue. She was given a lifelong annuity of £1,000 (around £83,000 today) and was able to retain her house. In 1673 Moll sold up and bought a large house in St James’s Square for £1,800. Over ten years later she took her new husband, the composer James Paisible, to live in this house. Moll died in 1708.

  Moll Davis

  Nell Gwyn

  ’Pretty, witty Nell’ (1650–1687), as Samuel Pepys called her, was born in very low social circumstances, perhaps in Hereford, perhaps in Oxford, but more probably in Covent Garden, London. Her father may have been Captain Thomas Gwyn, a Royalist soldier, although this story was not popularly believed at the time. Nell’s mother, on the other hand, was notorious as a vulgar, drunk madam of a brothel. Nell also had a sister, Rose. In 1663, Rose Gwyn was locked up in Newgate Prison on a charge of theft. She petitioned Harry Killigrew, son of the owner of the King’s Theatre, to get her a pardon.

  Nell and her sister worked first for their mother. It is rumoured that the girls both worked as prostitutes in their mother’s brothel, although Nell later strenuously denied this. A new theatre was opened close to where the girls lived – The Theatre in Bridges Street – and Nell and Rose went to work for a former prostitute, Mary Meggs (known as Orange Moll) selling oranges, sweetmeats and other treats to theatregoers. It was in this capacity that Nell and her sister became acquainted with the theatre and acting.

  At age 14 Nell, almost completely illiterate, began to take on small roles on stage. To see if she could live up to her promise, she attended acting classes conducted by Thomas Killigrew, who led the King’s Company of players, and one of his leading actors, Charles Hart. Dancing was taught by John Lacy.

  The parts Nell played grew more important and complex. The first documented evidence of Nell performing in a major role is in 1665. It was a play by Dryden, and Nell was given a serious part to play, though Pepys noted in his diary that she played it poorly. Nell admitted that she was much better at playing comic characters and it was in another play later in the same year that she starred in a comedy by James Howard, All Mistaken, or the Mad Couple. The actor Charles Hart played her onstage lover, a role that he was only too happy to continue in their private lives. The play was a success and the making of Nell as an actress.

  Nell Gwyn

  Nell’s brilliant debut was cut short by the Great Plague, which saw all public places such as theatres being closed down to help stop the spread of the disease. Nell, her mother and a number of other actors and actresses left London for Oxford, along with the king’s court. Charles II could not live without his entertainment and he had the players put on pieces for the court. The performers were granted the right to wear the king’s livery and therefore be counted as his servants.

  When the threat of the Plague was over, the theatre reopened and Nell continued her new and popular comic role as one half of a ‘gay couple’ (taking that word in its original sense). At this time Nell was having an amorous affair with Charles Sackville, Lord Buckhurst. The pair went on holiday to Epsom and Nell was supposed to have been paid an allowance by her lover of £100 (around £8,300) a year.

  It wasn’t until 1668 that Nell became a close part of Charles II’s life. Charles was well acquainted with Nell as a performer but he got to know her more intimately when she sat in a theatre box beside his. They flirted throughout the performance and afterwards dined with Mr Villiers at a local coffee house. The story goes that when the bill had to be paid neither the king nor Mr Villiers had the cash to do so and Nell had to cover the cost for them all. Needless to say, she was a trifle underwhelmed but came up with a suitable sharp quip for the occasion.

  It was not long after this episode that Nell was acknowledged at court as the king’s mistress. She referred to her latest lover as Charles III because she had already had a fling with Charles Hart and then Charles Sackville, therefore the king had to be Charles III. Nell was determined to be faithful to her lover; she knew (although she didn’t like it) that he would have more than one mistress at a time but she swore fidelity to him. It rankled that she had a rival in Moll Davis, and Nell supposedly helped Moll to fall out of favour (via her little trick with the purgative and the sweetmeats, as previously described).

  Being the lover of a monarch did not prevent Nell from staying on the stage. She did take a break in 1670 for the birth of her first child, Charles Beauclerk, fathered by the king.

  Nell might have been taken care of but the king soon brought in a new lady, Louise de Kérouaille. This French lass had a slight cast to one eye and Nell unkindly called her Squintabella. Perhaps it was to show the king her independence that Nell returned to the stage in 1671 for one more season, at the grand old age of 21. And maybe it was to appease her that he had her lodged in a townhouse close to the court. There must have been a reconciliation that year because Nell gave birth to a second boy, James.

  One of the most appealing things about Nell Gwyn was her working-class background. She was the darling of the people because she represented them in her Englishness and her lack of aristocratic breeding. Nell had no airs whatsoever. She also had a ready repartee to protect herself from slights and insults, and was always happy to make fun of those whom she thought deserved it, drawing on her comic acting genius in which to do so.

  Nell was not greedy for wealth and she did not want titles for herself, but she certainly felt that her two children deserved to have the same as the king’s other bastards had: acknowledgement of their royal birth by means of titles and land. It was also not fair, she said, that because she was a commoner her house was only leased for her; she should be entitled to own it as other mistresses had before her. In 1676 the freehold on her house was granted to her and her sons were given titles: Charles was given the Earl of Burford and James, Lord Beauclerc. Little James didn’t live to understand the full impact that his title would have given him. In 1671, while at school in Paris, he suddenly died. Nothing is known of the incident, although it was noted at the time that he had died of ‘a sore leg’. Charles, on the other hand, was made Duke of St Albans in 1684 and made Chief Ranger of Enfield Chase and Master of Hawks, to be taken up when the positions next became vacant. The youth was also given a yearly allowance of £1,000.

  The following year Charles II lay dying. He called his brother James to hear his last wishes. These included ongoing welfare for Barbara Palmer, Louise Kérouaille and Nell Gwyn. The king’s words were recorded as being ‘Let not poor Nelly starve’.

  James probably wanted to put his brother’s former lovers into a sack and throw them into the
River Thames, but he did eventually put the requests into action. Nell was given £1,500 a year and her debts and mortgages were all paid off.

  Nell Gwyn did not survive her Charles III by more than two years. She had a stroke in March 1687 followed by another in May. She died in November of that same year. The supposition is that she had a form of syphilis. Nell was not able to live within the means of her pension and when she died she had as many debts as ever. However, she managed to leave a bequest to the inmates of Newgate Prison to help ease their lives there.

  Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth

  Louise de Kérouaille (1649–1734) was born to an aristocratic couple from Brittany. It is said that the family name, Kérouaille, was taken from a female ancestor who had married François de Penhoët in 1330.

  As a girl Louise was sent to live with the family of Charles II’s youngest sister, Henrietta Anne Stuart, the Duchess d’Orléans, married to the brother of Louis XIV. Louise accompanied Henrietta Anne on her trip back to England to visit Charles in 1670. Apparently Charles asked his sister if he could keep Louise for himself, but she told him the girl had been entrusted to her care and that the family would be expecting her to be looked after. There are rumours that Louise’s family in fact sent her into the duchess’s household in order that she be thrown in the way of a king, French or English, with a view to becoming the mistress of one of them.

  The Duchess d’Orléans died of a sudden and violent illness a few days after her return to France. It was thought at first to have been caused by poison but has since been determined that a duodenal ulcer resulted in acute peritonitis and it was this that caused the intense pain that accompanied her death. Louise was in need of a home and employment and it was thought an excellent idea that she be offered to Charles II’s wife, Catherine of Braganza, as a lady-in-waiting. Everyone knew what this really meant; a delicate morsel for the king himself. If there was any hint of Louise being a sacrificial lamb sent to the King of England as a means of keeping track of events, then she went with a willing spirit.