Poetry Or Smut?
England endured the Puritan era in modesty and decency...until Charles II’s Restoration flipped the country from sermons to scandal. No one embodied that shift like John Wilmot, who tore through the royal court saying and doing whatever he pleased, no matter how obscene. It made him infamous—and may have helped send him to an early grave.
1. His Parents Were Respectable
Throughout his life, John Wilmot consistently shocked people with his audacious behavior and obscene writings. This type of lifestyle was quite surprising to those who knew his family, as his parents were both seen as honorable members of high society. His mother, Anne St John, came from a reputable family of nobility, and his father, Henry Wilmot, was a hero in the king’s eyes due to his service in battle.
However, Wilmot displayed his true, slightly less noble qualities early in his life.
2. He Received An Education
Wilmot began his education with two years of private tutoring, after which he attended Wadham College in Oxford. According to stories, it was while attending Wadham that he began showing what kind of person he would become, acting inappropriately whenever he could.
But, of course, the time came for him to assume much more responsibility.
3. He Took His Title
Although he was still young, John Wilmot was able to take a position of great respect in the English court, even if it came at a terrible price. Unfortunately, his father perished in 1658, allowing the 11-year-old Wilmot to assume the title of the Earl of Rochester. Just three years later, Wilmot also received an honorary master’s degree from Wadham College, adding to his prestige.
At the same time, he still needed someone to look out for him.
4. He Took Care Of Him
Having performed admirably in the service of King Charles II, Wilmot’s father had the royal’s respect and admiration, and the king wanted to do everything he could for the young Earl. Apart from Charles ensuring that Wilmot wanted for nothing by granting him a yearly allowance of £500, many historians agree that Charles treated the boy as his own son.
And, understandably, Wilmot milked his favor as much as he possibly could...
5. He Traveled Abroad
Wanting to expand Wilmot’s horizons and show him the reality of the world outside England, King Charles sent the 15-year-old Wilmot to travel across Italy and France on a Grand Tour. This trip lasted about three years and opened his mind up to the worldviews of other Europeans, to a larger degree than most English noblemen.
Like any proper nobleman, however, he still had to settle down.
6. They Didn’t Like Him
As John Wilmot grew older and the time came for him to marry, King Charles once again took it upon himself to look after his adopted son and found someone to set him up with. Elizabeth Malet was already from a wealthy family, and the king believed she would make a good match. However, despite receiving a pension from Charles, Wilmot was comparatively poor, resulting in immediate disapproval from Elizabeth’s parents.
But Wilmot didn't let that stop him from making a grand (and unusual) gesture to win her over.
7. He Captured Her
Wilmot’s mother agreed that Elizabeth would be a perfect match for Wilmot, so when she heard about the family’s refusal, Anne helped her son cook up a scheme. Ambushing Elizabeth and her grandfather while they were on their way home, Wilmot took his prospective wife captive and whisked her away.
Fortunately for Elizabeth, this didn’t turn out the way he had hoped.
8. He Was Locked Up
In the end, it was clear that John Wilmot and his mother hadn’t thought through their plan, as the authorities quickly caught up to the Earl, rescuing Elizabeth and apprehending him. While his connection to King Charles would keep him from suffering too severe a sentence, Wilmot still spent three weeks incarcerated in the Tower of London. Even then, he only gained his freedom by writing a sincere apology—to King Charles.
Before long, though, he would follow in his father’s footsteps.
9. He Became A Hero
Although Wilmot may have been able to disregard other people’s opinions later in life, at this point, he couldn’t afford to lose his social status. Hoping to get back in the king’s good graces, the Earl volunteered for the navy in 1665, fighting at the Battle of Vågen. According to records, he was so valiant and selfless that he emerged from the battle with even more respect and praise than he had before.
Fortunately for him, renown wasn’t all Wilmot got out of this.
10. He Took A New Position
Recognizing Wilmot’s courage in battle and likely appreciating how much like his father the Earl was, King Charles saw fit to give him a new job in his court as a Gentleman of the Bedchamber. This meant that Wilmot would serve Charles meals when the king ate in his room, dress and undress him, and even sleep at the foot of his bed. Luckily, this also meant he received a salary of £1,000.
With such a significant position, Wilmot was eager to prove himself again.
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11. He Showed His Quality
A year later, John Wilmot had another opportunity to prove he could be a hero when he joined back up with the navy, serving under Edward Spragge aboard the HMS Victory. He notably gained everyone’s respect again by taking a small boat between the various English ships to deliver Spragge’s messages, all while dodging the heavy cannon fire around him.
Surprisingly, the king wasn’t the only one to give Wilmot another chance.
12. She Forgave Him
Wilmot never truly forgot about Elizabeth, even through all his time in the Tower of London and out at sea, and it seems he wasn’t alone in feeling this way. Reconnecting with her in 1667, Elizabeth was no longer upset with him about the abduction, and they appeared to fall in love. Despite her parents’ protests, they eloped that year and began their life together.
It wouldn’t be long before he assumed another prestigious position—father.
13. They Made A Family
Not long after marrying Elizabeth, Wilmot succeeded in what noblemen at the time considered a top priority—securing his bloodline. Welcoming their first child, Anne, in 1669, the couple went on to have three more children, but unfortunately lost their son, Charles, when he was only ten years old.
As expected, considering his later reputation, he wasn’t a family man.
14. He Wasn’t That Committed
While Elizabeth may have believed John Wilmot devoted himself to her at the beginning of the relationship, especially given his actions, she would soon realize how wrong she was. Before they even had their first child, Wilmot began seeing other women, usually while he was away from home on business in London.
One of these affairs was especially scandalous.
15. He Made Another Connection
It may be unclear as to how many affairs Wilmot engaged in, but it’s easy to guess at one notable mistress of his, especially because she was in the spotlight herself. Famed actress Nell Gwyn became quite close with the Earl, and the two remained in contact even when she later became the king’s mistress, further helping to raise Wilmot’s status.
However, he seemed to be doing okay on his own.
16. He Wasn’t Old Enough
As early as 1667, John Wilmot found himself rising higher through the ranks of the king’s court, although it wasn’t solely out of the kindness of Charles’s heart. That year, the king appointed Wilmot to the House of Lords, even though the Earl hadn’t yet reached the required age. While the king was fond of Wilmot, this decision had more to do with gaining another royal supporter in parliament.
As expected, Wilmot didn’t take his new responsibility too seriously.
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17. He Partied Hard
Joining a group of other noblemen in the king’s court, John Wilmot and his friends became known as the Merry Gang, and all who witnessed them saw why. Rather than attending to their official duties, the Earl and the rest of the gang spent most of their time drinking and committing indecent acts, usually with the king’s pardon.
He clearly enjoyed himself—if he was ever even conscious, of course.
18. He Was Barely There
Even among the other members of the Merry Gang, Wilmot gained a reputation for his constant drinking and excessive revelry. In fact, the historian Gilbert Burnet recounted that Wilmot was essentially inebriated for five years straight, and likely didn’t remember most of what he did or said during that time.
When he was conscious, however, he focused on another interest of his.
19. They Were Collaborators
John Wilmot was far from the only skilled writer in the king’s court, and early in their literary careers, he even lent his creative talents to John Dryden—the future poet laureate. During this time, Dryden was happy to have Wilmot’s help and even honored him by including a dedication to him in his comedy, Marriage à la Mode.
Unfortunately, this friendship didn’t last forever.
20. They Turned On Each Other
While they may have worked together in the past, Wilmot and Dryden eventually started to rub each other the wrong way, causing a lasting rift between the two writers. For Wilmot’s part, he believed that Dryden had grown tired of reading his work, and beyond that, he simply thought that Dryden was ill-mannered.
Eventually, this rivalry put the Earl in a tough spot.
21. He Was A Suspect
The hostility between John Wilmot and Dryden was so ingrained and long-lasting that it nearly got the Earl into a lot of trouble years later. In 1679, Dryden was walking down the street one night when a group of hired men came out and beat him within an inch of his life. Being the poet laureate’s arch-nemesis, Wilmot was the easiest answer as to who planned the attack.
Luckily for him, there was no way he could have done it. Allegedly.
22. He Had An Alibi
While Wilmot may have had all the motive in the world to orchestrate an ambush of his bitter rival, one historian doesn’t seem so sure that he would have even been up to it. According to British author Alexander Larman, Wilmot wouldn’t have had the energy to plan the incident because he was much too ill at the time.
Of course, this wasn’t the last time he would get into trouble—nor the first.
23. He Offended The King
While many of the Merry Gang’s indecent acts resulted in little more than a slap on the wrist, John Wilmot had a reputation for pushing boundaries. One day in 1669, while he and dramatist Tom Killigrew were carousing with the king, the Earl became upset at how Killigrew was poking fun at him. Lashing out, Wilmot struck Killigrew, which angered King Charles so much that he banned the Earl from his court—even if he brought him back before long.
Still, this didn’t mean Wilmot improved his behavior at all.
24. He Wrote His Masterpiece
With an already scandalous reputation as a troublemaker, Wilmot’s written works spread like wildfire throughout the nobility, especially since they contained such salacious content. Perhaps his most infamous poem was 1675’s A Satyr Against Mankind, which shocked its readers as a stark criticism of society, specifically the philosophies of optimism and rationalism.
At the same time, his works weren’t exactly in the mainstream.
25. He Never Published His Work
Although John Wilmot became known for his obscene writings, many regarded him as quite changeable, and his works reflected this in their varying topics and styles. Still, many covered concepts more immediately relevant to his time, largely because he rarely published his works and instead simply kept them as manuscripts.
Behind the scenes, he continued to seek love outside of his marriage.
26. He Took Her Under His Wing
As it happened, Nell Gwyn wasn’t the only actress with whom Wilmot involved himself, as he began to spend time with aspiring performer Elizabeth Barry. While he may have initially been nothing more than her acting coach, it became clear that there was something else going on, and she officially became his mistress in 1675.
However, this mentor-like mindset soon turned sour.
27. He Wasn’t Happy About Her
Wilmot and Elizabeth Barry were together for about five years, during which she gave birth to another of his daughters, before everything went downhill. Clearly, Wilmot did a fantastic job in training his mistress, as she soon became one of England’s greatest actresses. But this only upset Wilmot, who became bitter about the fame and success she enjoyed.
Wanting to try something new, the Earl looked to other creative mediums.
28. He Explored Other Avenues
Although Wilmot had a history of courting actresses, he soon discovered a passion for the theatre beyond its performers. While he didn’t write any full plays in the 1670s, he enjoyed stepping in to write a scene or two in productions like Love in the Dark and The Conquest of China.
Another of his most iconic works came from this time—probably.
29. He May Have Taken Credit
Among the various theatrical works that Wilmot penned, one play stands as possibly his most famous, a closet drama called Sodom, or the Quintessence of Debauchery. However, mystery surrounds the author of this play, and while it certainly matches his vulgar style of writing, there is no conclusive evidence that he was behind it.
Whether or not he was, it managed to upset a fair amount of people.
30. They Didn’t Last Long
Despite the identity of its author remaining a mystery, there’s still a good chance that Wilmot wrote Sodom, in which case, one of his most famous works was almost erased. Long after his time, authorities blamed the play’s popularity for an uptick in obscenity prosecutions and tried to destroy every last copy. As recently as 2004, though, one of the remaining printings sold for £45,600.
Understandably, others in his time were less pleased about his type of humor.
31. He Made Fun Of Him
The king may have acted as a second father to Wilmot and enjoyed his company, but there were still lines that he never wanted the Earl to cross. While celebrating Christmas with King Charles in 1673, John presented In the Isle of Britain, a poem that playfully called out the king’s prioritization of his own pleasures above the welfare of his kingdom.
Once again, Wilmot found himself in hot water.
32. He Was Outraged
Wilmot had poked fun at the king before, but for whatever reason, this incident really got under Charles’s skin. It didn’t help that the Earl was already seen as a sort of rebel nobleman, so to punish his insolence, the king again exiled Wilmot from his court. This time it lasted until the following year, when Charles allowed him to return and appointed him the Ranger of Woodstock Park.
Still, the Earl would only make things worse for himself over the years.
33. He Destroyed The King’s Property
No more than a year later, in 1675, Wilmot landed himself on the king’s bad side again, this time by ruining a priceless antique. Like most times, he was hardly in any proper state of mind when, on a drunken spree with a group of friends, he destroyed the rare sundial in Privie Garding.
If this wasn’t bad enough, he drove it home with a punchline.
34. He Cracked A Bad Joke
While Wilmot had certainly been inebriated enough to bump into the sundial and tip it over, it was clear that this act of vandalism had been an intentional decision. Right before he committed the act, he made a rude implication about a nearby painting of the king holding his scepter, and joked that Charles wanted to have relations with time itself.
Obviously, the king didn’t take too kindly to this.
35. He Had To Leave Again
While some interpreted Wilmot’s joke to be about how the sundial looked to his vulgar mind, it was clear to the Earl’s friends—and later the king—that he was talking about Charles’s portrait. Knowing that King Charles would take this joke to be at his expense, Wilmot ran and stayed away from court for another brief period.
Although the king kept giving him chances, Wilmot continued to mess up.
36. He Got Into A Scrap
Wilmot shouldn’t have bothered unpacking upon his return from his latest exile, since he drew the king’s ire again in 1676. Charles was becoming less and less fond of the Earl with each passing year, but it culminated in one night, when he and his friends got into a fight with the guards of the night watch.
This time, he decided to take on a whole new life.
37. He Became Someone Else
Wilmot had put himself in yet another bind, however, he knew the drill and ran away to Tower Hill to go into hiding—though not really for his safety. While there, he told everyone that he was “Doctor Bendo,” and insisted that he could treat any condition, when in truth, he was no more than a snake oil salesman.
This wasn’t the only character he played, though.
38. He Took Another Identity
In keeping with his characteristically inappropriate behavior, Wilmot took advantage of those who came to see him while he was pretending to be a doctor, but that wasn’t his only persona. In an appalling effort to gain the trust of both his female patients and their husbands, he also posed as his own character’s wife, Mrs Bendo.
Using these guises, he did whatever he wanted without consequence.
39. He Lied To Them
Wilmot was the culprit of many foul acts in his life, but he saved some of the worst for when he was nearing the end—albeit unknowingly. Still under the facade of Dr Bendo, he claimed to be able to cure whatever gynaecological issue was brought to him—including infertility. According to one account, it’s implied that the Earl succeeded in his claim by secretly using himself as a sperm donor.
But ss it turned out, karma soon came around to even the score.
40. He Was Worse For Wear
John Wilmot was only 33 years old when his health started to decline rapidly, even though he had been suffering from several issues for a long time. Finally, in 1680, the years of drinking and philandering without any consideration for the safety or morality of his actions caught up to him. Suddenly, he was bedridden, plagued with the symptoms of alcoholism and venereal diseases like gonorrhea and syphilis.
In the end, he still had someone who cared about him.
41. She Still Looked Out For Him
By the end of his life, Wilmot had burned many bridges with his antics, but his mother never stopped wanting to care for him—specifically his soul. Due to his lifestyle, she arranged for several church officials to stay by his bedside as he awaited the end, providing spiritual counsel and assurance.
Suddenly, his wild and lascivious life came to an end.
42. He Spoke His Last Words
One of the officials that Wilmot’s mother brought in was Reverend Gilbert Burnet, who evidently had quite the impact on the Earl, as he was mentioned in his last words. Finally, on the morning of July 26, 1680, Wilmot asked aloud where Burnet had gone, only to hear that his friend had left. The Earl then claimed he would pass soon, and shortly after, he was proven right.
According to records, his mother’s efforts may have had a surprising effect.
43. He May Have Seen The Light
Wilmot had spent large portions of his life barely conscious due to the amount of drinking he did, but when his time was coming to an end, he sobered up in more ways than one. Looking back on his life, it’s said that he repented for his actions and became Catholic shortly before passing, but some claim this story was an attempt by his friends to redeem his reputation.
One friend in particular was allegedly more involved.
44. He Claimed To Convert Him
To many, the miraculous conversion of such an obscene individual as the Earl of Rochester would have been difficult to believe. However, the account was well-documented in the personal writings of Reverand Burnet, who not only mentioned Wilmot’s repentance but also claimed to be the one who converted him.
On the other hand, this story may have had another motive.
45. He Might Have Lied
Although Burnet chronicled Wilmot’s repentance, this has raised more suspicion than clarity for some. Wilmot had always been such a staunch advocate of libertinism, so it’s questionable that he would make a complete turn on his beliefs. Since Burnet reported that he converted the Earl to Catholicism himself, one theory is that he lied to boost his reputation—which eventually led him to become the Bishop of Salisbury.
Regardless, his reputation as a writer was what truly survived.
46. His Last Work Came Out
For the most part, Wilmot’s only contributions to the world of theatre were scenes he added to the existing works of other playwrights. However, he did write one play during his lifetime, even if he never got to see it published. Reworking John Fletcher’s tragedy, Wilmot created his own adaptation of Valentinian, published five years after his passing.
Unfortunately for him, not all of his works would have a lasting effect.
47. He Fell Into Obscurity
As with his posthumous release of Valentinian, not many of Wilmot’s works reached the point of publication until after he had passed. Even then, while a good selection of his poetry survived in this form, much of his work became lost or destroyed in the centuries that followed, as it had only existed in manuscript form.
Still, he was never completely forgotten.
48. His Story Surfaced
Being such an affront to many who belonged to the Puritan era, and with the destruction of some of his more obscene works, Wilmot took his place in history as a writer primarily. However, thanks to authors like Samuel Johnson, who wrote Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets in the 1700s, Wilmot’s life became better known in all its offensive glory.
At the end of it all, history knew him as a man who said what others wouldn’t.
49. He Called Out The Powerful
While most people in his time believed that Wilmot was a nasty troublemaker, and he certainly committed some heinous acts, many scholars praise his efforts to change the world around him. For instance, as Professor Kirk Combe put it, the goal of Wilmot’s satire was “to expose the fraudulent, speculative, and selfish actions of the ruling elite”.
Therefore, while some tried to erase him, he had become too impactful.
50. He Still Lived On
Following the passing of John Wilmot, there were undoubtedly many in England who were glad to be rid of him, but his mark on the world wouldn’t disappear so easily. Others in the king’s court admired the Earl of Rochester, or at least had begrudging respect for him, and often referred to him as the only man who truly understood satire. Beyond that, he inspired several iconic characters in the theatre, most of whom were just as charming and indecent.