Person    | Male  Born 10/4/1647  Died 26/7/1680

Earl of Rochester, John Wilmot

Categories: Poetry

Poet, wit and courtier. Born Ditchley, Oxfordshire. The picture source website contains an example of his poetry: "Imperfect Enjoyment" - not for the prudish. Died at his grace and favour home at High Lodge, Woodstock, Oxfordshire.

Samuel Johnson on Rochester: "in a course of drunken gaiety and gross sensuality, with intervals of study perhaps yet more criminal, with an avowed contempt of decency and order, a total disregard to every moral, and a resolute denial of every religious observation, he lived worthless and useless, and blazed out his youth and health in lavish voluptuousness".

There seems be a common consensus that Rochester was responsible for the attack on Dryden in 1679 but we are not sure what the evidence is.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Earl of Rochester, John Wilmot

Commemorated ati

John Dryden attacked

Odd that the plaque gives the 19th and not the 18th as the date.

Read More

Other Subjects

Dr. Keningale Robert Cook, LL.D

Dr. Keningale Robert Cook, LL.D

Keningale Robert Cook was born on 26 September 1845 in Smallbridge, Rochdale, Lancashire (now Greater Manchester), a son of Robert Keningale Cook (1812-1891) and Ellen Cook née Nield (1823-1909). H...

Person, Benefactor, Literature, Poetry

1 memorial
Iolo Morganwg

Iolo Morganwg

Born Edward Williams in Glamorgan. Founder member of the Unitarian movement in Wales, an anti-slavery campaigner, and political radical who called himself "The Bard of Liberty". As a stonemason he ...

Person, Poetry, Race Issues, Wales

1 memorial
John Milton

John Milton

Poet, essayist, playwright, historian, and diplomat. Born in the house called The Spread Eagle in Bread Street, Cheapside. Left London to study in Cambridge but found all the dull debates in Latin ...

Person, Education, Poetry, Seriously Famous

17 memorials
Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Elizabeth Barrett married Robert Browning in the St Marylebone Church facing York Gate in Euston Road, on 12 September 1846. Keen participant in spiritual séances, taking Robert with her, but he wa...

Person, Paranormal, Poetry, Italy

3 memorials
Edward Lear

Edward Lear

Born Bowman's Lodge, (now Bowman's Mews), the penultimate of 21 children. Artist and writer of nonsense works, such as The Owl and the Pussycat, and limericks, e.g. There was an old person of Putn...

Person, Art, Literature, Poetry, Seriously Famous, Italy

3 memorials