Charles Molloy
Encyclopedia
Charles Molloy was a British
, probably Irish
, journalist
and political activist on the jacobite
side, as well as a minor playwright
. The 18th century Biographia dramatica says that Molloy attended Trinity College, Dublin
before moving to London
and writing plays.
His three known plays were performed at Lincoln's Inn Fields
. The Perplex'd Couple or All Jealous, or, Mistake upon Mistake (1715) and The Coquet, or, The English Chevalier (1718) had three-night runs, but The Half Pay Officer (1720) was a success. It ran for seven nights on its initial run and was revived several times, all the way to the 19th century. Between these plays, Molloy entered the Middle Temple
and probably began legal practice.
Molloy was a passionate Jacobite, and he became active in the Jacobite wing of the Tory party from an early date. He contributed to and aided Mist's Weekly Journal
(which ran from 1716-1728) and its successor, Fog's Weekly Journal. Mist recommended that, when he was sent into exile, Molloy take over the Weekly Journal, and Molloy was the editor for a time. In the 1730s, the "Old Pretender," James Francis Edward Stuart
, knew of Molloy and wanted to recruit him to start a new journal in England to lobby for the jacobite cause. Daniel O'Brien, the Old Pretender's Paris
liaison, told Molloy that the journal would be co-edited by Alexander Pope
. There is no other evidence whatever that Pope had any knowledge of, much less involvement in, such an endeavor, and, in the event Pope not only did not edit the new journal, he never once even contributed to it. Molloy wrote to the Pretender agreeing to the task, and the new journal Common Sense, or, The Englishman's Journal (which ran from 1737 - 1743) appeared. It had contributions from the Earl of Chesterfield
, Baron Lyttelton
, and William King, but none from Alexander Pope or the other Scriblerians
.
Molloy was apparently a bachelor without issue, but he married in 1742. Molloy's friend, John Barber
, died in 1741. He was immensely wealthy, and in his will he left money to Tory causes and Tory leaders, including to Jonathan Swift
and Henry St. John
, as well as Molloy. However, the bulk of his money went to his long-time housekeeper and mistress
, whom Molloy married. Since she was forty-three years old at the time, it is not surprising that the couple produced no children, but Molloy received £20,000 in her inheritance. He was probably close to her in age. She died in 1758, and he died in 1767, around seventy-three years of age. After marriage, Molloy generally ceased journalism, although he remained active for a time in Jacobite causes.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
, probably Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and political activist on the jacobite
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
side, as well as a minor playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
. The 18th century Biographia dramatica says that Molloy attended Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
before moving to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and writing plays.
His three known plays were performed at Lincoln's Inn Fields
Lincoln's Inn Fields
Lincoln's Inn Fields is the largest public square in London, UK. It was laid out in the 1630s under the initiative of the speculative builder and contractor William Newton, "the first in a long series of entrepreneurs who took a hand in developing London", as Sir Nikolaus Pevsner observes...
. The Perplex'd Couple or All Jealous, or, Mistake upon Mistake (1715) and The Coquet, or, The English Chevalier (1718) had three-night runs, but The Half Pay Officer (1720) was a success. It ran for seven nights on its initial run and was revived several times, all the way to the 19th century. Between these plays, Molloy entered the Middle Temple
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn...
and probably began legal practice.
Molloy was a passionate Jacobite, and he became active in the Jacobite wing of the Tory party from an early date. He contributed to and aided Mist's Weekly Journal
Nathaniel Mist
Nathaniel Mist was an 18th century British printer and journalist whose Mist's Weekly Journal was the central, most visible, and most explicit opposition newspaper to the whig administrations of Robert Walpole. Where other opposition papers would defer, Mist's would explicitly attack the...
(which ran from 1716-1728) and its successor, Fog's Weekly Journal. Mist recommended that, when he was sent into exile, Molloy take over the Weekly Journal, and Molloy was the editor for a time. In the 1730s, the "Old Pretender," James Francis Edward Stuart
James Francis Edward Stuart
James Francis Edward, Prince of Wales was the son of the deposed James II of England...
, knew of Molloy and wanted to recruit him to start a new journal in England to lobby for the jacobite cause. Daniel O'Brien, the Old Pretender's Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
liaison, told Molloy that the journal would be co-edited by Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope was an 18th-century English poet, best known for his satirical verse and for his translation of Homer. He is the third-most frequently quoted writer in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, after Shakespeare and Tennyson...
. There is no other evidence whatever that Pope had any knowledge of, much less involvement in, such an endeavor, and, in the event Pope not only did not edit the new journal, he never once even contributed to it. Molloy wrote to the Pretender agreeing to the task, and the new journal Common Sense, or, The Englishman's Journal (which ran from 1737 - 1743) appeared. It had contributions from the Earl of Chesterfield
Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield
Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield PC KG was a British statesman and man of letters.A Whig, Lord Stanhope, as he was known until his father's death in 1726, was born in London. After being educated at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, he went on the Grand Tour of the continent...
, Baron Lyttelton
George Lyttelton, 1st Baron Lyttelton
George Lyttelton, 1st Baron Lyttelton PC , known as Sir George Lyttelton, Bt between 1751 and 1756, was a British politician and statesman and a patron of the arts.-Background and education:...
, and William King, but none from Alexander Pope or the other Scriblerians
Scriblerus Club
The Scriblerus Club was an informal group of friends that included Jonathan Swift, Alexander Pope, John Gay, John Arbuthnot, Henry St. John and Thomas Parnell. The group was founded in 1712 and lasted until the death of the founders, starting in 1732 and ending in 1745, with Pope and Swift being...
.
Molloy was apparently a bachelor without issue, but he married in 1742. Molloy's friend, John Barber
John Barber
John Barber is a former racing driver from England. Before his racing career he was a fish merchant in London....
, died in 1741. He was immensely wealthy, and in his will he left money to Tory causes and Tory leaders, including to Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift was an Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer , poet and cleric who became Dean of St...
and Henry St. John
Henry St. John
Henry St. John is the name of:*Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke , English politician and philosopher*Henry St. John , U.S. Representative from OhioHenry St...
, as well as Molloy. However, the bulk of his money went to his long-time housekeeper and mistress
Mistress (lover)
A mistress is a long-term female lover and companion who is not married to her partner; the term is used especially when her partner is married. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,...
, whom Molloy married. Since she was forty-three years old at the time, it is not surprising that the couple produced no children, but Molloy received £20,000 in her inheritance. He was probably close to her in age. She died in 1758, and he died in 1767, around seventy-three years of age. After marriage, Molloy generally ceased journalism, although he remained active for a time in Jacobite causes.