196:
20:
239:, long-time mistress of the king, £100 a year to live with them; she also spent a period living with Rochester. Gwyn's 1679 funeral was attended by all of the gang. Despite their reputation for sexual liberalism, scandals were rare and Rochester and Savile were notable for withdrawing from court when scandal did occur.
242:
The gang were sometime patrons of the arts. The poet John Dryden benefitted from their patronage and the dramatist
Nathaniel Lee was an associate. The latter drank often with gang members and spent five years in a mental asylum because of the effects of his alcohol consumption. The activities of the
211:
in a duel over the affair. Buckingham mortally wounded the Earl and afterwards took the countess into his home, sending his own wife to live with her father. Around this time
Killigrew circulated a falsified paper purporting to be from the countess and testifying to his virility. Charles II pardoned
161:
The Merry Gang were advocates of libertinism. Members of the gang asserted the right to behave as they pleased and their antics were intended to draw the attention and amusement of the king. Rochester claimed his aim was to halt "the strange decay of manly parts since the days of dear
192:, and drank a toast to the king with wine in which he had washed his genitalia. An enraged mob unsuccessfully attempted to break into the pub to apprehend the men. Sedley was afterwards fined £500 but, remaining on good terms with Charles II, apparently escaped having to pay it.
153:, not as members of the set but instead behaving in a similar manner to it. Buckhurst in particular enjoyed royal favour: his grandmother had been governess to Charles II and the king rewarded the family with numerous titles and land holdings.
77:
and were involved in a number of killings. Charles II was indulgent towards the gang, forgiving some of their crimes. The influence of the Merry Gang declined after the 1670s, with new ideals of masculinity calling for better behaviour.
98:
called them the "men of mirth". Historian J. H. Wilson, writing in 1967, called them the "Court Wits". The leader of the gang, John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of
Rochester, referred to its members as "Rake-Hells". Other members included
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had died in 1670) with the intention of raping her. In 1675, members of the gang, including
Buckhurst, Savile, Rochester, and Sheppard, destroyed a valuable pyramidical glass sundial in the
212:
Buckingham over the killing of
Shrewsbury. In 1671, a Thomas Muddyman reported to Rochester that Savile had broken into the bedroom of "Lady Northumberland" (presumably
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in London. The two men claimed to have killed the tanner by mistake whilst chasing a thief, and were pardoned by
Charles II in June. The Merry Gang often
150:
352:
750:
217:
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69:, drank copiously, and engaged in acts that outraged public decency, including violence towards women. Members of the gang fought with
176:
When
Rochester was out of the country in February 1662, Buckhurst and his brother were imprisoned for the killing and robbing of a
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in the streets and engaged in fights with constables. In 1663, Sedley and
Buckhurst appeared naked on the balcony of a pub in
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224:. Rochester was heard to exclaim "what does thou stand here to fuck time!" before destroying the piece with Sheppard.
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173:)". The gang engaged in acts that were loud, outraged public decency and often included violence against women.
128:
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at court declined after the 1670s as a new standard for masculinity became defined by better manners.
139:, as well as many leading literary figures of the period. Historian Christopher Tilmouth, in his book
132:
760:
43:, who stated their aim was to restore the idea of masculinity that had prevailed at the time of
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The gang were known by various names; they were dubbed the Merry Gang by the contemporary poet
635:
552:
459:
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32:
720:
Rakes, Highwaymen, and
Pirates: The Making of the Modern Gentleman in the Eighteenth Century
640:
Passion's
Triumph over Reason: A History of the Moral Imagination from Spenser to Rochester
557:
Passion's Triumph over Reason: A History of the Moral Imagination from Spenser to Rochester
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Passion's Triumph over Reason: A History of the Moral Imagination from Spenser to Rochester
275:
Passion's Triumph over Reason: A History of the Moral Imagination from Spenser to Rochester
8:
243:
Merry Gang often featured in anti-Stuart propaganda. The influence of the gang and other
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44:
402:
The Oxford English Literary History: Volume V: 1645-1714: the Later Seventeenth Century
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that left a Captain Downs dead. At different times, Sedley and Buckhurst both paid
207:(she had earlier been involved with Killigrew). Two years later, Buckingham fought
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519:"5. The perks of office (1677-1706): Charles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset"
91:
66:
55:
236:
189:
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Rochester, John Wilmot, Earl of; Kilgour, Maggie (14 March 2013).
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In 1676, Rochester and Etherege were involved in a brawl with the
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called them the "counsellors of pleasure" and the Lord Chancellor
19:
232:
54:). They were also patrons of the arts, supporting the poet
372:
A Profane Wit: The Life of John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester
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was a group of aristocrats associated with the court of
523:Inheritance: The Story of Knole and the Sackvilles
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546:
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542:
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277:. Oxford University Press. pp. 257–258.
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16:English libertine aristocrats (fl. 1660–1679)
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351:: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
218:Josceline Percy, 11th Earl of Northumberland
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364:
362:
214:Elizabeth Percy, Countess of Northumberland
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375:. University Rochester Press. p. 76.
257:
636:"7. The restoration ethos of Libertinism"
553:"7. The restoration ethos of Libertinism"
460:"7. The restoration ethos of Libertinism"
331:. Oxford University Press. p. xvii.
271:"7. The restoration ethos of Libertinism"
642:. Oxford University Press. p. 280.
633:
559:. Oxford University Press. p. 259.
550:
466:. Oxford University Press. p. 261.
457:
405:. Oxford University Press. p. 160.
359:
268:
194:
18:
426:Kent, Susan Kingsley (4 January 2002).
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222:Privy Garden of the Palace of Whitehall
209:Francis Talbot, 11th Earl of Shrewsbury
101:George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham
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716:
606:
394:
392:
203:In 1666, Buckingham became a lover of
689:
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517:Sackville-West, Robert (3 May 2010).
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429:Gender and Power in Britain 1640-1990
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81:
751:Social history of the United Kingdom
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188:, where the former mimed lewd acts,
105:Richard Vaughan, 2nd Earl of Carbery
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205:Anna Talbot, Countess of Shrewsbury
13:
696:. Paragon Publishing. p. 68.
669:. Paragon Publishing. p. 73.
586:. Paragon Publishing. p. 34.
493:. Paragon Publishing. p. 60.
304:. Paragon Publishing. p. 55.
96:Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon
41:John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester
14:
782:
717:Mackie, Erin (23 February 2009).
613:. Simon and Schuster. p. 1.
607:Parmar, Priya (1 February 2011).
507:
147:James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth
109:Charles Sackville, Lord Buckhurst
39:of 1660. The gang was centred on
690:Milne, Norman (25 August 2014).
663:Milne, Norman (25 August 2014).
580:Milne, Norman (25 August 2014).
487:Milne, Norman (25 August 2014).
298:Milne, Norman (25 August 2014).
151:John Sheffield, Earl of Mulgrave
710:
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656:
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369:Johnson, James William (2004).
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117:Sir Charles Sedley, 5th Baronet
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766:Court of Charles II of England
634:Tilmouth, Christopher (2010).
551:Tilmouth, Christopher (2010).
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458:Tilmouth, Christopher (2010).
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269:Tilmouth, Christopher (2010).
1:
525:. A&C Black. p. 81.
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142:Passion's Triumph over Reason
156:
23:A 1677 painting of Rochester
7:
10:
787:
723:. JHU Press. p. 39.
432:. Routledge. p. 39.
399:Bate, Jonathan (2017).
771:Former gangs in London
693:Libertines and Harlots
666:Libertines and Harlots
583:Libertines and Harlots
490:Libertines and Harlots
301:Libertines and Harlots
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199:The Whitehall sundial
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33:Charles II of England
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65:The gang advocated
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182:breached the peace
121:Fleetwood Sheppard
82:Naming and members
58:and the dramatist
37:Stuart Restoration
25:
730:978-0-8018-9530-2
703:978-1-78222-315-3
676:978-1-78222-315-3
649:978-0-19-161560-3
620:978-1-4391-7118-9
593:978-1-78222-315-3
566:978-0-19-161560-3
532:978-1-4088-0338-7
500:978-1-78222-315-3
473:978-0-19-161560-3
439:978-1-134-75512-7
412:978-0-19-818311-2
382:978-1-58046-170-2
338:978-0-19-958432-1
311:978-1-78222-315-3
284:978-0-19-921237-8
137:William Wycherley
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145:(2010), named
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133:Henry Savile
92:Samuel Pepys
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28:
26:
67:libertinism
56:John Dryden
35:during the
745:Categories
251:References
190:blasphemed
71:constables
29:Merry Gang
347:cite book
237:Nell Gwyn
157:Practices
125:Henry Guy
75:watchmen
45:Henry II
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178:tanner
135:, and
119:, Sir
111:, Sir
245:rakes
233:Epsom
229:watch
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
