Henry Killigrew (11 February 1613 – 14 March 1700) was an English clergyman and playwright. He became a

chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

, and chaplain and

almoner An almoner () is a chaplain or church officer who originally was in charge of distributing money to the deserving poor. The title ''almoner'' has to some extent fallen out of use in English, but its equivalents in other languages are often used f ...

to James, Duke of York (the future James II). Following the Restoration, he became

Master of the Savoy The Savoy Palace, considered the grandest Townhouse (Great Britain), nobleman's townhouse of Norman and Medieval London, medieval London, was the residence of prince John of Gaunt until it was destroyed during rioting in the Peasants' Revolt of ...

Life

Killigrew was born in

Hanworth Hanworth is a district of West London, England. Historically in Middlesex, it has been part of the London Borough of Hounslow since 1965. Hanworth adjoins Feltham to the northwest, Twickenham to the northeast and Hampton, London, Hampton to the ...

on 11 February 1613, the fifth and youngest son of

Robert Killigrew Sir Robert Killigrew (1580–1633) was an English courtier and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1601 and 1629. He served as Ambassador to the United Provinces. Life Killgrew was born at Lothbury, London, t ...

and his wife

Mary Woodhouse Mary Woodhouse, Lady Killigrew (d. 1656), musician and correspondent of Constantijn Huygens, was the daughter of Henry Woodhouse (MP) of Hickling and Waxham, and Anne Bacon, daughter of Nicholas Bacon (Lord Keeper), Sir Nicholas Bacon. (Without su ...

. He was the brother of the dramatist

Thomas Killigrew Thomas Killigrew (7 February 1612 – 19 March 1683) was an English dramatist and theatre manager. He was a witty, dissolute figure at the court of King Charles II of England. Life Killigrew was one of twelve children of Sir Robert Killigre ...

and of Elizabeth Killigrew, Viscountess Shannon, mistress of the future Charles II. He was educated at Cripplegate, London and at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

, graduating

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

1632, M.A. 1638, D.D. 1642. He served as a chaplain in

's army during the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

and was chaplain to James, Duke of York (the future James II) during his time in exile. He was also appointed almoner to James, Duke of York. He served as a canon of

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

in 1642 and from 1660 to his death and as rector of Wheathampstead. In 1663, Henry Killigrew was appointed

. According to some writers the final ruin of the Savoy Hospital was due to Killigrew's "improvidence, greed, and other bad qualities". A bill was passed in 1697 abolishing its privileges of sanctuary. The hospital was leased out in tenements, and the master appropriated the profits; among the leases granted was one (1699) to Henry Killigrew, the patentee of

Drury Lane Theatre The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dru ...

, for his lodgings in the Savoy, at a rent of 1 shilling per year for forty years. A commission appointed by William III reported that the relief of the poor (the hospital's intended purpose) was being utterly neglected. In 1702, shortly after Killigrew's death, the hospital was dissolved. A juvenile play of his, ''The Conspiracy'', was printed surreptitiously in 1638, and in an authenticated version in 1653 as ''Pallantus and Eudora''.

Family

He married Judith and had four children: * Henry Killigrew (died 1712), an admiral * James Killigrew, also a naval officer, who was killed in an encounter with the French in January 1695 during the

Nine Years' War The Nine Years' War was a European great power conflict from 1688 to 1697 between Kingdom of France, France and the Grand Alliance (League of Augsburg), Grand Alliance. Although largely concentrated in Europe, fighting spread to colonial poss ...

* Anne Killigrew (1660-1685), poet and painter, who was maid of honour to

Mary of Modena Mary of Modena (; ) was List of English royal consorts, Queen of England, List of Scottish royal consorts, Scotland and Ireland as the second wife of James VII and II. A devout Catholic, Roman Catholic, Mary married the widower James, who was t ...

(

Duchess of York Duchess of York is the principal courtesy title held by the wife of the Duke of York. Three of the eleven Dukes of York either did not marry or had already assumed the throne prior to marriage, while two of the Dukes married twice; therefore, th ...

), and was the subject of an ode by Dryden, which

Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson ( – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, literary critic, sermonist, biographer, editor, and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...

thought the noblest in the language * Elizabeth Killigrew (died 1701) married at Wheathampstead John Lambe, her father's curate, and produced 10 children

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Killigrew, Henry 1613 births 1700 deaths English dramatists and playwrights Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford English military chaplains Masters of the Savoy

Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

English male dramatists and playwrights