Mary "Moll" Davis (b. ca. 1648) was a seventeenth-century entertainer and courtesan, singer and actress who became one of the many mistresses of King Charles II of England.
Early life, theatre career, life as mistress to a king
Davis was born around 1648 in Westminster. She met Charles in a theatre or coffee-house in about 1667. She was a popular singer, dancer and comedian, but not everyone was a fan. The wife of Samuel Pepys, the famous diarist, called her "the most impertinent slut in the world".[1] She flaunted the wealth she acquired from her association with Charles II, and gained a reputation for vulgarity and greed. She showed off her "mighty pretty fine coach" (Pepys:[2]) and a ring worth £600, in those days a vast sum. [3] Davis gave Charles a daughter, Mary Tudor, who would become famous in her own right later on in life. Later, Charles dismissed Davis, possibly due to some chicanery by Nell Gwynne, a major rival for the King's affections. [4] Davis did not leave empty-handed however: Charles awarded her an annual pension for life of £1,000.
