Charles Molloy (journalist) facts for kids
Charles Molloy (died 16 July 1767) was an Irish writer and political activist. He supported the Jacobite cause, which wanted the Stuart family to return to the throne of Great Britain. He also wrote a few plays.
Early Life and Plays
Charles Molloy was born in Dublin, Ireland, in the early 1700s. He studied at Trinity College, Dublin before moving to London, England. There, he started writing plays.
His plays were performed at a famous theater called Lincoln's Inn Fields. Two of his early plays, The Perplexed Couple (1715) and The Coquet (1718), ran for three nights each. However, his play The Half Pay Officers (1720) was a big hit! It played for seven nights when it first opened and was even performed many times in later years.
In 1764, Molloy became a student at Gray's Inn, a famous legal society in London.
Working as a Journalist
Charles Molloy was very passionate about the Jacobite cause. He became active in the Jacobite part of the Tory party, a political group in Britain.
He wrote for and helped with a newspaper called Mist's Weekly Journal. When the editor, Nathaniel Mist, had to leave the country, Molloy took over as editor for a while. Later, he also worked on its follow-up paper, Fog's Weekly Journal.
In the 1730s, James Francis Edward Stuart, known as the "Old Pretender" (who claimed to be the rightful king), wanted Molloy to start a new newspaper in England. This paper would try to convince people to support the Jacobite cause. Daniel O'Brien, who was the Pretender's contact in Paris, told Molloy that the famous writer Alexander Pope would help edit the paper.
However, Alexander Pope never actually worked on the paper or wrote for it. Molloy agreed to the task, and the new newspaper, Common Sense, or, The Englishman's Journal, started in 1737. It ran until 1743. Other important people like the Earl of Chesterfield and Baron Lyttelton wrote for it.
Later Life and Family
Charles Molloy was probably single for a long time, but he got married in 1742.
His friend, John Barber, who was very rich, passed away in 1741. In his will, Barber left money to many Tory leaders and causes, including some for Molloy. Most of Barber's money went to his longtime housekeeper. Charles Molloy later married this housekeeper.
She was 43 years old when they married, and they did not have any children. When she passed away in 1758, Molloy received a large inheritance from her. He was likely around the same age as her.
After getting married, Molloy mostly stopped working as a journalist. However, he continued to be involved in Jacobite activities for some time.
Charles Molloy died on 16 July 1767, in Soho Square in London. He was about 73 years old.
