Mary Frith
Encyclopedia
Mary Frith or Moll Cutpurse (c. 1584 – July 26, 1659) was a notorious pickpocket and fence
of the English
underworld
.
The other name by which she was known, "The Roaring Girl" is taken from roaring boys. The roaring boys were young gentlemen who caroused in taverns, and then picked brawls on the street for entertainment.
written in 1662, three years after her death, helped to perpetuate many of these myths.
Born in the mid-1580s to a shoemaker and a housewife, Mary presented herself in public in a doublet
and baggy breeches
, smoking a pipe and swearing if she felt like it. It is believed that she first came to prominence in 1600 when she was indicted in Middlesex
for stealing 2s 11d on the 26 August of that year. It is at that point she began to gain notoriety. In the following years, two plays were written about her. First the 1610 drama The Madde Pranckes of Mery Mall of the Bankside by John Day
, the text of which is now lost. Another play (that has survived) came a year later by Thomas Middleton
and Thomas Dekker, The Roaring Girl
. Both works dwelt on her scandalous behaviour, especially that of dressing in men's attire and did not show her in an especially favourable light, though the surviving play is fairly complimentary to her by contemporary standards.
However, Mary seems to have been given a fair amount of freedom in a society that so frowned upon women who acted unconventionally. in 1611 Frith even performed (in men's clothing, as always) at the Fortune Theatre
. On stage she bantered with the audience and sang songs while playing the lute
. It can be assumed that the banter and song were somewhat obscene, but by merely performing in public at all she was defying convention.
Such public actions led to some reprisal. Frith was arrested for being dressed indecently on 25 December 1611 and accused of being involved in prostitution. On 9 February 1612 Mary was required to do a penance for her "evil living" at St. Paul's Cross. She put on a performance then, according to a letter by John Chamberland to Dudley Carlton. In his letter, Chamberland observes, "She wept bitterly and seemed very pentinent, but it is since doubted she was maudlin drunk, being discovered to have tippled of three-quarters of sack".
She married Lewknor Markham (possibly the son of playwright Gervase Markham
) on 23 March 1614. It has been alleged that the marriage was little more than a clever charade. Evidence shows that the whole thing was contracted to give Frith a counter when suits against her referred to her as a "spinster".
By the 1620s she was, according to her own account, working as a fence and a pimp. She not only procured young women for men, but also respectable male lovers for middle-class wives. In one case where a wife confessed on her deathbed infidelity with lovers that Mary provided, Mary supposedly convinced the woman's lovers to send money for the maintenance of the children that were probably theirs. It is important to note that, at the time, women who dressed in men's attire on a regular basis were generally considered to be "sexually riotous and uncontrolled", but Mary herself claimed to be uninterested in sex.
She is recorded as being released on 21 June 1644 from Bethlem Hospital after being cured of insanity. Which may or not be related to the (possibly apocrypha
l) story that she robbed General Fairfax and shot him in the arm during the Civil War
. It was said that to escape the gallows she paid a 2000 pound bribe.
She died of dropsy on 26 July 1659 on Fleet Street
in London
.
Fence (criminal)
A fence is an individual who knowingly buys stolen property for later resale, sometimes in a legitimate market. The fence thus acts as a middleman between thieves and the eventual buyers of stolen goods who may or may not be aware that the goods are stolen. As a verb, the word describes the...
of the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
underworld
Underworld (disambiguation)
The Underworld is a place in religion and mythology where the souls of the recently departed go.Underworld may also refer to:* Greek underworld, the Greek version* Criminal underworld, another name for organized crime-Film and television:...
.
Meaning of Nicknames
The name Moll Cutpurse was a pun: Moll, apart from being a nickname for Mary, was a common name for a young woman — usually of disreputable character. Cutpurse denoted her reputation as a thief who would cut purses to steal the contents.The other name by which she was known, "The Roaring Girl" is taken from roaring boys. The roaring boys were young gentlemen who caroused in taverns, and then picked brawls on the street for entertainment.
An eccentric life
The facts of her life are extremely confusing, with many exaggerations and myths attached to her name. The Life of Mrs Mary Frith, a sensationalised biographyBiography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
written in 1662, three years after her death, helped to perpetuate many of these myths.
Born in the mid-1580s to a shoemaker and a housewife, Mary presented herself in public in a doublet
Doublet
Doublet may refer to:*Doublet , a man's snug-fitting buttoned jacket that was worn from the late 14th century to the mid 17th century*Doublet , an assembled gem composed in two sections, such as a garnet overlaying green glass...
and baggy breeches
Breeches
Breeches are an item of clothing covering the body from the waist down, with separate coverings for each leg, usually stopping just below the knee, though in some cases reaching to the ankles...
, smoking a pipe and swearing if she felt like it. It is believed that she first came to prominence in 1600 when she was indicted in Middlesex
Middlesex
Middlesex is one of the historic counties of England and the second smallest by area. The low-lying county contained the wealthy and politically independent City of London on its southern boundary and was dominated by it from a very early time...
for stealing 2s 11d on the 26 August of that year. It is at that point she began to gain notoriety. In the following years, two plays were written about her. First the 1610 drama The Madde Pranckes of Mery Mall of the Bankside by John Day
John Day (dramatist)
John Day was an English dramatist of the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods.-Life:He was born at Cawston, Norfolk, and educated at Ely. He became a sizar of Caius College, Cambridge, in 1592, but was expelled in the next year for stealing a book...
, the text of which is now lost. Another play (that has survived) came a year later by Thomas Middleton
Thomas Middleton
Thomas Middleton was an English Jacobean playwright and poet. Middleton stands with John Fletcher and Ben Jonson as among the most successful and prolific of playwrights who wrote their best plays during the Jacobean period. He was one of the few Renaissance dramatists to achieve equal success in...
and Thomas Dekker, The Roaring Girl
The Roaring Girl
The Roaring Girl is a Jacobean stage play, a comedy written by Thomas Middleton and Thomas Dekker ca. 1607-10.The play was first published in quarto in 1611, printed by Nicholas Okes for the bookseller Thomas Archer...
. Both works dwelt on her scandalous behaviour, especially that of dressing in men's attire and did not show her in an especially favourable light, though the surviving play is fairly complimentary to her by contemporary standards.
However, Mary seems to have been given a fair amount of freedom in a society that so frowned upon women who acted unconventionally. in 1611 Frith even performed (in men's clothing, as always) at the Fortune Theatre
Fortune Playhouse
The Fortune Playhouse was an historic theatre in London. It was located between Whitecross Street and the modern Golden Lane, just outside the City of London...
. On stage she bantered with the audience and sang songs while playing the lute
Lute
Lute can refer generally to any plucked string instrument with a neck and a deep round back, or more specifically to an instrument from the family of European lutes....
. It can be assumed that the banter and song were somewhat obscene, but by merely performing in public at all she was defying convention.
Such public actions led to some reprisal. Frith was arrested for being dressed indecently on 25 December 1611 and accused of being involved in prostitution. On 9 February 1612 Mary was required to do a penance for her "evil living" at St. Paul's Cross. She put on a performance then, according to a letter by John Chamberland to Dudley Carlton. In his letter, Chamberland observes, "She wept bitterly and seemed very pentinent, but it is since doubted she was maudlin drunk, being discovered to have tippled of three-quarters of sack".
She married Lewknor Markham (possibly the son of playwright Gervase Markham
Gervase Markham
Gervase Markham was an English poet and writer, best known for his work The English Huswife, Containing the Inward and Outward Virtues Which Ought to Be in a Complete Woman first published in London in 1615.-Life:Markham was the third son of Sir Robert Markham of Cotham, Nottinghamshire, and was...
) on 23 March 1614. It has been alleged that the marriage was little more than a clever charade. Evidence shows that the whole thing was contracted to give Frith a counter when suits against her referred to her as a "spinster".
By the 1620s she was, according to her own account, working as a fence and a pimp. She not only procured young women for men, but also respectable male lovers for middle-class wives. In one case where a wife confessed on her deathbed infidelity with lovers that Mary provided, Mary supposedly convinced the woman's lovers to send money for the maintenance of the children that were probably theirs. It is important to note that, at the time, women who dressed in men's attire on a regular basis were generally considered to be "sexually riotous and uncontrolled", but Mary herself claimed to be uninterested in sex.
She is recorded as being released on 21 June 1644 from Bethlem Hospital after being cured of insanity. Which may or not be related to the (possibly apocrypha
Apocrypha
The term apocrypha is used with various meanings, including "hidden", "esoteric", "spurious", "of questionable authenticity", ancient Chinese "revealed texts and objects" and "Christian texts that are not canonical"....
l) story that she robbed General Fairfax and shot him in the arm during the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
. It was said that to escape the gallows she paid a 2000 pound bribe.
She died of dropsy on 26 July 1659 on Fleet Street
Fleet Street
Fleet Street is a street in central London, United Kingdom, named after the River Fleet, a stream that now flows underground. It was the home of the British press until the 1980s...
in 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...
.
External links
- A dubious account of her life from The Newgate CalendarThe Newgate CalendarThe Newgate Calendar, subtitled The Malefactors' Bloody Register, was a popular work of improving literature in the 18th and 19th centuries....
- Another retelling