Thomas Killigrew(1612-1683), Dramatist and courtier
Sitter in 15 portraits
The son of a courtier of James I, Killigrew became a page to King Charles I at about the age of thirteen. Before the English civil war, he wrote several plays including his most popular work, The Parson's Wedding (1637). A Royalist, in 1647 he followed Prince Charles into exile and travelled around Europe with him. At the Restoration in 1660, Charles rewarded his loyalty by making him Groom of the Bedchamber. He was given a royal warrant in 1660 to form a theatre company, which gave him a key role in the revival of English drama at that time. His company performed many of Shakespeare's works, in rewritten forms that were popular at the time but disparaged later.