“Thomas Killigrew, descended from the ancient Cornish family of that name, was a younger son of Sir Robert Killigrew, and born in 1611. He was distinguished by uncommon abilities. He was page of honour to King Charles the First, and groom of the bedchamber to King Charles the Second, with whom he had suffered many years of exile. During his abode beyond the sea, he took a view of France, Italy, and Spain, and was honoured by his Majesty
with the employment of Resident at the State of Venice. In his absence from this country he applied his leisure hours to poetry, and to the composition of several plays, of which Sir John Denham takes notice in his poem on our author’s return from his embassy. Though Denham mentions but six, our author wrote nine plays in his travels, and two at London; all which were printed, with his picture before them, in 1664. There is, besides, “A Letter concerning some Nuns in the Nunnery of Tours,” dated from Orleans in 1635, and printed in three folio sheets. Mr. Killigrew died in 1682, and was buried in Westminster Abbey. He had been twice married.
“He was a man of a very droll and uncommon vein of humour, with which he used to divert that merry monarch Charles the Second; who on that account was fonder of him than his best Ministers, and would give him access to his person when he denied it to them.” It was usually said of him, that when he attempted to write he was nothing near so smart as he was in conversation: which was just the reverse of Cowley, who shone but little in conversation, although he excelled so much with his pen. Hence Denham, who knew them both, has taken occasion thus to characterize their respective excellences and defects:
“Had Cowley ne’er spoke, Killigrew ne’er writ,
Combin’d in one, they’d make a matchless wit.”
Another brother, Henry Killigrew, is mentioned in the same work, Chaplain to James the Second while he was Duke of York, and a Prebendary of Westminster. He is there stated to have written a tragedy at the age of seventeen, called “The Conspiracy,” which obtained the high approbation of Ben Jonson.
He had a daughter, Ann Killigrew, recorded as
A Grace for beauty, and a Muse for wit.
This young lady was maid of honour to the Duchess of York, but died of the smallpox at the early age of twenty-five.
The elder brother, William, was also a poet and an author. The representative of the Killigrew family is Lord Wodehouse, in right of his late wife, Sophia Berkeley, niece of Lord Berkeley of Stratton.