Margret Hughes (1645-1719)
Also referred to as Peg, Margret Hughes was known for being the first actress to legally
act on an English stage in 1660. Her first appearance was in *Thomas Killigrew’s
adaption of Shakespeare’s Othello,* where audiences were shocked to see a woman
play the role of *Desmonda*. Her noted charm had set the bar high for other
actresses to follow. According to Samuel Pepys, she was said to be “a great beauty,
with dark ringlet hair, a fine figure and particularly good legs.” It was implied Margret
had frequent affairs, one of her earliest with *Sir Charles Sedley,* she was rumored to
also have been with *Charles II* for a limited period. It is not known who fathered her
first son Arthur during this time frame. She eventually found her true love Prince Rupert
the Duke of Cumberland and birthed her daughter Ruperta in 1663. Rupert’s title assisted
Margret in her becoming a member of the King’s Company in 1669, where she was able
to remain free of arrest for any debt. She continued acting in 1676 with the Duke’s
Company until Rupert’s death in 1682, when she began squandering her fortune. She
died in 1719.
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