Dorothy Jordan

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Not to be confused with Dorothy Jordan Lloyd.
Dorothy Jordan in the Character of Hypolita, mezzotint by John Jones of London, 1791, after a painting by John Hoppner
Dorothy Jordan in the Character of Hypolita, mezzotint by John Jones of London, 1791, after a painting by John Hoppner

Dorothy Jordan (November 21, 1761 – July 5, 1816) was an actress, courtesan and the mistress and famous companion of the future King William IV of the United Kingdom while Duke of Clarence for 20 years.

She was born Dorothea (sometimes called Dorothy or Dora) Bland near Waterford, the daughter of Francis Bland and his wife, née Grace Phillips, and paternal granddaughter of Nathaneal Bland, Vicar General of Ardfert and Agadhoe and Judge Prerogative Court, of Dublin, Ireland, died in 1760, and his wife née Lucy Heaton.

She became an actress, a famous one of the day, and assumed the name "Mrs. Jordan", because it was slightly more respectable for a married woman to be on the stage (there was no "Mr. Jordan" and Dorothea Bland never married). Some sources state that the name and title were taken to conceal an early pregnancy. She had been seduced by her first boss in Dublin, and had an illegitimate daughter at age 20. It was at this point she adopted the name "Mrs. Jordan" - a reference to her escape across the Irish Sea, likened to the River Jordan [1].

Pretty, witty, and intelligent, Jordan soon came to the attention of wealthy men. She became William IV's mistress in the late-1780's, and seemed to have not bothered herself with politics or the political intrigues that often went on behind the scenes in royal courts. She continued her acting career, and made public appearances with William IV when need-be. Together they had at least ten illegitimate children, all of whom took the surname FitzClarence:

[edit] Other relationships, descendants

She was also romantically linked and lived with Sir Richard Ford, a police magistrate and a lawyer, by whom she had two children, but left him when he failed to marry her, and Richard Daly, manager of the Theatre Royal, Cork, both occurring while she was involved with William IV.

She died in 1816 at Saint-Cloud, near Paris, France in poverty.

Her notable descendants include:

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] References

  1. ^ Information on Bland, Dorothea