William Wycherley (baptized April 8, 1641 – January 1, 1716) was a notable English playwright during the Restoration period, renowned for his works "The Country Wife" and "The Plain Dealer."
Early Life
Wycherley was born at Clive near Shrewsbury in Shropshire, in a residence known as Clive Hall. However, there are claims, notably by Lionel Cust, that his birthplace might have been Trench Farm near Wem, which was also the birthplace of John Ireland, a writer who was later adopted by Wycherley's widow after Ireland’s parents died. Wycherley was baptized on April 8, 1641, in Whitchurch, Hampshire. His parents were Daniel Wycherley (1617–1697) and Bethia Shrimpton, daughter of William Shrimpton. The family had a modest estate yielding about £600 annually, and his father served the Marquess of Winchester.
Much of Wycherley's childhood was spent at Trench Farm, one of his family's properties in Shropshire. He likely also spent his early years at Whitchurch Farm in Hampshire, which his father leased until 1649. Wycherley was educated at home before being sent to France at the age of fifteen for further education.
Time in France and Return to England
While in France, Wycherley converted to Roman Catholicism. He returned to England just before the restoration of King Charles II and attended The Queen's College, Oxford, where he was influenced by Thomas Barlow, the provost, and reverted to the Church of England.
Legal Studies and Military Service
Wycherley left Oxford and joined the Inner Temple in October 1659, although he was not particularly dedicated to studying law and ceased living there after 1670. In 1662, he served in Ireland as a soldier with the Earl of Ancram's Regiment of Guards. During 1664–65, he was involved in a diplomatic mission in Madrid with Sir Richard Fanshawe and claimed to have participated in the Second Anglo-Dutch War in 1665.
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