John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester (1648-1680) was born near Oxford and studied at Wadham College, Oxford, where he was awarded an MA. He travelled until 1664, but was then imprisoned in the Tower of London for a time, allegedly for trying to abduct a Somerset heiress, whom he married upon his release from prison. He wrote satires, love poems and plays throughout his adult life, and died at Woodstock Park in July 1680.