Nell Gwynn was one of the first English actresses and the mistress of King Charles II.

Nell Gwyn (or Gwynn or Gwynne), born Eleanor, (2 February 1650 - 14 November 1687), was one of the earliest English actresses to receive prominent recognition, and a long-time mistress of King Charles II. Called "pretty, witty Nell" by Samuel Pepys, she has been called a living embodiment of the spirit of Restoration England and has come to be considered a folk heroine, with a story echoing the rags-to-royalty tale of Cinderella. Elizabeth Howe, in The First English Actresses, says she was "the most famous Restoration actress of all time, possessed of an extraordinary comic talent."^[1] By Charles, Nell had two sons, Charles Beauclerk (1670-1726) and James Beauclerk (1671-1680). Charles was the first Earl of Burford, later Duke of St. Albans. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (480x608, 75 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Nell Gwyn Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (480x608, 75 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Nell Gwyn Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the United Kingdom (light green), with the Republic of Ireland (blue) to its west Languages English Capital London Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – 60,609... Actors in period costume sharing a joke whilst waiting between takes during location filming. ... Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was the King of England, King of Scots, and King of Ireland from 30 January 1649 (de jure) or 29 May 1660 (de facto) until his death. ... February 2 is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... // Events June 23 - Claimant King Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland arrives in Scotland, the only of the three Kingdoms that has accepted him as ruler. ... November 14 is the 318th day of the year (319th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 47 days remaining. ... Events March 19 - The men under explorer Robert Cavelier de La Salle murder him while searching for the mouth of the Mississippi River. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the United Kingdom (light green), with the Republic of Ireland (blue) to its west Languages English Capital London Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – 60,609... Actors in period costume sharing a joke whilst waiting between takes during location filming. ... Madame de Pompadour the mistress of King Louis XV of France. ... Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was the King of England, King of Scots, and King of Ireland from 30 January 1649 (de jure) or 29 May 1660 (de facto) until his death. ... Samuel Pepys Samuel Pepys, FRS (23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament. ... King Charles II, the first monarch to rule after the English Restoration. ... A folk hero is a person that is idolized by the common person, but loathed by the rich and powerful, because generally the folk hero must take away something from those of the upper class to make life better for the peasants. ... Gustave Dorés illustration for Cendrillon For other uses, see Cinderella (disambiguation). ... Charles Beauclerk (May 8, 1670 - May 10, 1726), was an illegitimate son of King Charles II of England by his mistress Nell Gwynne. ... Arms of the Duke of St Albans since 1696 The title Duke of St Albans was created in 1684 for Charles Beauclerk when he was fourteen years old. ... The title Duke of St Albans was created in 1684 for Charles Beauclerk when he was fourteen years old. ...

Early life

Very little is reliably known about Nell Gwyn's background. Her mother was Helena (or perhaps Eleanor) Gwyn, nee Smith; contemporaries referred to her as "Old Madam Gwyn" or simply "Madam Gwyn". Madam Gwyn was born within the parish of St Martin-in-the-Fields, London, and is thought to have lived most of her life in the city. She is believed by most Gwyn biographers to have been low-born; Beauclerk calls this conjecture, based solely on what is known of her later life. Nell Gwyn's father was, according to most sources, Thomas Gwyn, a Captain in the Royalist army during the English Civil War.^[2] St Martin-in-the-Fields, London Interior of St Martin-in-the-Fields St Martin-in-the-Fields and Charing Cross, circa 1562 The ceiling of the café in the crypt St. ... The term English Civil War (or Wars) refers to the series of armed conflicts and political machinations which took place between Parliamentarians and Royalists from 1642 until 1651. ...

Three cities make the claim to be Nell Gwyn's birthplace: Hereford, London (specifically Covent Garden), and Oxford. Evidence for any one of the three is scarce.^[3] That "Gwyn" is a name of Welsh origin might support Hereford, on the border with Wales; The Dictionary of National Biography notes a traditional belief that she was born there in Pipe Well Lane, renamed to Gwyn Street in the 19th century. London is the simplest choice, perhaps, since Nell's mother was born there and there is where she raised her children. Alexander Smith's 1715 Lives of the Court Beauties says she was born in Coal Yard Alley in Covent Garden and other biographies, including Wilson's, have followed suit. Beauclerk pieces together circumstantial evidence to favor an Oxford birth. The location may remain a mystery, but the time does not: a horoscope cast for Nell Gwyn pinpoints it as Saturday 2 February 1650, at six o'clock in the morning.^[4] Hereford Cathedral Hereford (pronounced hÄ›r-É™-füd or hÄ›r-i-füd) Welsh: Henffordd (pronounced Henforth) is a city in the west of England, close to the border with Wales and on the River Wye. ... For other uses, see London (disambiguation). ... Covent Garden is a district in central London and within the easterly bounds of the City of Westminster. ... Oxford is a city and local government district in Oxfordshire, England, with a population of 134,248 (2001 census). ... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... In astrology, a horoscope is a chart or diagram representing the positions of the planets, other celestial bodies, and sensitive angles at the time of any event, such as a persons birth. ... February 2 is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... // Events June 23 - Claimant King Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland arrives in Scotland, the only of the three Kingdoms that has accepted him as ruler. ...

One way or another Nell's father seems to have been out of the picture by the time of her childhood in Covent Garden, and her mother left in a low situation. Old Madam Gwyn was by most accounts an obese brandy-swigging alcoholic whose business was running a bawdy house (a brothel). There, or in the bawdy house of one Madam Ross, Nell would spend at least some time. It is possible she worked herself as a child prostitute; Peter Thomson, in the Oxford Illustrated History of Theatre, says it is "probable". A rare mention of her upbringing from the source herself might be seen to contradict the idea: A 1667 entry in Samuel Pepys' diary records, second-hand, Brothels are establishments (usually illegal) specifically dedicated to prostitution and may be confined to special red-light districts in large cities. ... This article or section may be confusing for some readers, and should be edited to be clearer or more simplified. ... Samuel Pepys Samuel Pepys, FRS (23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament. ...

Here Mrs. Pierce tells me [...] that Nelly and Beck Marshall, falling out the other day, the latter called the other my Lord Buckhurst's whore. Nell answered then, "I was but one man's whore, though I was brought up in a bawdy-house to fill strong waters to the guests; and you are a whore to three or four, though a Presbyter's praying daughter!" which was very pretty.^[5]

It is not out of the question that Gwyn was merely echoing the satirists of the day, if she said this at all. Various anonymous verses are the only other sources describing her childhood occupations: bawdyhouse servant, street hawker of herring, oysters or turnips, and cinder-girl have all been put forth.^[6] Tradition has her growing up in Coal Yard Alley, a poor slum off Drury Lane. Around 1662, Nell is said to have taken a lover by the name of Duncan or Dungan. Their relationship lasted perhaps two years and was reported with obscenity-laced acidity in several later satires. ("For either with expense of purse or p---k, / At length the weary fool grew Nelly-sick".^[7]) Duncan provided Gwyn with rooms at a tavern in Maypole Alley, and the satires also say he was involved in securing Nell a job at the theatre being built nearby. Drury Lane is a street in the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. ...

Charles II had been restored to the English throne in 1660, after a decade of Puritan rule, when pastimes regarded as frivolous, including theatre, had been banned. One of Charles' early acts as King was to license the formation of two acting companies, and in 1663 the King's Company, led by Thomas Killigrew, opened a new playhouse, the Theatre in Bridges Street (later rebuilt and renamed the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane). Mary Meggs, a former prostitute nicknamed "Orange Moll" and a friend of Madam Gwyn's, had been granted the licence to "vend, utter and sell oranges, lemons, fruit, sweetmeats and all manner of fruiterers and confectioners wares" within the theatre.^[8] Orange Moll hired Nell and her older sister Rose as "orange-girls", selling the small, sweet "china" oranges to the audience inside the theatre for a sixpence each. The Puritans were originally members of a group of English Protestants seeking purity — further reforms or even separation from the established church — during the Protestant Reformation. ... The Kings Company was one of two enterprises granted the rights to mount theatrical productions in London at the start of the English Restoration. ... Thomas Killigrew (1612 - March 19, 1683), was an English dramatist. ... The present-day Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, sketched when it was new, in 1813. ... Orange—specifically, sweet orange—refers to the citrus tree Citrus sinensis and its fruit. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with sixpence. ...

The work exposed her to multiple aspects of theatre life and to London's higher society: this was after all the "King's playhouse" and Charles frequently enough attended the performances. The orange-girls would also serve as messengers between men in the audience and actresses backstage; they received monetary tips for this role and certainly some of these messages would end in sexual assignations. Whether this activity rose to the level of pimping may be a matter of semantics. Some sources think it also likely that Gwyn prostituted herself during her time as an orange-girl.^[9] Pimping v. ...

Actress

The new theatres were the first in the England to feature actresses; earlier, women's parts were played by men. Gwyn joined the rank of actresses at Bridges Street when she was fourteen, less than a year after becoming an orange-girl. If her good looks, strong clear voice, and lively wit were responsible for cathing the eye of Killigrew, she still had to prove herself clever enough to succeed as an actress. This was no mean task in the Restoration theatre; the limited pool of audience members meant that very short runs were the norm for plays and fifty different productions might be mounted in the nine-month season lasting from September to June.^[10] Gwyn was illiterate her entire life (signing her initials "E.G." would the extent of her ability to read or write), adding an extra complication to the memorisation of her lines. The Flag of England The Kingdom of England was a kingdom located in Western Europe, in the southern part of the island of Great Britain. ... World illiteracy rates by country Literacy is the ability to read and write. ...

She was taught her craft by one of the fine male actors of the time, Charles Hart, and learned dancing from another, John Lacy; both were rumored by satirists of the time to be her lovers, but if she had such a relationship with Lacy (Beauclerk thinks it unlikely), it was kept much more discreet than her well-known affair with Hart. Charles Hart is a British lyricist, songwriter and musician. ...

Gwyn was slated to play a part in Killigrew's Thomaso, or The Wanderer in November 1664, but the play seems to have been cancelled.^[11] Instead, she made her first recorded appearance on-stage in March 1665, in John Dryden's heroic drama The Indian Emperor, playing Cydaria, daughter of Montezuma and love interest to Cortez, played by her real-life lover Charles Hart. Pepys, whose diary usually has great things to say about Gwyn, was displeased with her performance in this same part two years later: "...to the King's playhouse, and there saw 'The Indian Emperour;' where I find Nell come again, which I am glad of; but was most infinitely displeased with her being put to act the Emperour's daughter; which is a great and serious part, which she do most basely."^[12] John Dryden John Dryden (August 9, 1631 – May 12, 1700) was an influential English poet, literary critic, and playwright who dominated the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the period came to be known as the Age of Dryden. ... John Dryden, who formulated and wrote the heroic drama in the 1670s. ... Moctezuma II (also Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin) (C. A.D.1466-1520) was an Aztec ruler or huey tlatoani, c. ... Hernán Cortés Hernán(do) Cortés, marqués del Valle de Oaxaca (1485–December 2, 1547) was the conquistador who conquered Mexico for Spain. ...

Gwyn herself seems to agree that drama did not suit her, to judge from the lines she was later made to say in the epilogue to a Robert Howard drama:

We have been all ill-us'd, by this day's poet.
'Tis our joint cause; I know you in your hearts
Hate serious plays, as I do serious parts.^[13]

It was in the new form of restoration comedy that Nell Gwyn would become a star. In May 1665, she appeared opposite Hart in James Howard's comedy All Mistaken, or the Mad Couple.^[14] This was the first of many appearances in which Gwyn and Hart played the "gay couple", a form that would become a frequent theme in restoration comedies. The gay couple, broadly defined, is a pair of witty, antagonistic lovers, he generally a rake fearing the entrapment of marriage and she feigning to do the same in order to keep her lover at arm's length. Theatre historian Elizabeth Howe goes so far as to credit the enduring success of the gay couple on the Restoration stage entirely to "the talent and popularity of a single actress, Nell Gwyn".^[15] Refinement meets burlesque in Restoration comedy. ... The Tavern Scene from A Rakes Progress by William Hogarth. ...

The Great Plague of London shut down the Bridges Street theatre, along with most of the city, from the summer of 1665 through the autumn of 1666. Gwyn and her mother spent some of this time in Oxford, following the King and his court. The King's Company is presumed to have mounted some private theatrical entertainments for the court during this time away from the virulent capital. Gwyn and the other ten "women comedians in His Majesty's Theatre" were issued the right (and the cloth) to wear the King's livery at the start of this exile, proclaiming them official servants of the King.^[16] The Great Plague was a massive outbreak of disease in Britain that killed 60,000 people, up to a fifth of Londons population in 1665. ... Oxford is a city and local government district in Oxfordshire, England, with a population of 134,248 (2001 census). ... A livery is a uniform worn by a civilian person. ...

After the theatres reopened, Gwyn and Hart returned to play role after role that fit the mold of the gay couple, including in James Howard's The English Monsieur (December 1666), Richard Rhodes' Flora's Vagaries, an adaptation of John Fletcher's The Chances by George Villiers, and then in their greatest success, Secret Love, or The Maiden Queen.^[17] This play, a tragicomedy written by the theatre's house dramatist, John Dryden, was performed in March 1667. It was a great success: King Charles "graced it with the Title of His Play"^[18] and Pepys' praise was effusive: John Fletcher (1579-1625) was a Jacobean playwright. ... George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham by Rubens George Villiers (August 28, 1592 – August 23, 1628) was the 1st Duke of Buckingham of the second creation (1623) of that title and a favourite of King James I of England and then of Charles I. He was born in Brooksby, Leicestershire... Tragicomedy (or dark comedy or black comedy) refers to fictional works that blend aspects of the genres of tragedy and comedy. ... John Dryden John Dryden (August 9, 1631 – May 12, 1700) was an influential English poet, literary critic, and playwright who dominated the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the period came to be known as the Age of Dryden. ...

... to the King's house to see 'The Maiden Queen', a new play of Dryden's, mightily commended for the regularity of it, and the strain and wit; and the truth is, there is a comical part done by Nell, which is Florimell, that I never can hope ever to see the like done again, by man or woman. The King and Duke of York were at the play. But so great performance of a comical part was never, I believe, in the world before as Nell do this, both as a mad girl, then most and best of all when she comes in like a young gallant; and hath the notions and carriage of a spark the most that ever I saw any man have. It makes me, I confess, admire her.^[19]

Many comedies of the day, like The Maiden Queen, featured breeches roles, where the actresses appeared in men's clothes under one pretense or another; if nothing else this could draw an audience eager to see the women show off their figures in the more form-fitting male attire. The attraction had another dynamic: the theatres sometimes had a hard time holding onto their actresses, as they were swept up to become the kept mistresses of the aristocracy. In 1667, Nell Gwyn made such a match with Charles Sackville, titled Lord Buckhurst at that time. She supposedly caught his eye during an April perfomance of All Mistaken, or The Mad Couple, especially in one scene in which, to escape a hugely fat suitor able to move only by rolling, she rolls across the stage herself, her feet toward the audience and her petticoats flying about. A satire of the time describes this and also Hart's position now, in the face of competition from the upper echelons of society: A breeches role (also pants role or trouser role) is a role in which an actress appears in male clothes (breeches being tight-fitting knee-length pants, the standard male garment at the time breeches roles were introduced). ... Madame de Pompadour the mistress of King Louis XV of France. ... Charles Sackville, 6th Earl of Dorset (24 January 1638 – 29 January 1706) was an English poet and courtier, son of Richard Sackville, 5th Earl of Dorset (1622–1677). ... Madame de Pompadour in an elaborately embroidered gown with matching petticoat, 1760s A petticoat or underskirt is an article of clothing for women; specifically an undergarment to be worn under a skirt, dress or saree. ...

Yet Hart more manners had, then not to tender
When noble Buckhurst beg'd him to surrender.
He saw her roll the stage from side to side
And, through her drawers the powerful charm descry'd. ^[20]

Beaclerk describes Buckhurst: "Cultured, witty, satirical, dissolute, and utterly charming".^[21] He was one of a handful of court wits, the "merry gang" as named by Andrew Marvell. Sometime after the end of April and her last recorded role that season (in Robert Howard's The Surprisal), Gwyn and Buckhurst left London for a country holiday in Epsom, accompanied by Charles Sedley, another wit in the merry gang. Pepys reports the news on 13 July: "[Mr. Pierce tells us] Lord Buckhurst hath got Nell away from the King's house, lies with her, and gives her £100 a year, so she hath sent her parts to the house, and will act no more."^[22] However, Nell Gwyn was acting once more in late August, and her brief affair with Buckhurst had ended.^[23] Andrew Marvell (March 31, 1621 – August 16, 1678) was an English metaphysical poet, and the son of an Anglican clergyman. ... Epsom is a town adjoining Ewell in the Epsom and Ewell borough of Surrey in South East England and near to the southern boundary of Greater London. ... Sir Charles Sedley (c. ...

Early years with King Charles II

Nell Gwyn as Cupid c. 1672; engraving by Richard Thomson, of a painting by Peter Cross. Pepys owned a copy of this engraving and displayed it over his desk at the Admiralty.^[24]

Late in 1667, George Villiers, 2nd Duke of Buckingham took on the role of unofficial manager for Gwyn's love life. He aimed to provide King Charles II someone who would move aside Barbara Palmer, his principal current mistress (and Buckingham's cousin), moving Buckingham closer to King's ear. The plan failed; reportedly, Gwyn asked £500 a year to be kept and this was rejected as too dear a price. Buckingham had a backup, though: he was also involved in successful maneuvers to match the King with Moll Davis, an actress with the rival Duke's Company.^[25] Davis would be Nell's first rival for the King. Several anonymous satires from the time relate a tale of Gwyn, with the help of her friend Aphra Behn, slipping a powerful laxative into Davis' tea-time cakes before an evening when she was expected in the king's bed.^[26] Image File history File links Nell_Gwyn_as_Cupid. ... Image File history File links Nell_Gwyn_as_Cupid. ... Cupidon (French for Cupid), by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, 1875. ... Samuel Pepys Samuel Pepys, FRS (23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English naval administrator and Member of Parliament. ... Old Admiralty House, Whitehall, London, Thomas Ripley, architect, 1723-26, was not admired by his contemporaries and earned him some scathing couplets from Alexander Pope The Admiralty was historically the authority in the United Kingdom responsible for the command of the Royal Navy. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Barbara Villiers, by Sir Peter Lely. ... Mary Davis (known as Moll) was a 17th-century entertainer who became one of the many mistresses of King Charles II of England. ... The factual accuracy of this article is disputed. ... A laxative is a preparation used for encouraging defecation, or the expulsion of feces. ...

Romance between the King and Gwyn began in April of 1668, if the stories are correct: Gwyn was attending a performance of George Etherege's She Wou'd if She Cou'd at the theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields. In the next box was the King, who from accounts was more interested in flirting with Nell than watching the play. Charles invited Nell and her date (a Mr. Villiers, a cousin of Buckingham's) to supper, along with his brother James, the Duke of York. The anecdote turns charming if perhaps apocryphal at this point: the King, after supper, discovered that he had no money on him; nor did his brother. Gwyn had to foot the bill. "Od's fish!" she exclaimed, in an imatation of the King's manner of speaking, "but this is the poorest company I ever was in!"^[27] Sir George Etherege (1635? - c. ... Lincolns Inn Fields is the largest public square in London. ... James II of England and VII of Scotland (14 October 1633–16 September 1701) became King of England, King of Scots, and King of Ireland on 6 February 1685. ...

Previously having been the mistress of Charles Hart and Charles Sackville, she jokingly titled the King "her Charles the Third". By the summer of 1668, Gwyn's affair with the King was well-known, though there was little reason to believe it would last for long. She continued to act at the King's House, her new noteriety drawing larger crowds and encouraging the playwrights to craft more roles specifically for her. June 1668 found her in Dryden's An Evening's Love, or The Mock Astrologer, and in July she played in Lacy's The Old Troop. This was a farce about a company of Cavalier soldiers during the English Civil War, based on Lacy's own experiences. Possibly, Nell Gwyn's father had served in the same company, and Gwyn's part — the company whore — was based on her own mother.^[28] As her commitment to the king increased, though, her acting career slowed, and she had no recorded parts between January and June of 1669, when she played Valeria in Dryden's very successful tragedy Tyrannick Love.^[29] Headline text Cavalier has multiple meanings: Cavalier is a male ballet dancer. ... The term English Civil War (or Wars) refers to the series of armed conflicts and political machinations which took place between Parliamentarians and Royalists from 1642 until 1651. ... Tyrannick Love, or The Royal Martyr is a tragedy by John Dryden in rhymed couplets, first acted in June 1669, and published in 1670. ...

King Charles II had a considerable number of mistresses through his life, both short affairs and committed arrangements. He also had a wife, the Queen consort Catherine of Braganza, who was in an awkward position in several ways: made pregnant, she consistently miscarried, and she had little or no sway over Charles' choice to have mistresses. This had come to a head shortly after their 1662 marriage, in a confrontation between Catherine and Barbara Palmer that became known as the "Bedchamber crisis". Ostracised at court and with most of her retinue sent back to her home nation of Portugal, Catherine had been left with little choice but to acquiesce to Charles' mistresses being granted semi-official standing. King George V of the United Kingdom and his consort, Queen Mary A queen consort is the wife and consort of a reigning king. ... Catherine of Braganza (25 November 1638 – 30 November 1705), or Catarina de Bragança (pron. ... Miscarriage or spontaneous abortion is the natural or accidental termination of a pregnancy at a stage where the embryo or the fetus is incapable of surviving, generally defined at a gestation of prior to 20 weeks. ...

During Gwyn's first years as Charles' mistress, there was little competition in the way of other mistresses: Barbara Palmer was on her way out in most respects and other mistresses, such as Moll Davis, kept quietly away from the spotlight of public appearances or Whitehall. Nell gave birth to her first son, Charles, on 8 May, 1670. This was the King's seventh son — by five separate mistresses. The Palace of Whitehall by Hendrick Danckerts. ...

Louise de Kérouaille. Painting by Pierre Mignard, c. 1681.

Several months later, Louise de Kérouaille came to England from France, to, ostensibly, be a maid of honour to Queen Catherine and, probably by design on both the French and English sides, to eventually become another mistress to King Charles. She and Gwyn would prove rivals for many years to come. They were opposites in personality and mannerism; Louise a proud woman of noble birth used to the sophistication of Versailles, Nell a spirited and pranking ex-orange-wench. Gwyn nicknamed Louise "Squintabella" for her looks and the "Weeping Willow" for her tendencies to sob. Image File history File links Mignard,_Louise_de_Kérouaille. ... Image File history File links Mignard,_Louise_de_Kérouaille. ... Portrait of Louise de Kérouaille by Pierre Mignard Louise Renée de Penancoët de Kérouaille (1649 – 14 November 1734), was mistress of Charles II of England and Duchess of Portsmouth. ... Pierre Mignard (1610-1695), called—to distinguish him from his brother Nicholas— Le Romain, was a French painter. ... Portrait of Louise de Kérouaille by Pierre Mignard Louise Renée de Penancoët de Kérouaille (1649 – 14 November 1734), was mistress of Charles II of England and Duchess of Portsmouth. ... Versailles: Louis Le Vau opened up the interior court to create the expansive entrance cour dhonneur, later copied all over Europe Monument of Louis XIV in the cour dhonneur Gardens, general view from behind the palace The Château de Versailles —or simply Versailles— is a royal ch...

Gwyn returned to the stage again in late 1670, something Beauclerk calls an "extraordinary thing to do" for a mistress with a royal child. Her return was in Dryden's The Conquest of Granada, a two-part epic produced in December 1670 and January 1671. This may have been her last play; 1671 was almost certainly her last season. ^[30] Nell Gwyn's theatrical career spanned seven years and ended when she was just 21. The Conquest of Granada was a play written by John Dryden and acted in 1670. ...

In February 1671, Nell moved into a brick townhouse at 79 Pall Mall.^[31] The property was owned by the crown and its current resident, the Earl of Scarsdale, was instructed to transfer the lease to Gwyn. It would be her main residence for the rest of her life. Gwyn seemed unsatisfied with being a leasee only – in 1673 we are told in a letter of Joseph Williamson that "Madam Gwinn complains she has no house yett." Gwyn is said to have complained that "she had always conveyed free under the Crown, and always would; and would not accept [the house] till it was conveyed free to her by an Act of Parliament." In 1676, Gwyn would in fact be granted the freehold to the property, which would remain in her family until 1693; as of 1960 the property was still the only one on the south side of Pall Mall not owned by the Crown. Leinster House Henrietta Street Historically in the United Kingdom, Ireland and in some other countries, a townhouse (or a house in town) was a residence of a peer or member of the aristocracy in the capital or major city. ... Pall Mall is a street in the City of Westminster, London. ... The title of Earl of Scarsdale was created in the Peerage of England in 1645. ... The Right Honourable Sir Joseph Williamson, FRS (1633-3 October 1701), English politician, was born at Bridekirk, near Cockermouth, his father, Joseph Williamson, being vicar of this place. ... Fee simple, also known as fee simple absolute or allodial, is a term of art in common law. ...

Legacy

Though Nell Gwyn was often caricatured as an empty-headed woman, John Dryden said that her greatest attribute was her native wit, and she certainly became a hostess who was able to keep the friendship of Dryden, the playwright Aphra Behn, William Ley, 4th Earl of Marlborough (another lover), John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester and the king's other mistresses. John Dryden John Dryden (August 9, 1631 – May 12, 1700) was an influential English poet, literary critic, and playwright who dominated the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the period came to be known as the Age of Dryden. ... The factual accuracy of this article is disputed. ... For other people of this name, see John Rochester. ...

Nell is especially remembered for one particularly apt witticism, which was recounted in the memoirs of the Comte de Gramont, remembering the events of 1681: Events March 4 - Charles II of England grants a land charter to William Penn for the area that will later become Pennsylvania. ...

Nell Gwynn was one day passing through the streets of Oxford, in her coach, when the mob mistaking her for her rival, the Duchess of Portsmouth, commenced hooting and loading her with every opprobrious epithet. Putting her head out of the coach window, "Good people", she said, smiling, "you are mistaken; I am the Protestant whore."^[32] Oxford is a city and local government district in Oxfordshire, England, with a population of 134,248 (2001 census). ...

This appeal to British bigotry made her immensely popular. The particular Catholic whore (of the moment) was the Frenchwoman Louise de Kérouaille, Duchess of Portsmouth. Portrait of Louise de Kérouaille by Pierre Mignard Louise Renée de Penancoët de Kérouaille (1649 – 14 November 1734), was mistress of Charles II of England and Duchess of Portsmouth. ...

Nell is also famous for another remark made to her coachman, who was fighting with another man who had called her a whore. She broke up the fight, saying, "I am a whore. Find something else to fight about."

There are two variations about how the elder of her two children by Charles was given the Earldom of Burford, both of which are unverifiable.

The first (and most popular) is that when Charles was six years old, on the arrival of the King, Nell said, "Come here, you little bastard, and say hello to your father." When the King protested her calling Charles that, she replied, "Your Majesty has given me no other name by which to call him." In response, Charles made him the Earl of Burford, and later Duke of St. Albans.

Another is that Nell grabbed Charles and hung him out of a window (or over a river) and threatened to drop him unless Charles was granted a peerage. The King cried out "God save the Earl of Burford!" and subsequently officially created the peerage, saving his son's life.

Nell was the only one of Charles II's many mistresses to be genuinely popular with the English public. It is thought to have been Nell who persuaded the king to build the Royal Hospital, Chelsea in London for ex-servicemen. Nell, however, accumulated enormous debts. Figure Court of Royal Hospital Chelsea The Royal Hospital Chelsea is a retirement home and nursing home for British soldiers who are unfit for further duty due to injury or old age, located in the Chelsea region of central London. ... For other uses, see London (disambiguation). ...

King Charles died on 6 February, 1685. James II, obeying his brother's deathbed wish, "Let not poor Nelly starve," eventually paid most of Gwyn's debts off and gave her a pension of 1500 pounds a year. He also paid off the mortgage on Gwyn's Nottinghamshire lodge in Bestwood, which would remain in the Beauclerk family until 1940.^[33] At the same time, James applied pressure to Nell and her son Charles to convert to Catholicism, something she resisted. James II of England and VII of Scotland (14 October 1633–16 September 1701) became King of England, King of Scots, and King of Ireland on 6 February 1685. ... A mortgage is a method of using property as security for the payment of a debt. ... Nottinghamshire (abbreviated Notts) is an English county in the East Midlands, which borders South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Derbyshire. ... Bestwood St. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Roman Catholic Church. ...

In March of 1687, Gwyn suffered a stroke that left her paralysed on one side. In May, a second stroke left her confined to the bed in her Pall Mall house; she made out her will on 9 July. Nell Gwyn died at on 14 November 1687, at ten in the evening, less than three years after the King's death. She was 37 years old. For other uses, see Stroke (disambiguation). ...

She was buried in the Church of St Martin's in the Fields, at the corner of Trafalgar Square, London, after a funeral in which Thomas Tenison, the Archbishop of Canterbury, preached a sermon on the text of Luke 15:7 "Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance." St Martin-in-the-Fields is a Church of England church just northeast of Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, London. ... Trafalgar Square viewed from the northeast corner. ... For other uses, see London (disambiguation). ... Thomas Tenison (September 29, 1636-December 14, 1715) was an English church leader, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1694 until his death. ... Arms of the see of Canterbury The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior clergyman of the established Church of England and symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion. ... The Gospel of Luke is the third of the four canonical Gospels of the New Testament, which tell the story of Jesus life, death, and resurrection. ...

Zoe Tapper played the part of Nell Gwyn in the movie "Stage Beauty" (2004) directed by Richard Eyre and written by Jeffrey Hatcher. In this movie Nell Gwyn plays a supporting character but some of her history and her current (at the time the movie portrays) role as the King's misteress is mentioned.

References

• Beauclerk, Charles (2005). Nell Gwyn: Mistress to a King. Atlantic Monthly Press. ISBN 0-87113-926-X.
• Howe, Elizabeth (1992). The First English Actresses: Women and Drama, 1660-1700. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521422108.
• HRH Princess Michael of Kent (2006). Cupid and the King. Simon & Schuster UK. Chapter one, "Nell Gwyn" available online.
• Sheppard, F.H.W., ed. (1960). “Pall Mall, South Side, Past Buildings: No 79 Pall Mall: Nell Gwynne's House”, Survey of London: volumes 29 and 30: St James Westminster, Part 1, pp. 377–78. Online at www.british-history.ac.uk. (URL accessed 10 June 2006.)
• Williams, Hugh Noel (1915). Rival Sultanas: Nell Gwyn, Louise de Kéroualle, and Hortense Mancini. Dodd, Mead and company. Entire book available from Google Books.
• Wilson, John H. (1952). Nell Gwyn: Royal Mistress. Dell Publishing.

June 10 is the 161st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (162nd in leap years), with 204 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Notes

1. ^ Howe p. 67.
2. ^ Eleanor vs. Helena: Wilson p. 13. Mrs. Gwyn's birthplace: Beauclerk p. 10. Low-born: p. 10. Captain Thomas Gwyn: p. 11.
3. ^ Beauclerk p. 9
4. ^ Beauclerk p. 5.
5. ^ Pepys' diary for 26 October 1667. From www.pepys.info.
6. ^ Beauclerk pp. 37–38
7. ^ From The Lady of Pleasure, quoted in Beauclerk, p. 40.
8. ^ Beauclerk. p. 56.
9. ^ See for example Howe p. 67: "She began, as has become legendary, selling oranges (and probably herself as well)..."
10. ^ Beauclerk p. 74.
11. ^ Beauclerk p. 73.
12. ^ Pepys' diary, 22 August 1667.
13. ^ Quoted in Beauclerk p. 78 from the epilogue to Robert Howard's Duke of Lerma.
14. ^ Howe p. 66. There is some debate over the year The Mad Couple debuted, with earlier authorities believing it to be 1667.
15. ^ Howe p. 66
16. ^ Beauclerk p. 85
17. ^ Howe pp. 67–70
18. ^ According to Dryden's preface to the first printed edition, 1668. (Beauclerk p. 97.)
19. ^ Pepys diary for 2 March 1667; spelling and punctuation from Beauclerk p. 97.
20. ^ Anonymous, The Lady of Pleasure. Quoted in Beauclerk p. 105.
21. ^ Beaclerk p. 103.
22. ^ Quoted from Beauclerk p. 106.
23. ^ Beauclerk pp 108–109
24. ^ Beaclerk p. 62
25. ^ Beauclerk p. 121–122
26. ^ Beauclerk pp. 126–127.
27. ^ Beauclerk pp.127–128
28. ^ Beauclerk pp 131–137.
29. ^ Beauclerk p. 148.
30. ^ Beauclerk (pp. 182–183) dismisses reported appearances in the late 1670s and early 1680s as non-credible, noting "the publicity that would have attended such a comeback is absent".
31. ^ Details and quotes about the house from Sheppard
32. ^ Beauclerk p. 307 gives a slightly different quote.
33. ^ Beauclerk pp. 317, 358.