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Nell Gwyn

Image by LUuy on Pixabay · Pixabay License

EntityQ234163· pop 35· linked from 238 articles

Also known as Eleanor Gwyn, Nell Gwynn

Royal mistress (1650-1687)

Person · Open Library

Born
1650
Died
1687
Works
2

via Open Library + Wikidata

Music · MusicBrainz

Type
Person
Country
AU
Active from
1961

via MusicBrainz · CC0

Listeners · Last.fm

Listeners
13
Total plays
65

<a href="https://www.last.fm/music/Nell+Gwyn">Read more on Last.fm</a>

via Last.fm · Nell Gwyn

Key facts

Born
Eleanor Gwyn , 2 February 1650, Hereford or St Martin in the Fields , Liberty of Westminster (disputed; see § Early life ) , England
Died
14 November 1687 (1687-11-14) (aged 37), Pall Mall , Liberty of Westminster, England
Other names
"Pretty, witty Nell" William Nell
Occupation
Actress
Partner
Charles II of England
Children
Charles Beauclerk, 1st Duke of St Albans James Beauclerk, Lord Beauclerk
Parents
Thos (Thomas) Guine (father) Ellen Gwyn (mother)

via Wikipedia infobox

~40 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Eleanor Gwyn (also spelled Gwynn, Gwynne, Gwin; 2 February 1650 – 14 November 1687) was an English stage actress and celebrity figure of the Restoration period. Praised by Samuel Pepys for her comic performances as one of the first actresses on the English stage, she became best known for being a longtime mistress of King Charles II of England.

Called "pretty, witty Nell" by Pepys, she has been regarded as 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. Gwyn had two sons by King Charles: Charles Beauclerk (1670–1726) and James Beauclerk (1671–1680). Charles Beauclerk was created Earl of Burford and Duke of St Albans; Murray Beauclerk, 14th Duke of St Albans was her descendant.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Nell Gwyn” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.