Image by LUuy on Pixabay · Pixabay License
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
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- human
- Gender
- female
- Citizenship
- Kingdom of England
- Place of birth
- London
- Place of death
- United Kingdom
- Occupation
- actor
- Languages spoken
- English language
- Field of work
- acting
- Image
- Simon Peeterz Verelst - Nell Gwynne.jpg
Show 10 more facts
- Commons category
- Nell Gwyn
- date of death
- 1687-11-14
- date of birth
- 1650-02-02
- cause of death
- stroke
- unmarried partner
- Charles II of England
- manner of death
- natural causes
- described by source
- Encyclopædia Britannica 11th edition
- Commons gallery
- Nell Gwyn
- place of burial
- St Martin-in-the-Fields
- P12749
- Frank Bainimarama
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~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.