Nell Gwyn

English actress

• Born: February 2, 1650
• Birthplace: London, England
• Died: November 14, 1687
• Place of death: London, England

Nell Gwyn was a celebrated actress of the prestigious Drury Lane Theatre. The most famous of the numerous mistresses of King Charles II, she was the only royal mistress to be popular with the public.

Early Life

On February 2, 1650, Nell Gwyn (GWIHN), née Eleanor, was born into poverty in London. Her father was Thomas Gwyn, a former Welsh soldier who died in the debtor’s prison at Oxford. Her mother Rose managed a brothel, where Nell spent her childhood. Nell never learned to read or write, but she became known for her natural charm, singing, and conversational talents in London taverns.

On May 7, 1663, Theatre Royal Drury Lane (better known as the Drury Lane Theatre) was opened by Thomas Killigrew for his company, the King’s Men (or King’s Company), one of two official theater companies sanctioned by King Charles II. Gwyn became an orange-seller at this theater and soon attracted the attention of the company’s leading actor, Charles Hart. Gwyn became his mistress, and he trained her for an acting career. In 1665, at the age of fifteen, she joined Killigrew’s company and made her stage debut as Cydaria, Montezuma’s daughter, in John Dryden’s The Indian Emperor: Or, The Conquest of Mexico by the Spaniards (pr. 1665, pb. 1667). That same year, the Great Plague (1665) reached London, and theaters were closed. In 1666, after the plaque left, theaters reopened, and the royal court returned to London. That year, Gwyn played the role of Lady Wealthy in James Howard’s comedy, The English Monsieur (pr. 1663, pb. 1674), and her talent for comedy was immediately obvious.

Life’s Work

Gwyn’s wit, charm, and sprightliness made her a favorite of audiences and the leading comic actress of the King’s Company from 1666 to 1669. Except for a short break in the summer of 1667, when she was the mistress of Charles Sackville, Baron Buckhurst (later sixth earl of Dorset and first earl of Middlesex), Gwyn performed continually with the company during those years. The great diarist Samuel Pepys was so enthusiastic about Gwyn’s comic performances that he dubbed her “pretty, witty Nell.” She was especially in demand as a speaker of bawdy prologues and epilogues. Some of her leading roles were Euphrasia, also known as Bellario, in Philaster: Or, Love Lies A-Bleeding (pr. c. 1609, pb. 1620), by Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher; Flora in Flora’s Vagaries (pr. 1663, pb. 1670), by Richard Rhodes; and Samira in The Surprisal (pr. 1662, pb. 1665), by Sir Robert Howard.

Gwyn also impressed John Dryden, the leading English dramatist of the time, who was appointed poet laureate of England in 1668. Dryden created numerous roles to showcase Gwyn’s personality and talent. In 1667, Gwyn played Florimel in Dryden’s comedy, Secret Love: Or, The Maiden Queen (pr. 1667, pb. 1668). In 1669, he produced Tyrannic Love: Or, The Royal Martyr (pr. 1669, pb. 1670), a rhymed heroic tragedy. This play dealt with the serious subject of the persecution of Christians, but at the end of the play, he had Nell, whose character had been stabbed to death, come back to life and recite a humorous epilogue as she was carried off the stage.

Also in 1669, at the age of nineteen, Gwyn became one of King Charles II’s many mistresses. Charles’s marriage to Catherine of Braganza , was childless, but the so-called Merry Monarch fathered at least fourteen illegitimate children with his mistresses. Gwyn herself had two sons by the king. She gave birth to the first on May 8, 1670, naming him Charles Beauclerk (1670-1726). King Charles acknowledged Charles Beauclerk as his illegitimate but natural child, awarding him a number of noble titles. The king created Beauclerk Baron Heddington and earl of Burford in 1676, and in January, 1684, after the death of the earl, Beauclerk became the first duke of Saint Albans.

Gwyn gave her last stage performance in 1670, appearing as Almahide in Dryden’s greatest heroic tragedy, The Conquest of Granada by the Spaniards, Part I (pr. 1670, pb. 1672). In 1671, she moved to a Pall Mall estate, a lavish gift from the king, and formally retired from the stage. On December 25, 1671, James, Lord Beauclerk, her second child by King Charles, was born. This second son died while still a child in 1679. In the same year, Gwyn’s mother passed out from intoxication and drowned in a pond in Chelsea. In 1681, the king gave Burford House, Windsor, to Gwyn.

Although the king gave her many gifts and provided well for her, Gwyn was not demanding or greedy. By all accounts, she was generous, gave to the needy, and never forgot her less fortunate friends from the theater. Tradition also maintains that it was Gwyn who persuaded the king to build a hospital for the old soldiers who had fought for Charles and his father, Charles I , during the English Civil War. Gwyn had encountered many old soldiers begging in the streets and perhaps was also reminded of her own father, who had died an impoverished ex-soldier. These unfortunate war veterans were now old, needy, and neglected. As a result of her efforts, in 1682, work began on the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, a refuge for old war veterans.

Gwyn was faithful to Charles II, both while he lived and after his death. For Charles’s part, although the king had other mistresses, his commitment to Gwyn never ended. On his deathbed, Charles made this request to his brother and successor, James II : “Do not let poor Nelly starve.” After Charles died on February 6, 1685, James obeyed his brother’s last wish by generously paying off Gwyn’s debts and setting up an annual pension for her. However, Gwyn survived Charles by only two years. She died of apoplexy on November 14, 1687, at the age of thirty-seven. On November 17, Vicar Thomas Tenison (1636-1715), later the archbishop of Canterbury, preached the funeral sermon for Gwyn, who was buried in the Church of Saint Martin-in-the-Fields, at the corner of Trafalgar Square, London.

Significance

“Pretty, witty” Gwyn was the most popular and admired actress of her time. Although illiterate and poor, she was able to overcome her background and become England’s preeminent comedic actress, often playing roles created especially for her by Dryden, one of the foremost dramatists of the Restoration period. Her ready wit, audacity, frankness, and generosity appealed to a public weary of Puritanical austerity. The public also embraced Gwyn as a representative of the common person. Gwyn is remembered, moreover, for her exceptional, natural wit. She referred to King Charles II as her own “Charles the Third,” because her previous lovers were Charles Hart (her Charles the First) and Charles Sackville, Lord Buckhurst (her Charles the Second).

Finally, Nell is historically significant as the only royal mistress to have been genuinely loved by the English public. At the same time, she is also legendary as the only one of Charles’s mistresses who truly loved him, was faithful to him, and cared about others. Old veterans called her their benefactress, for her part in the establishment of the Royal Hospital in Chelsea, and an inn near the hospital created a commemorative inscription in her honor.

Bibliography

Bax, Clifford. Pretty Witty Nell: An Account of Nell Gwyn and Her Environment. New York: Benjamin Blom, 1969. A full biography, with chapters in chronological order. Illustrated, with numerous portraits of Nell Gwyn. Appendices and bibliography.

Bevan, Bryan. Nell Gwyn: Vivacious Mistress of Charles II. New York: Roy, 1970. A complete biography of Nell Gwyn. Includes illustrations, notes and a bibliography.

Dasent, Arthur. Nell Gwynne, 1650-1687. New York: Benjamin Blom, 1969. Provides detailed descriptions of the theaters and buildings where Gwyn lived and a chronological list of the Drury Lane plays in which she performed.

Gleichen-Russwurm, Alexander Von. The World’s Lure: Fair Women, Their Loves, Their Power, Their Fate. Translated by Hannah Waller. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1927. This work about “Queens of love and courtesans” contains an informative chapter on Nell Gwyn. Illustrated, including her portrait.

Hopkins, Graham. Nell Gwynne. London: Robson, 2000. A well-researched biography, with numerous illustrations, extensive chapter notes and a comprehensive bibliography, including both primary and secondary sources.

Masters, Brian. The Mistresses of Charles II. London: Constable, 1997. Examines the character and roles of Charles’s mistresses, including Nell Gwyn. Illustrated.

Parker, Derek. Nell Gwyn. Stroud, Gloucestershire, England: Sutton, 2001. An important biography, including a chronology of events, bibliography, detailed chapter notes, and seven appendices.

Wilson, Derek A. All the King’s Women: Love, Sex, and Politics in the Life of Charles II. London: Hutchinson, 2003. Historical accounts of the women in Charles II’s life, including his relationship with Nell Gwyn. Illustrated, including many colorplates. Bibliography and index.