Lyndon Orr

Great Love Affairs Lyndon Orr

Great Love Affairs: King Charles II. and Nell Gwyn By Lyndon Orr Eleanor "Nell" Gwyn (2 February 1650 - 14 November 1687) was a long-time mistress of King Charles II of England and Scotland. Called "pretty, witty Nell" by Samuel 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. She was the most famous Restoration actress and possessed a prodigious comic talent. Gwyn had two sons by King Charles: Charles Beauclerk (1670-1726); and James Beauclerk (1671-1680). The surname of her sons is pronounced 'Bo-Clare'. Charles was created Earl of Burford and later Duke of St. Albans.