The story of Nell Gwyn (17 page)

1 Secret Service Expenses of Charles II and James II. (printed for the Camden Society), p. 109. ^ Ibid., p, 167. J

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appurtenance to the Crown, eagerly sought for by royal favourites. Whether it remains in the possession of the present Duke of St. Albans, as the descendant of Nelly, I am not aware.

James's kindness to Nelly, and his known design of reconciling the nation to the Church of Rome, gave rise to a rumour, perpetuated by Evelyn in his Diary, that she at this time "was said to go to mass." He alludes to her conversion in the same brief entry with that of Dryden :—" Such proselytes," he adds, "were of no great loss to the Church." * The rumour as to her, however, was untrue. Nelly was firm to the Protestant religion —so firm, indeed, that her adherence to the faith of our fathers is one of the marked characteristics of her life.

Some strict disciplinarians of the Church will hear perhaps with a smile that Nell Gwyn was troubled at any time with a thought about religion. But their incredulity is uncharitable. Nelly doubtless had her moments of remorse ; and, though her warmth in the cause of Protestantism may, in the first instance, have been strengthened by her hatred to the Duchess of Portsmouth, yet the kindly feeling avowed for her by Tenison affords surely a strong presumption that her faith was unshaken and her repentance sincere.

It is much to be regretted that we know so little of the life of Archbishop Tenison. He seems to have risen into importance about the year 1680,

^ Evelyn, January 19, 1685-6. 147

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when he was recommended by Tillotson to the vacant hving of St. Martin's-in-the-Fields, in London, then an extensive parish, where, as Baxter described it, "neighbours lived hke Americans, without hearing a sermon for many years." Teni-son filled his cure at St. Martin's with so much courage, toleration, and discretion in the worst days of the Church, that few, except the extreme partisans of Popery, have been found to quarrel with his ministry.! ^ ^^as as vicar of St. Martin's, in which parish Pall Mall is situated, that he became acquainted with Nell Gwyn,—perhaps, as I suspect, in the first instance, through the instrumentality of Lower, then the most celebrated physician in London.^ Dr. Lower was a sturdy Protestant, and one, as King James was known to observe, " that did him more mischief than a troop of horse." He was often with Nelly, and, as Kennet had heard from Tenison's own lips, " would pick out of her all the intrigues of the Court of King Charles IL" Nor was his faith questionable, evincing as he did his regard for the Reformation by the bequest of a thousand pounds to the French and Irish Protestants in or near London.^

But the visits of Lower to Nelly were not for gossip only. She was now far from well, and her

1 Compare Burnet in his History with Lord Dartmouth's Notes, and Burnet's own account of Tenison to King William in Romney's Diary, ii. 283. See also Evelyn's Diary for a high character of Tenison.

^ Burnet, ed. 1823, ii. 284.

» Kennet's note in Wood's Ath. Ox., ed. Bliss, iv. 299.

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complaints were put into rhyme by the satirical pen of Sir George Etherege. There is, however, little wit in this instance, and just as little truth in the malice of the author of "The Man of Mode." One line, however, deserves to be recorded :

Send Dr. Burnet to me or I die.

It was time indeed for Nelly to send for some one. Burnet had attended Rochester, and Mrs. Roberts, and the Whig "martyr," Lord WilUam Russell. Tenison had attended Thynne,^ Sir Thomas Armstrong,^ and the unhappy Monmouth. Tenison was sent for, and attended Nelly.

She now made her will, and to the following effect:—

In the name of God, Amen. I, Ellen Gwynne, of the parish of St. Martin-in-the-fields, and county of Middlesex, spinster, this 9th day of July, anno Domini 1687, do make this my last will and testament, and do revoke all former wills. First, in hopes of a joyful resurrection, I do recommend myself whence I came, rny soul into the hands of

1 Thomas Thynne of Longleat, Wilts (born 1648) was attacked in his coach in Pall Mall (near the site of the present United Service Club), on the evening of Sunday, 12 February, 1682, and expired on the Monday. His wealth, attested by the popular sobriquet " Tom of Ten Thousand," seems to have been almost his sole claim to consideration (Diet. Nat. Biog.).

Tenison also ministered to the notorious informer Edward Tm-berville when dying of small-pox in Dec. 1681 (Hist.MSS. Comm. loth Report, Appendix iv. 174).—G. G.

2 Sir Thomas Armstrong (born about 1624) was embroiled in the Rye House Plot and fled to Leyden, but was brought back to England loaded with irons, denied his trial, and executed 20 June, 1684. At the scaffold he was met by Tenison, who took charge of a written paper he gave him protesting his innocence (Diet. Nat. Biog.). —G. G.

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Almighty God, and my body unto the earth, to be decently buried, at the discretion of my executors, hereinafter named; and as for all such houses, lands, tenements, offices, places, pensions, annuities, and hereditaments whatsoever, in England, Ireland, or elsewhere, wherein I, or my heirs, or any to the use of, or in trust for me or my heirs, hath, have, or may or ought to have, any estate, right, claim, or demand whatsoever, of fee-simple or freehold, I give and devise the same all and wholly to my dear natural son, his Grace the Duke of St. Albans, and to the heirs of his body; and as for all and all manner of my jewels, plate, household stuff, goods, chattels, credits, and other estate whatsoever, I give and bequeath the same, and every part and parcel thereof, to my executors hereafter named, in, upon, and by way of trust for my said dear son, his executors, administrators, and assigns, and to and for his and their own sole and peculiar benefit and advantage, in such manner as is hereafter expressed; and I do hereby constitute the Right Hon. Lawrence, Earl of Rochester, the Right Hon. Thomas, Earl of Pembroke, the Hon. Sir Robert Sawyer, Knight, his Majesty's Attorney-General, and the Hon. Henry Sidney, Esq., to be my executors of this my last will and testament, desiring them to please to accept and undertake the execution hereof, in trust as afore-mentioned; and I do give and bequeath to the several persons in the schedule hereunto annexed the several legacies and sums of money therein expressed or mentioned ; and my further will and mind (anything above notwithstanding) is, that if my said dear son happen to depart this natural life without issue then living, or such issue die without issue, then and in such case, all and all manner of my estate above devised to him, and in case my said natural son die before the age of one-and-twenty years, then also all my personal estate devised to my said executors not before then by my said dear son and his issue, and my said executors, and the executors or administrators of the survivor of them, or by some of them otherwise lawfully and firmly devised or disposed of, shall remain, go, or be to my said executors, their heirs, executors, and administrators respectively, in trust of and for answering, paying, and satisfying all and every and all manner of my gifts, legacies, and directions that at any time hereafter, during my life, shall be by me anywise mentioned or given in or by any codicils or schedules to be hereto annexed. And lastly, that my said executors shall have, all and every of them, lool. a-piece, of lawful money, in consideration

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of their care and trouble herein, and furthermore, all their several and respective expenses and charges in and about the execution of this my will. In witness of all which, I hereunto set my hand and seal, the day and year first above written. E. G.

Signed, sealed, published, and declared, in the presence of us, who at the same time subscribe our names, also in her presence.

Lucy Hamilton Sandys, Edward Wyborne, John Warner, William Scarborough, James Booth.

To this, three months later, was added a codicil written on a separate sheet of paper, and called :—

The last request of Mrs. Ellen'' Gwinn to his Grace the Duke of St. Albans, made October the iZth, i68,\

1. I desire I may be buried in the chancel of St. Martin's-in-the-fields.

2. That Dr. Tenison may preach my funeral sermon.

3. That" there may be a decent pulpit-cloth and cushion given to St. Martin's-in-the-fields.

4. That he [the Duke] would give one hundred pounds for the use of the poor of the said St. Martin's and St. James', Westminster, to be given into the hands of the said Dr. Tenison to be disposed at his discretion, for taking any poor debtors of the said parish out of prison, and for cloaths thig wrinter, and other necessaries, as he shall find most fit.

5. That for showing my charity to those who differ from me in religion, I desire that fifty pounds may be put into the hands of Dr. Tenison and Mr. Warner, who, taking to them any two persons of the Roman Religion, may dispose of it for the use of the poor of that religion inhabiting in the parish of St. James aforesaid.

6. That Mrs. Rose Forster may have two hundred pounds given her, any time within a year after my decease.

7. That Jo., my porter, may have ten pounds given him. My request to his Grace is, further —

8. That my present nurses may have ten pounds each, and mourning, besides their wages due to them.

9. That my present servants may have mourning each, and a year's wages, besides their wages due.

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10. That the Lady Fairborne may have fifty pounds given her to buy a ring.

11. That my kinsman, Mr. Cholmly, may have one hundred pounds ^iven to him, within a year after this date.

12. That His Grace would please to layout twenty pounds yearly for the releasing of poor debtors out of prison every Christmas-day.

13. That Mr. John Warner may have fifty pounds given him to buy a ring.

14. That the Lady Hollyman may have the pension of ten shillings per week continued to her during the said lady's life.

Oct. 18, —87.— This request-was attested and acknowledged, in the presence of us,

John Hetherington, Hannah Grace, Daniel Dyer.^

She died of apoplexy in November 1687,2 in her

thirty-eighth [thirty-seventh] year, but the exact day

is unknown. " Her repentance in her last hours,

I have been unquestionably informed," writes

Gibber, " appeared in all the contrite symptoms of

a Christian sincerity." " She is said to have died

piously and penitently," writes Wigmore to Sir

George Etherege, then Envoy at Ratisbon, "and,

as she dispensed several charities in her lifetime,

so she left several legacies at her death." ^ The

1 The vsrill was proved, Dec. 7, at the Prerogative Will Office in Doctors' Commons, and the original on the i8th of February following, delivered to Sir Robert Sawyer, the King's Attorney-General, one of the executors.

^ Letter of March 22, 1687, in Ellis's Correspondence, i. 264: "Mrs. Nelly is dying of an apoplexy." ["'Tis said Nell Guin is dead " (Letter of Alice Hatton, March 26, 1687, m. Hatton Correspondence, Camd. Soc, vol. ii. p. 67). Her death took place on Nov. 14, 1687, as recorded by Luttrell (Brief Relation of State Affairs, i. 420).]

3 Gibber's Apology, ed. 1740, p. 451. Letter of Nov. 18, 1687, in Seward's Anecdotes. Her wealth in the letter is stated at a million.

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bequest to the poor prisoners may receive some illustration from the satires of the time. Her father is said to have died in a prison at Oxford—and Nelly, it is added, "gloried" in relieving the necessities of the poorer prisoners.

On the night of the 17th of November 1687, the orange-girl in the playhouse pit—the pretty witty Nelly of Pepys—and the Almahide of Dryden's play and King Charles's admiration, was buried, according to her own request, in the church of St. Martin's-in-the-Fields. There was no great ostentation considering the style in which funerals were then commonly conducted ; the expenses of her interment, ^375, were advanced by Sir Stephen Fox, from the next quarter's allowance of ;^i5oo a year, which King James had settled upon her.' Good Dr. Tenison too complied with her request, and preached her funeral sermon ; but what the Doctor said—except that he said " much to her praise "— no one has told us. The church was crowded—all the apprentices who could obtain leave from their masters for such a lesson were there, and many 9 wet eye was seen,—for Nelly was a good subject for a sermon, and the then vicar of St. Martin's was an impressive preacher.

It was bold in Tenison to preach such a sermon,

1 Secret Service Expenses of Charles II. and James II., p. 177. [The entry is as follows : "To Roger Hewitt, upon the like sume that would have become due at Xtmas last to Mrs. Ellinor Gwynn, dec'd on a penc'on of 1500/1 per ann. in the name of Francis Gwynne, Esq., to reimburse so much money paid by S^ Stephen Fox for the funeral of the said Mrs. Gwynn, 375/i o. o."]

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and on such a person ; but he knew the worth of Nelly, and was not afraid. He escaped not, however, without censure. Some mercenary people printed and employed hawkers to cry in the streets a sham, or largely transmogrified discourse which the vicar himself was obliged to denounce as a " forgery." 1 Others went further ; and when in 1691 the see of Lincoln was vacant, and Tenison was all but appointed to it, Viscount Villiers, afterwards the first Earl of Jersey, in his zeal for the rector of the parish of St. Giles's-in-the-Fields, immediately adjoining St. Martin's, made it a reason ,to Queen Mary for the exclusion of the honest Doctor that he had preached "a notable funeral sermon in praise of Ellen Gwyn." But the daughter of King James, and the wife of King William, who had her own channels of information, was not to be led aside from what she knew was right by so weak a complaint, though advanced by a highly-favoured servant of her own. "I have heard as much," said the good Queen Mary to her Master of the Horse, " and this is a sign that the poor unfortunate woman died penitent; for, if I have read a man's heart through his looks, had she not made a truly pious end, the Doctor could never have been induced to speak well of her."^ I need