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Nell Gwyn

London, 2 Feb 1650 – London, 14 Nov 1687

8 facts3 sources

Facts and their sources

  • Born2 Feb 1650, Londonnot verified1 source
  • Died14 Nov 1687, Londonnot verified1 source
  • FatherThomas Gwynnenot verified1 source
  • MotherEleanor Smithnot verified1 source

A life in time

  1. 2 Feb 1650

    Born in London

  2. 1670–1671

    2 children are born

  3. 14 Nov 1687

    Dies in London, aged 37

Family

See the tree

Parents

Children · 2

During her lifetime

She lived through 4 decades. Pick one to hear and see what it was like around London.

General history, not a record about the family: each item says where it comes from.

The 1650s · Nell is born in London

What people wore

Around 1625–1649

Identical left and right shoes

Women's shoes had no distinction between left and right feet at this time. Both were identical.

Daily life

Around 1640–1649

Few children could afford school

Many children in the 1640s did not go to school, and families often could not afford it; many adults also could not read or write. Where schooling happened, girls often attended only until about age 10, while boys might continue to grammar school if their parents could pay.

Work

Around 1625–1649

Routine Workday Peak Hours

The working day typically followed a routine with peak hours between 8am and 11am, followed by a break for dinner, and an afternoon peak between 2pm and 5pm.

Music

Around 1640–1649

Music and Dance at Festivals

Festivals and local celebrations frequently featured dancing and singing accompanied by instruments like pipes and fiddles.

At the table

Around 1625–1649

Beer and ale safer than water

Most people avoided water because it was rarely clean and could spread disease, so they drank beer or ale made from malted barley and water. Beer was the cheapest drink because its higher alcohol helped it last; some beers were aged for up to two years.

Getting around

Around 1625–1649

Carriages stuck in the mud

Carriages sometimes required a team of sturdy laborers on both sides to prop them up so they would not overturn in deep mud.

What it cost

Around 1600–1624

Daily wages for English laborers

In the early seventeenth century, unskilled labourers typically earned fourpence to fivepence per day, while skilled labourers earned sixpence to eightpence.