Welcome to the History Tricks, where any resemblance to a boring old history lesson is purely coincidental.

Hello and welcome to the show. We just want to give you a little ears warning. Due to the circumstances of Nell Gwen's life, we are going to have to tell you this episode is not suitable for children.

Her life and her profession intertwined and the scenarios in and around King Charles II's restoration London court. Well, we just can't edit or bleep or sanitize and still tell her story.

So click away if you have small friends with you and we'll see the younger part of our audience next time. And now on with the show.

And here is your 30 second summary.

She's pretty and she knows it. She's witty and she shows it. And besides that she's so witty and so little and so pretty, she has a hundred other parts for to take and conquer hearts amongst the rest.

Her ears so spiteful, so pleasant and delightful with such charms and such attractions in her words and in her actions. As her ear do hear and see, say there's none do charm but she. But for that suffice to tell you, to the little pretty Nellie.

The end let's talk about Nell Gwen, but first let's drop her into history in 1662, the very first bus service began in Paris with a fleet of seven horse drawn carriages running on a set route and schedule.

The colonies of Rhode Island and Connecticut were granted charters by the British monarch King Charles the second and the fine folks in Rhode Island got busy building America's very first lime kilns to produce a product that was primarily used in building mortar.

The character who would later become punch a punch and Judy puppet fame first appeared in England.

King Philip the fourth was in his final years of his reign in Spain and the sun King Louis the 14th was in the 20th of his 72 year rule of France.

Marie Louis D'Orlean future queen of Spain was born in France Elizabeth Stewart granddaughter of Mary Queen of Scots and blaze Pascal who was the inventor of the very first bus service in France both died.

The first was in Paris Elizabeth and the first was in Paris Elizabeth and the second was in Paris Elizabeth and the second was in Paris Elizabeth and in 1662, per the King women were legally allowed to appear in theatrical productions in England setting the stage for Nell Gwen's career and life.

Elinor Gwen was born on perhaps February 2nd of we think 1650 that's as good as a guest as any we're going to have because this is the date that Nell herself gave an astrologer many years later.

So because we have to have a date to work with that is what we have chosen born where though well there's a case for her referred if you think her papas one guy there's a case to be made for London say some others but the waitiest and most contemporary to her candidate for both papas and her birthplace seems to be Oxford with doctor Edward Gwen cannon of Christ Church Oxford.

As her grandpa and his military son Thomas sometimes written as James it's killing me as Nell's papa and even the last name sometimes it's written as with one end sometimes it's written with two these people have a lot of different versions of their names but you know they've been around since the 1600s I think spelling of many words was very assorted for a very long time.

Yeah so Thomas let's call him married Miss Helena Smith and had two daughters rose and Elinor so that part checks out if this man captain Thomas Gwen was her papa he had just been fighting on the wrong side of history which was the king's side unexpectedly only one year before Nell a little Elinor's nickname was born.

King Charles who we know is King Charles the first but at the time was just King Charles there weren't any more yes had been deposed and then executed by his enemies the key issue in their dispute is the king and absolute ruler or should the people and by that you should read the right people have a say via parliament and after years of fighting the parliamentarians one and for the very first time in

British history the king was found guilty of treason and the words they used that the king upheld in himself an unlimited interpanical power to rule according to his will and to overthrow the rights and liberties of the people which to me sounds like everything that every plain old king has always done.

So they sentenced him to death by be heading their king they're anointed by God in their view King this whole movement and the final act really bypass the average common man I think the day of his execution thousands arrived to see the spectacle and word was the official executioner had gone into hiding so he wouldn't have to do it if that gives you a sense of the general mood though

afterward some say that it probably was him in disguise because the skill level was so high but as far as officially he wasn't in it had nothing to do with him so the executioner regular our substitute after the fatal blow

held up the head as usual but instead of the usual cheers and I quote an onlooker there was such a grown by the thousands then present as I never heard before and desire that I may never hear again well so say the royalist anyway and honestly on this podcast we cannot get 100% into the politics and reputation of the man who eventually took over lord protector all of our crime well.

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