Actress. She was the youngest daughter of English actors Thomas Lawless Ternan and Frances Eleanor Ternan (née Jarman). She had two older sisters, Frances Eleanor Trollope (née Ternan), a writer, and Maria Susanna Taylor (née Ternan), a journalist. She began acting alongside her mother and sisters from a very young age and made her debut in Sheffield. In 1850, she worked with the actor Samuel Phelps at Sadler's Wells Theatre, and three years later, she appeared in a royal performance at Windsor. In 1855, she moved to London, where she worked for the actor Charles Kean at the Princess's Theatre. In 1857, she began performing at the Haymarket Theatre, where she caught the attention of English writer Charles Dickens, who recommended her to star in his play "The Frozen Deep" (1857), which he co-wrote with Wilkie Collins. That same year, Dickens saw her star in "The Pet of the Petticoats" and began falling in love with her. Dickens was 45 years old when he met Ternan, who was then 18 years old. The following year, Dickens separated from his wife after 22 years of marriage. Ternan had a secret relationship with Dickens until his death in 1870. In his will, Dickens left her £1,000 and sufficient income from a trust fund so that she would never have to work again. In 1876, 6 years after Dickens' death, she married George Wharton Robinson, an Oxford graduate who was 12 years younger than her. They had two children, Geoffrey Wharton Robinson and Gladys Wharton Robinson. Her husband died in 1910, and she spent the last years of her life in Southsea with her sister Frances before passing away in 1914. She is the subject of the play, "Little Nell" (2007) by Simon Gray and the book, "The Invisible Woman: The Story Of Charles Dickens and Nelly Ternan" (1990) by Claire Tomalin.
Actress. She was the youngest daughter of English actors Thomas Lawless Ternan and Frances Eleanor Ternan (née Jarman). She had two older sisters, Frances Eleanor Trollope (née Ternan), a writer, and Maria Susanna Taylor (née Ternan), a journalist. She began acting alongside her mother and sisters from a very young age and made her debut in Sheffield. In 1850, she worked with the actor Samuel Phelps at Sadler's Wells Theatre, and three years later, she appeared in a royal performance at Windsor. In 1855, she moved to London, where she worked for the actor Charles Kean at the Princess's Theatre. In 1857, she began performing at the Haymarket Theatre, where she caught the attention of English writer Charles Dickens, who recommended her to star in his play "The Frozen Deep" (1857), which he co-wrote with Wilkie Collins. That same year, Dickens saw her star in "The Pet of the Petticoats" and began falling in love with her. Dickens was 45 years old when he met Ternan, who was then 18 years old. The following year, Dickens separated from his wife after 22 years of marriage. Ternan had a secret relationship with Dickens until his death in 1870. In his will, Dickens left her £1,000 and sufficient income from a trust fund so that she would never have to work again. In 1876, 6 years after Dickens' death, she married George Wharton Robinson, an Oxford graduate who was 12 years younger than her. They had two children, Geoffrey Wharton Robinson and Gladys Wharton Robinson. Her husband died in 1910, and she spent the last years of her life in Southsea with her sister Frances before passing away in 1914. She is the subject of the play, "Little Nell" (2007) by Simon Gray and the book, "The Invisible Woman: The Story Of Charles Dickens and Nelly Ternan" (1990) by Claire Tomalin.
Bio by: Anonymous
Inscription
In Loving Memory of
George Wharton Robinson
Died 2nd December 1910
Ellen Wharton Robinson
His Loving Wife, 25th April 1914
Family Members
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See more Robinson or Ternan memorials in:
Records on Ancestry
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