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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Ellen Terry
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(1847–1928, DBE 1925) The outstanding English actress of the late 19C. She was *Irving's leading lady during his entire period at the Lyceum theatre (1878–1901), forming an exceptionally successful partnership, both in Shakespeare and in contemporary plays. She had a varied career before joining him. Born into a theatrical family, she was a well-known child actress from the age of nine. At 17, in 1864, she left the stage to marry the 47-year-old painter G.F. *Watts, a disastrous ten-month relationship of which the only good outcome was some fine portraits of her.
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In 1868 she again gave up acting for six years to live with the scene designer Edward Godwin (1833–86); one of their two children was the designer Edward Gordon Craig (1872–1966). During the 1890s she carried on a brilliant and flirtatious correspondence with George Bernard *Shaw (published 1931). Smallhythe Place, a 16C timber-frame house in Kent which was her home from 1899 to 1928, is kept as a museum.
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