Catherine FitzCharles

The entrance to Dunkirk Abbey

Catherine FitzCharles, born in 1658, was the illegitimate daughter of Charles II of England and his mistress, Catherine Pegge.[1] Her older brother by one year, Charles FitzCharles, was made the 1st Earl of Plymouth by his father.[2] Little is known about Catherine's life, but she is thought to have become a Benedictine nun at Dunkirk Abbey in Dunkirk, France, like many other highborn Englishwomen during the reign of Charles II.[3] She is believed to have resided there under the religious name, Sister Ophelia, until her death in 1759 at the impressive age of 101.[4][5] However, the shockingly small amount of information available about Catherine FitzCharles leads some to conclude that Catherine died in infancy or early childhood instead.[6]

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