Did Ellen Ternan have children with Charles Dickens?

Answer 1

Nobody knows for certain. Dickens destroyed pretty much all of his correspondance related to Ellen Ternan, although his daughter Katey and son Henry both supposedly confirmed later in their lives that there had been a child but it had died. Claire Tomalin's excellent book 'The Invisible Woman' deals with this question, and contains more details about their relationship.

Answer 2

Charles Dickens spent much thought and money in thwarting just that question. Only after his death did the details of his relationship with the actress Ellen Ternan come to light. She was eighteen and he was forty-five when they met in 1857. He seems to have fallen deeply in love very quickly; she, less so. She left the stage in 1860, when Catherine Dickens discovered her husband's infidelity. From then on, Dickens maintained a home for Ellen separately, sometimes with her sisters and mother. She mayhave had a son with Dickens, who may have died in infancy. Dickens burned many of his personal documents in the years before his death, and birth records were poorly kept. After Dickens' death in 1870, Ellen Ternan married George Wharton Robinson, who was twelve years her junior. Dickens provided for her in his will, so that she would never have to work again.

Answer 3

No, Ellen Ternan did not have children with Charles Dickens. Dickens had 10 children with his wife, Catherine Hogarth, but his relationship with Ellen Ternan was kept secret during his lifetime.

Answer 4

no