Dorothy Jordan

Mrs Jordan (November 21, 1761 - July 5, 1816), actress, was the mistress of King William IV of the United Kingdom.

She was born Dorothea Bland near Waterford, the daughter of Francis Bland and his wife, n�e Grace Phillips.

She became an actress and assumed the name "Mrs Jordan", because it was slightly more respectable for a married woman to be on the stage (there was no "Mr Jordan" and Dorothea Bland never married).

She became William IV's mistress and they had at least ten illegitimate children:

1. George Augustus (1794-1842)
2. Henry Edward (1795-1817)
3. Sophia (1796-1837)
4. Mary (1798-1864)
5. Frederick (1799-1854)
6. Elizabeth (1801-1856)
7. Adolphus (1802-1856)
8. Augusta (1803-1865)
9. Augustus (1805-1854)
10. Amelia (1807-1858)

She was also romantically linked with Sir Richard Ford, a police magistrate, and Richard Daly, manager of the Theatre Royal, Cork.

She died at St. Cloud, near Paris, France.