Martha Gunn
Encyclopedia
Martha Gunn (1726-1815) was possibly the most famous of the dippers, certainly the most famous in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
. She lived at 36 East Street, Brighton; the house still stands. She is buried in St. Nicholas churchyard in Brighton.
The Morning Herald
Morning Herald
The Morning Herald was an early daily newspaper in the United Kingdom.The newspaper was founded in 1780 by the Reverend Sir Henry Bate Dudley, former editor of The Morning Post. It was initially a liberal paper aligned with the Prince of Wales, but later became aligned with the Tories...
described Martha Gunn as "The Venerable Priestess of the Bath"
Profession
A dipperDipper (disambiguation)
A Dipper is a passerine bird in the genus CinclusDipper can also refer to:*A participant on the Barenaked Ladies hosted cruise, Ships and Dip*Supporter of the Canadian New Democratic Party or, pluralized, the party itself...
was the operator of a bathing machine
Bathing machine
The bathing machine was a device, popular in the 18th and 19th centuries, to allow people to change out of their usual clothes, possibly change into swimwear and then wade in the ocean at beaches. Bathing machines were roofed and walled wooden carts rolled into the sea...
used by women bathers. The dipper pushed the machine into and out of the water and helped the bather into and out of the water. A dipper had to be large and strong to carry out this work and Martha Gunn fulfilled both requirements.
Fame and notoriety
Martha Gunn was well known in the town and also known across the country. Her image appeared in many popular engravings including one in which she appeared repelling the invading French with a mop. In another she is seen standing behind Mrs FitzherbertMaria Anne Fitzherbert
Maria Fitzherbert , was the woman with whom the future George IV secretly undertook a form of marriage, and his companion for a large part of his adult life. However the marriage in England was invalid under English civil laws concerning royal marriages...
and The Prince of Wales
George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
(the future George IV).
Martha Gunn was said to be a favourite of the Prince of Wales and had free access to the royal kitchens.
Legacy
Several works of art show the image of Martha Gunn. The image on this page is titled "Martha Gunn and the Prince Of Wales". Whilst the exact date of the painting is unknown it is unlikely to actually show the Prince of Wales as he didn't visit Brighton until he was twenty one and Martha Gunn herself is not thought to have ever left Brighton. The original of this painting now hangs in the tea-room of the Royal PavilionRoyal Pavilion
The Royal Pavilion is a former royal residence located in Brighton, England. It was built in three campaigns, beginning in 1787, as a seaside retreat for George, Prince of Wales, from 1811 Prince Regent. It is often referred to as the Brighton Pavilion...
.
Her image is on several contemporary engravings and cartoons and even a toby jug was made of her in 1840.
There is a pub in Upper Lewes Road, Brighton called the Martha Gunn and she has a bus named after her.