Britain's Best Hope

For all the Prince Regent did to alienate Princess Caroline, the British public seemed to like her. She had the common touch in abundance, and George's habits of high living, gambling, and prodigal spending did not endear him to the average Briton. This print clearly depicts the hope that Caroline's influence would provide some stability in government and society, something George spent little time worrying about. Alas, it was not to be. She was only to live another year. 

Dolly and Minerva decide to visit Mrs.John Bull after seeing the print, and get an earful on the subject. Lucky for them, Mr. Bull isn't home -- they'd be there all day, listening to his tirade!

Queen, Queen Caroline

Dolly and Minerva come upon their archery rival, Sophia, keeping in shape with a bit of rope skipping. And reciting the bit of doggerel that demeans poor Queen Caroline!

     Queen, Queen Caroline

     Washed her hair with turpentine;

     Turpentine to make it shine,

     Queen, Queen Caroline.

After her wedding to the Prince Regent in 1796, Caroline was given a suitable home and the couple lived separately for the rest of their lives. In 1820, King George III finally died. The 57 year old Prince was crowned George IV on July 19, 1821 and Caroline took it upon herself to be present, although no one had included her in any plans for the event. George had spent the previous years trying any way he could to exclude her from any royal role. Poor Caroline attempted to enter Westminster Abbey, but guards, who had been posted in case of that very event, forcibly removed her. 

Caroline returned home and experienced a seizure of some kind. After two weeks of severe illness, she died on August 7.

The rope-skipping girl is an illustration from Henry Fielding's 1749 novel, The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling, or Tom Jones for short. As young Tom cuts a swath through all sorts of complicated situations and rowdy women, there's always the pure and artless Sophia Western back home. A grown woman would hardly be skipping rope, but the artist chose this activity to illustrate just how unspoiled Sophia was. Of course, Dolly and Minerva know it's all just an act.

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The Prince's Ladies

Unlike his father George III, Prince George began collecting mistresses at an early age, most of them prominent titled women who bartered their reputations for the dubious social advantage and promise of financial gain. However, he met a widow, Mrs. Maria Fitzherbert, who would become the love of his life. A devout Catholic, she refused to become his mistress, and only gave in to him after a clandestine marriage ceremony in 1785. Unfortunately, the marriage was illegal, according to the Royal Marriages Act of 1772, which put poor Maria in a very difficult position. Meanwhile, George was being prodded toward an actual marriage arrangement with Princess Caroline of Brunswick, with the promise from Parliament that his allowance would be increased. Maria was informed that their relationship was at an end, and George married Caroline in 1795. What a disaster! The pair met the day before the wedding and George's first response was to request a drink. He spent the wedding day thoroughly drunk and barely recalled fulfilling his husbandly duty. 

Caroline was not every man's dream girl. Twenty-seven years old, Caroline was very much lacking in social graces; garrulous and coarse-mannered, although friendly and high-spirited. She was not particularly pretty, and her low standards of personal hygiene were noted by everyone down-wind of her. Her wedding night was the sum total of her intimate contact with the Prince, and nine months later, she gave birth to a daughter, Princess Charlotte

Back to Mrs. Fitzherbert. Torn this way and that between duty, love, and temptation, George attempted to revive his relationship with Maria, even writing a will bequeathing all his worldly goods "to my Maria Fitzherbert, my wife, the wife of my heart and soul". After the Pope declared their marriage valid in 1798, the pair took up where they left off. 

When George became king, he distanced himself from Maria, but from all accounts, still loved her deeply. He requested to be buried with the "lover's eye" brooch he had given her in lieu of a wedding ring. Although some websites say this is Maria's eye, it is actually George's, painted by the artist Richard Cosway and mounted in a brooch frame. Lover's eyes became quite a fashion, with the implicit message, "I am always looking at you".

Going For A Dip At Brighton

Brighton was a popular seaside resort for the ton in the extended Regency era, a place where those who could afford extended getaways to take advantage of the fresh sea air and partake in a healthful dip in the waves. A "dip" was more than a short floundering about in the salt water. There were actually professional Dippers. Often they were a husband and wife team who provided a bathing machine and the service of immersing the patron. Bathing machines were wagons topped with enclosed cabins. They would be backed into the shallows and the back door opened to let the bather descend into the water. The cabin gave the bather privacy to dress and a blocked view from the beach. When the bather was ready to go into the water, the dipper would be waiting to help him or her down the steps. Women bathers were always assisted by a burly woman or two who could carry them down and steady them in the waves. Men and older boys were assisted by men called "bathers".

Then came the dip. The dipper would take a firm hold on the bather and force them down into the water for a full immersion. A child's first dip was quite an event. 

One of the most famous dippers was Mrs. Martha Gunn (1726-1815) of Brighton. There was even rhymes about her. The first is most likely about the infant Prince of Wales' first dip by Martha, which was commemorated in a painting:

            To Brighton came he,
            Came George III's son.
            To be bathed in the sea,
            By famed Martha Gunn.

Another rhyme sings the fame of Martha and the bather John "Smoaker" Miles, who taught the young Prince how to swim.

There’s plenty of dippers and jokers,
And salt-water rigs for your fun,
The King of them all is ‘Old Smoaker’
The Queen of ’em “Old Martha Gunn”.

The ladies walk out in the morn,
To taste of the salt-water breeze;
They ask if the water is warm,
Says Martha, “Yes, Ma’am, if you please.” 

Martha began dipping in her 20s and continued into her old age. One hardy woman!

Prinny's Scottish Obsession

In 1822, shortly after he became king, George IV made an important trip to Scotland, in order to gain support from that part of the kingdom and quell radical opposition. No British monarch had visited Scotland since 1650, and this event proved to be a great success. The famous Scottish author, Sir Walter Scott, took the opportunity to orchestrate the reception of the king, with the main motive of reviving ancient Scottish identity. The elaborate pagentry included the use of clan tartans and the wearing of the kilt, which had gradually disappeared over the years. Since that time, kilt-wearing has become a fixed feature in Scottish culture. George appeared in Scottish garb and the press reported that the king was "a portly handsome man looking and moving every inch a King". The caricature artists depicted him as less than regal. When some complained that George wore his kilts too short, Lady Hamilton-Dalrymple wittily responded "Since he is to be among us for so short a time, the more we see of him the better." In case anyone is wondering what George wore under his kilt, it was a pair of flesh-colored tight pantaloons.

The Scottish visit was a smashing success, mainly on the part of Scotland, which received a much needed boost in national pride. The Act of Union in 1707, in which the United Kingdom appropriated a bankrupted Scotland in exchange for paying its debts, had left many Scots bitter. The wearing of clan tartans and Scottish regalia had been banned from 1746-1782, because it signified Jacobite support. Robert Burns' 1791 poem Such A Parcel Of Rogues In A Nation, exemplified the general feeling still burning in the Scottish heart. It's one of my favorites set to music by my beloved Steeleye Span.

It reflects the times that an Ackermann fashion print of the time includes a little boy sporting the same costume worn by the king.