Sussex Archaeological Collections: Relating to the history and antiquities of the counties of East and West Sussex
Sussex Archaeological Society, 2000. (updated 2022) https://doi.org/10.5284/1000334. How to cite using this DOI
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- ADS Collection: 285
- DOI:https://doi.org/10.5284/1000334
- How to cite using this DOI
Myth and reality in the representation of resorts
BRIGHTON AND THE EMERGENCE OF THE 'PRINCE AND FISHING
VILLAGE' MYTH 1770-1824
by Sue Berry
Many localities have two histories, the actual and the mythical. Myths can become so well-established that they overshadow the history of a place, as demonstrated in the first part of this study. In this instance the myth is that Brighton was a fishing village that from the 1780s was transformed into a resort by the patronage of the Prince of Wales. Having shown how much influence myths can have on our perception of the history of a place, a short review of our understanding of the history of Brighton's successful development as a resort between 1730 and 1783 disproves the claim that Brighton was a fishing village when the Prince arrived. The study ends with an examination of how the myth evolved. The myth began in the 1770s with Dr Richard Russell transforming Brighton from a fishing village. A subsequent but less popular version was that the Duke of Cumberland's arrival resulted in the town's development. Finally, the Prince of Wales became the subject of the story.
