IDENTITIES OF THE PEOPLE OF BRIGHTON

Identities of the people of Brighton



Identities of the people of Brighton

Brighton was an important fishing village in the 16th century, with 400 fishermen and sixty boats. By the early 17th century Brighton was the largest town in Sussex with a population of nearly 4,000 people. The decline in the fishing industry during the 18th century resulted in large numbers leaving the town in search of work. Those that remained found life very difficult and by 1740 over three quarters of Brighton's households were too poor to pay rates.

In the middle of the 18th century some doctors began to claim that diseases could be cured by bathing in sea-water. George III was the first monarch to believe this advice and he regularly visited Weymouth for a swim. His son, the future George IV, spent a great deal of time in Brighton and eventually built the Royal Pavilion in the town.

Rich people tended to imitate the behaviour of the royal family, and holidays by the sea became very fashionable. The number of people visiting these resorts increased further because of the claims made by some doctors, such as Richard Russell of Brighton, that drinking sea-water would cure asthma, cancer, consumption, deafness and rheumatism.

Brighton soon became the most popular seaside resort in Britain, with over 2,000 people a week visiting the town. The cost of transport meant that it was extremely rare for most people living in towns to visit the coast. For example, the cost of a coach ticket from London to Brighton was more than most people could earn for two weeks work. However, the large number of rich people in the town enabled the Theatre Royal to be built in 1807.

After the success of the Liverpool & Manchester Railway, a group of businessmen decided to build a railway between London and Brighton. The first train entered Brighton Railway Station on 21st September 1841. At first, the railway company concentrated on bringing the rich to the coast. It was not long, however, before the company realised that by offering cheap third-class tickets, they could increase the numbers of people using their trains. In 1843 the London to Brighton Railway reduced the price of their third-class tickets to 3s. 6d. In the six months that followed this reduction in price, 360,000 people arrived in Brighton by train.

Large numbers of people now moved to the town to provide these visitors with food and entertainment. Between 1841 and 1871 the population of Brighton increased from 46,661 to 90,011, making it the fastest growing town in Britain. Brighthelmston (Brighton) is a poor fishing town, old built, and on the edge of the sea. From hence, still keeping the coast close to the left, we come to Shoreham, a sea-faring town, and chiefly inhabited by ship-carpenters, ship-chandlers, and all the several trades depending upon the building and fitting up of ships, which is their chief business. Here in the compass of about six miles are three ...