View source for Maria Fitzherbert

{{Short description|Royal mistress (1756–1837)}}
{{redirect|Mrs. Fitzherbert}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Maria Fitzherbert
| image = Maria Anne Fitzherbert1788.jpg
| caption = ''[[Portrait of Maria Fitzherbert]]'' by [[Sir Joshua Reynolds]], 1788
| birth_name = Maria Anne Smythe
| birth_date = {{birth date|1756|07|26|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Tong Castle]], England
| death_date = {{death date and age|1837|03|27|1756|07|26|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Steine House]], [[Brighton]], England
| resting_place = [[St John the Baptist's Church, Brighton|St John the Baptist's Church]], [[Kemptown, Brighton|Kemptown]], Brighton
| spouse = {{plainlist|
{{marriage|[[Edward Weld]]|1775|1775|end=d.}}
{{marriage|Thomas Fitzherbert|1778|1781|end=d.}}}}
| children = at least 1 (with Thomas Fitzherbert)
| father = Walter Smythe
| mother = Mary Ann Errington
}}

'''Maria Anne Fitzherbert'''  ({{née|'''Smythe'''}}, previously '''Weld'''; 26 July 1756 – 27 March 1837) was a longtime companion of George, Prince of Wales (later [[King George IV of the United Kingdom]]). In 1785, they married secretly in a ceremony that was invalid under English civil law because his father, [[King George III]], had not consented to it. Fitzherbert was a [[Catholic Church|Catholic]], and the law at the time forbade Catholics or spouses of Catholics to become monarch, so had the marriage been approved and valid, the Prince of Wales would have lost his place in the [[Succession to the British throne|line of succession]]. Before marrying George, Fitzherbert had been twice widowed. Her nephew from her first marriage, [[Thomas Weld (cardinal)|Cardinal Weld]], persuaded [[Pope Pius VII]] to declare the marriage sacramentally valid.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Abbot |first=Richard |title=Brighton's unofficial queen |magazine=[[The Tablet]] |publication-date=2007-09-01 |publisher=The Tablet Publishing Company |page=12}}</ref>

==Early life==
Fitzherbert was born at [[Tong Castle]] in [[Shropshire]].<ref name=austen>{{cite magazine |last=Carroll |first=Leslie |title=A problem like Maria? |magazine=Jane Austen's Regency World |pages=14–21 |year=2010 |url=https://lesliecarroll.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/JARW_39_14-21-Maria-Fitzherbert-article-Carroll.pdf |via=Author’s website |access-date=2021-09-28}}</ref> She was the eldest child of Walter Smythe (c. 1721–1788) of [[Brambridge]], [[Hampshire]], younger son of Sir John [[Smythe Baronets|Smythe]], 3rd [[Baronet]], of [[Acton Burnell]], Shropshire.<ref name=munson>{{cite book |last=Munson |first=James |title=Maria Fitzherbert: The Secret Wife of George IV |publisher=[[Da Capo Press]] |year=2001 |isbn=978-0786709045 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TTy3QgAACAAJ&q=editions:WbF6FZ-oQzEC |access-date=2021-10-01}}</ref> Her mother was Mary Ann Errington of Beaufront, [[Northumberland]], maternal half-sister of [[Charles William Molyneux, 1st Earl of Sefton]]. Fitzherbert was educated in Paris at a French convent.<ref name="Maria Fitzherbert">{{Britannica|208924}}</ref>

==Marriages==
[[File:Pompeo G. Batoni - Edward Weld - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Maria's first husband, [[Edward Weld]], by [[Pompeo Batoni]]]]
At eighteen, Maria married [[Edward Weld]], 16 years her senior, a rich [[Catholic]] widower and landowner of [[Lulworth Castle]] in July 1775.<ref name="Kauffman">{{cite book |last1=Kauffman |first=Miranda |title=English Heritage Properties – 1600-1830, Slavery Connections – A Report Undertaken to Mark the Bicentenary of the Abolition of the British Atlantic Slave Trade |section=Lulworth Castle: Family |volume= One: Report and Appendix 1 |publisher=Historic England |date=2007 |pages=46–47 |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/eh-properties-1600-1830-slavery-connections/eh-properties-slavery-connections-vol1/ |access-date=27 September 2021}}</ref> Weld died just three months later, after a fall from his horse; having failed to sign his new will, his estate went to his younger brother [[Thomas Weld (of Lulworth)|Thomas]], the father of fifteen children, including the future [[Thomas Weld (cardinal)|Cardinal Weld]].<ref name="mistresses">{{cite web |location=Georgian index |title=Mistresses of the Prince |url=http://www.georgianindex.net/mistresses/prinny_mistresses.html#TOP |access-date=16 March 2012 |archive-date=16 April 2003 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030416160610/http://www.georgianindex.net/mistresses/prinny_mistresses.html#TOP |url-status=dead}}</ref> His widow was left effectively destitute, had little or no financial support from the Weld family, and was obliged to remarry as soon as she was able.

Three years later, in 1778, she married Thomas Fitzherbert of [[Swynnerton Hall]], [[Staffordshire]]. He was ten years her senior. They had a son who died young. She was widowed again on 7 May 1781. He left her an annuity of £1,000 (£{{Format price|{{Inflation|UK|1000|1781|r=-3}}}} in {{Inflation/year|UK}}),{{Inflation-fn|UK}} and a town house in [[Park Street, Mayfair]].<ref name="mistresses"/>
{{Clear left}}

== Relationship with George ==
[[File:GeorgeIV1780.jpg|thumb|George as Prince of Wales by [[Richard Cosway]], circa 1780–1782]]
The twice-widowed Fitzherbert soon entered London high society. In spring 1784, she was introduced to a youthful admirer: [[George IV of the United Kingdom|George, Prince of Wales]], six years her junior. The prince became infatuated with her and pursued her endlessly until she agreed to marry him.<ref>{{cite book |last=Farquhar |first=Michael |title=Behind the Palace Doors: Five Centuries of Sex, Adventure, Vice, Treachery, and Folly from Royal Britain |year=2011 |publisher=Random House |isbn=978-0812979046 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/behindpalacedoor00mich/page/223 223]–226 |url=https://archive.org/details/behindpalacedoor00mich |url-access=registration}}</ref> Secretly, and – as both parties were well aware  – against the law, they went through a form of marriage on 15 December 1785, in the drawing room of her house in Park Street, London. Her uncle, Henry Errington, and her brother, John Smythe, were the witnesses. The marriage ceremony was performed by one of the prince's [[Ecclesiastical Household|Chaplains in Ordinary]], the Reverend Robert Burt, whose debts of £500 (£{{Format price|{{Inflation|UK|500|1785|r=-3}}}} in {{Inflation/year|UK}}){{Inflation-fn|UK}} were paid by the prince to release him from [[Fleet Prison]].<ref name="odnb">{{Cite ODNB |id=9603 |last=Levy |first=Martin J. |title=Fitzherbert [née Smythe; other married name Weld], Maria Anne |publication-date=2004-09-23}}</ref>

The marriage was not valid under English law because it had not received the prior approval of [[George III of the United Kingdom|King George III]] and the [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Council]] as required by the [[Royal Marriages Act 1772]]. Had approval been sought, it might not have been granted for many reasons, including, for example, Fitzherbert's Catholic religion. Had consent been given and the marriage been legal, the Prince of Wales would have been automatically removed from the [[succession to the British throne]] under the provisions of the [[Bill of Rights 1689|Bill of Rights]] and the [[Act of Settlement 1701]] and replaced as heir-apparent by his brother, the [[Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany|Duke of York]].<ref name="Maria Fitzherbert"/> In a similar case, his brother, [[Prince Augustus Frederick]], contracted an invalid marriage with [[Lady Augusta Murray]] in 1793 without the King's consent and had two children with her.<ref>{{cite DNB|wstitle=Augustus Frederick|volume=2}}</ref>

[[File:Portrait of Mrs Maria Fitzherbert, wife of George IV.jpg|thumb|left|Portrait of Fitzherbert]]
On 23 June 1794, Fitzherbert was informed by letter that her relationship with the Prince was over. George told his younger brother, the Duke of York, that he and Fitzherbert were "parted, but parted amicably", conveying his intention to marry their first cousin, Duchess [[Caroline of Brunswick]].<ref name=austen/> According to [[King George III]] it was the only way out of a hole: his heir apparent's enormous debts of £600,000 (£{{Format price|{{Inflation|UK|600000|1794}}}} in {{Inflation/year|UK}}){{Inflation-fn|UK}} would be paid the day he wed.<ref name=austen/> So the Prince married Caroline on 8 April 1795. However, in 1796, three days after Caroline gave birth to their daughter, [[Princess Charlotte of Wales (1796–1817)|Princess Charlotte of Wales]], on 10 January, the Prince of Wales wrote his last will and testament, bequeathing all his "worldly property ... to my Maria Fitzherbert, my wife, the wife of my heart and soul".<ref name=austen/> Although by the laws of the country she "could not avail herself publicly of that name, still such she is in the eyes of Heaven, was, is, and ever will be such in mine".<ref name=austen/> However, this did not lead to a reunion. The Prince finally sought a reconciliation with his "second self" during the summer of 1798. By then, he had separated from Caroline for good. He was bored with his mistress, [[Frances Villiers, Countess of Jersey]].<ref name=austen/> In 1811, after becoming Regent, he invited Maria Fitzherbert to the [[Carlton House Fête]]. Still, his insistence on seating her at a lower table led to her refusal to attend.<ref>David, Saul. ''Prince of Pleasure: The Prince of Wales and the Making of the Regency''. Sharpe Books, 2018. p.276</ref>

During the first few years of his reign as King George IV, he turned violently against Fitzherbert and several former associates.<ref name=austen/> Whenever he mentioned her name it was "with feelings of disgust and horror", claiming that their union "was an artificial marriage&nbsp;... just to satisfy her; that it was no marriage – for there could be none without a licence or some written document."<ref name=austen/> Fitzherbert had documents, and after their final break, her demands for her [[Life annuity|annuity]] payments were often accompanied by veiled threats to go public with her papers if she did not receive the funds.<ref name=austen/> In June 1830, when the King was dying, he eagerly seized her "get well soon" letter and, after reading it, placed it under his pillow. Fitzherbert – who had no idea just how ill he was – was deeply hurt that he had never replied to her final letter.<ref name=austen/> However, before dying, the King asked to be buried with Fitzherbert's [[eye miniature]] around his neck, which was done.<ref name="Maria Fitzherbert"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Williamson |first=Hugh Ross |title=Who was the man in the iron mask?: and other historical mysteries |year=2002 |publisher=Penguin Classics |isbn=0-14-139097-2 |page=330 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gpQbqEDGt-QC&pg=PA330}}</ref>

Following the death of George IV on 26 June 1830, it was discovered that he had kept all of Fitzherbert's letters, and steps were taken to destroy them. Fitzherbert told George IV's brother, [[King William IV]], about their marriage and showed him the document in her possession. He "begged her to accept the title of Duchess, but she refused, asking only permission to wear widow's weeds and to dress her servants in royal livery".<ref>{{cite book |last=Smith |first=E. A. |title=George IV |year=2001 |publisher=[[Yale University Press]] |chapter=Chapter 4: Maria Fitzherbert |isbn=978-0-300-08802-1 |page=39 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mhQaCAAAQBAJ&q=widow%E2%80%99s+weeds |access-date=28 September 2021}}</ref>

==Death==
[[File:Maria Fitzherbert memorial in St John the Baptist's Church, Brighton.jpg|thumb|right|Memorial in St John the Baptist's Church]]
[[File:Steine House, Brighton (YMCA Building) (IoE Code 480996).jpg|upright|thumb|right|220px|Maria Fitzherbert lived at [[Steine House]] in [[Brighton]] from 1804 until her death]]
Architect [[William Porden]] designed [[Steine House]], on the west side of Old Steine in [[Brighton]], for Fitzherbert. She lived there from 1804 until she died in 1837. She was buried at [[St John the Baptist's Church, Brighton]], a church built largely with her funds.<ref name=church>{{cite web |title=CHURCH OF ST JOHN THE BAPTIST |website=[[Historic England]] |publisher=Historic England |date=n.d. |access-date=2021-09-28 |url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1380031 |quote=In the south wall next to the organ gallery, monument to Maria Fitzherbert (1756-1837), the Catholic widow who was married to the Prince of Wales in 1783 and who was disowned by the Prince Regent in 1811, although she continued to frequent Brighton. The monument shows her as widow with the Lamp of Memory and kneeling before the broken gospels, assuming the form either of Fidelity or Religion. She is wearing 3 wedding rings as Catholic ecclesiastical law requires. She was patroness of this congregation.}}</ref> The memorial sculpture in the nave shows her wearing three wedding rings.<ref name=austen/><ref name=church/>

==Possible children by George IV==
Some scholars have suggested that Maria Fitzherbert had one or two children by her marriage to the future king. "In 1833, after the King's death, one of [his] executors, [[William Stourton, 18th Baron Stourton|Lord Stourton]], asked her to sign a declaration he had written on the back of her marriage certificate. It read: 'I Mary Fitzherbert ... testify that my Union with George P. of Wales was without issue.' According to Stourton, she, smiling, objected, on the score of delicacy."<ref name=austen/><ref name=david>{{cite book |last=David |first=Saul |title=The Prince of Pleasure: The Prince of Wales and the Making of the Regency |publisher=[[Grove Press]] |year=2000 |isbn=978-0871137395 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xvu0QgAACAAJ |access-date=2021-09-28}}</ref> Indeed, during her early days in Brighton with the Prince of Wales, his uncle, the [[Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh|Duke of Gloucester]], and other friends believed Mrs. Fitzherbert to be pregnant.<ref name=austen/>

Members of the Wyatt family claim to be descendants of George IV by her. On Fitzherbert's death, it is stated that her children were adopted by a Scottish family named Wyatt, whose name they assumed. Afterwards, they came south, settling in [[Erith]], [[Kent]]. The Wyatt family, in the person of J. G. Wyatt, a former Erith man who later moved to [[Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan]], Canada, and Isabella Annie Wyatt, claimed title to a portion of the Fitzherbert estate in 1937.<ref>{{cite news |title=Riches? Canadian Claims Right To English Estate |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1144&dat=19370502&id=HSIbAAAAIBAJ&pg=4334,7012488 |format=[[Google News Archive|Google News Scan]] |agency=[[The United Press]] |work=[[The Pittsburgh Press]] |publisher=Press Publishing Co. |location=Pittsburgh, PA |date=1937-05-02 |access-date=2021-09-29}}</ref>

One suggested child of the Prince and his longtime paramour was James Ord (born 1786), whose curious history of assisted relocations and encouragement has been chronicled.<ref name=david/> Ord eventually emigrated to the United States where he worked first near [[Norfolk, Virginia]], as a shipbuilder, next in [[Charles County, Maryland]], in ship construction, and then on a farm outside of [[Washington, D.C.]] He joined the [[Society of Jesus]] in 1806, but left the order in 1811. Soon thereafter, Ord joined the Navy, but he served in the infantry during the War of 1812. Ord lived in [[Allegheny County, Maryland]], from 1815 to 1819, in Washington, D.C., from 1819 to 1837, in [[Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan]], in the mid-1800s, and in [[California]] after 1855. James Ord died in 1873.<ref>{{cite web |title=James Ord and His Family: Beyond 200 Years in America (exhibition) |date=2006-10-31 |url=https://www.library.georgetown.edu/exhibition/james-ord-and-his-family-beyond-200-years-america |access-date=2021-09-30 |website=[[Georgetown University Library]] |location=Howard W. Gunlocke Rare Book and Special Collections Room |publisher=Georgetown University Library}}</ref>

In addition to James Ord, the long-term relationship between Fitzherbert and George, as prince and king, appears to have led to more than a dozen claims of children conceived out of wedlock.<ref name=camp>{{cite web |last=Camp |first=Anthony J. |author1-link=Anthony J. Camp |title=Maria Fitzherbert's 'Descendants' |url=https://anthonyjcamp.com/pages/mrs-fitzherberts-descendants |website=Anthony J. Camp |date=2020-10-05 |access-date=2021-09-30}}</ref> These join the many additional catalogued cases of George's liaisons,<ref name=camp/> some of which have received further discussion ''vis-a-vis'' largely inexplicable financial care given by King George IV or his peers to the immediate purported descendant.<ref name=david/> {{citation needed span|These lineages include the Herveys (from 1786 liaison with Lady Anne Lindsay, subsequently Barnard), the Croles (from 1798 liaison Eliza Crole, which the generally sceptical A. J. Camp considers "fact"), and the Hampshires (from 15-year mistress Sarah Brown).|date=February 2014}}

[[Edward VII of the United Kingdom|Edward VII]], the Prince's great-nephew, granted permission to historian and Fitzherbert biographer [[William Henry Wilkins|William H. Wilkins]] to open her vault at [[Coutts Bank]] in 1906. The release of Wilkins' book later that year prompted several supposed descendants of the Prince and Fitzherbert to claim the latter's substantial estate. A Rebecca Fitzherbert Harris of [[Kenvil, New Jersey]], maintained that through family lore, she was the couple's great-granddaughter via a purported son named Thomas Edward, named after Fitzherbert's first two husbands.<ref name=Harris>{{cite news |title=New York Woman Traces Descent to English King |format=[[California Digital Newspaper Collection]] |work=[[Los Angeles Herald]] |publisher=Los Angeles City and County Publishing Company |volume=33 |number=361 |page=9 |location=Los Angeles |date=1906-09-26 |access-date=2021-09-30 |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=LAH19060926.2.155&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1}}</ref> In a letter to Edward VII, Harris claimed that Thomas also had a brother and sister who lived for a time with their mother in [[Dublin]].<ref name=Harris/> Thomas was supposedly sent to the United States in 1833 by Fitzherbert, who thought her children would be safer there following her death.<ref name=Harris/> Harris further stated that her family had received an income from an unknown source in the United Kingdom for many years.<ref name=Harris/> Harris requested access to Fitzherbert's papers to pursue her claim of the estate.<ref name=Harris/> Edward VII was noted to have acknowledged Harris's letter but stated that he would not assist her further.<ref name=Harris/>

The second codicil to Maria Fitzherbert's will outlines her two principal beneficiaries and includes a personal note: "This paper is addressed to my two dear children&nbsp;... I have loved them both with the tenderest affection any mother could do, and I have done the utmost in my power for their interests and comfort".<ref name=will>{{cite archive |last=Fitzherbert |first=Maria |author-link=Maria Fitzherbert |item=Maria Fitzherbert: Last Will and Testament |item-url=https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C198104 |item-url-access=registration |type=Photocopy of handwritten will |item-id=PROB 1/86 |date=12 April 1837 |access-date=30 September 2021 |page=1-2, 8 |collection=Prerogative Court of Canterbury: Wills of Selected Famous Persons |collection-url=https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C12112 |repository=[[The National Archives (United Kingdom)|The National Archives]] |location=Kew, Surrey |institution=The National Archives}}</ref>

[[File:Plaque marking Maria Fitzherbert's tomb.jpg|alt=|thumb|[[Commemorative plaque]] at Maria Fitzherbert's burial place in [[Brighton]]]]

Their married names were Mary Ann Stafford-Jerningham and Mary Georgina Emma Dawson-Damer.<ref name="will"/> Stafford-Jerningham was nominally Fitzherbert's 'niece',<ref name="will"/> and was raised as Mary Ann Smythe. Dawson-Damer was nominally the daughter of Admiral [[Lord Hugh Seymour]] and Lady Anna Horatia Waldegrave.<ref name="will"/> Seymour had been a close associate of George IV since their youth and Seymour's son [[George Seymour (Royal Navy officer)|George]] was an executor and minor beneficiary of Fitzherbert's will. There is no evidence that either of these women were the natural children of Maria Fitzherbert – indeed, the reference to 'the affection any mother could do' (with stress on mother) could indicate she only saw herself as a mother figure to them and no more.{{original research inline|date=September 2021}} The will does not refer to any sons, though this observation must be seen in its historical context: of the ten illegitimate children of [[Dorothea Jordan]], Anglo-Irish actress and mistress of 20 years to the Duke of Clarence, later King William IV, care for the five boys was initially assumed by their father and his households, and custody and care for the girls given to Jordan.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}{{original research inline|date=September 2021}}

Notably, any historical claim of descent is accompanied by controversy, and many preceding have been challenged.<ref name=camp/> Given the death<ref>{{cite web|last=Oberst|first=Charles R|title=The Death of Princess Charlotte of Wales: An Obstetric Tragedy|url=http://www.innominatesociety.com/Articles/The%20Death%20of%20Princess%20Charlotte%20of%20Wales.html|date=Spring 1984|access-date=9 March 2012}}</ref> of Princess Charlotte without surviving children, should the Ord link be substantiated, the line descended through them would join a large number of claimed surviving descendants of King George IV.{{original research inline|date=September 2021}}

== Appearance ==
Fitzherbert was described as having an aquiline nose and loose teeth. She had hazel eyes, silky blonde hair, and a flawless complexion.<ref name=austen/>

==On screen==
Maria is portrayed by:
*[[Nora Swinburne]] in the 1943 film ''[[The Man in Grey]]''
*[[Joyce Howard]] in the 1947 film ''[[Mrs. Fitzherbert (film)|Mrs. Fitzherbert]]''
*[[Rosemary Harris]] in the 1954 film ''[[Beau Brummell (1954 film)|Beau Brummell]]''
*[[Jeanette Sterke]] in the 1957 ''[[Sunday Night Theatre|BBC Sunday-Night Theatre]]'' teleplay ''The Lass of Richmond Hill''
*[[Susannah York]] in the 1979 television series ''[[Prince Regent (TV series)|Prince Regent]]''
*[[Caroline Harker]] in the 1994 film ''[[The Madness of King George]]''

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
*Haeger, Diane. (2001). ''The Secret Wife of King George IV''. St. Martin's Griffin. {{ISBN|978-0-312-27477-1}}
*{{cite book|last=Langdale|first=Charles|author-link=Charles Langdale|title=Memoirs of Mrs. Fitzherbert: with an account of her marriage with H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, afterwards King George IV|publisher=Richard Bentley|location=London|year=1856|oclc=1044173}}
*Leslie, Anita. (1960). ''Mrs. Fitzherbert''. London: Hutchinson & Co. Ltd.
*[[Shane Leslie|Leslie, Shane]]. (1940). ''Mrs. Fitzherbert: A Life. Chiefly from Unpublished Sources''. 2 Bände. London: Burns Oates
*Simpson, Geraldine. (1971). ''Mrs Fitzherbert: The Uncrowned Queen''.
*Wilkins, W.H. (1905). ''Mrs Fitzherbert and George IV''. London / New York / Bombay: Longmans, Green, & Co.
*Irvine, Valerie. (2007). ''The king's wife: George IV and Mrs Fitzherbert''. Hambledon Continuum; New Ed edition {{ISBN|1-84725-053-X}}
*Munson, James. (2002). ''Maria Fitzherbert: The Secret Wife of George IV''. Robinson Publishing; New Ed edition {{ISBN|1-84119-616-9}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{UK National Archives ID}}
* {{NPG name|name=Maria Anne Fitzherbert (née Smythe)}}

{{Portal bar|Catholicism}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzherbert, Maria Anne}}
[[Category:House of Hanover|Maria]]
[[Category:Fitzherbert family|Maria]]
[[Category:Mistresses of George IV]]
[[Category:English Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:Recusants]]
[[Category:Regency London]]
[[Category:Women of the Regency era]]
[[Category:1756 births]]
[[Category:1837 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Shropshire]]
[[Category:People from Fulham]]
[[Category:People from Brighton]]