Monument to Maria Fitzherbert
John Edward Carew (c.1782-1868)
c.1837
White marble and gilding, over a grey marble plaque
St John the Baptist Church, Bristol Street, Brighton
Maria Fitzherbert (1756-1837) was the Catholic widow who had married the Prince of Wales and been disowned by the Prince Regent. She is shown here wearing her wedding rings, and with the Lamp of Memory. She had continued to visit Brighton, and had a home near St John the Baptist Church, of which she was the patroness. She died in Brighton, and, according to the plaque's inscription, she is buried in the church. The gilding brings life to the low relief, which depicts the kneeling Mrs Fitzherbert as the very epitome of a virtuous widow bowing to the yoke of her misfortunes.
Photograph, caption, and commentary by Jacqueline Banerjee, 2010/11.