Mary Wheatland (, 16 August 1835 – 1 April 1924) was a swimming instructor, bathing machine keeper and life-saver. Wheatland who was credited with saving over 30 lives and was a recipient of the Royal Humane Society's Bronze Medal and testimonial on vellum. Mary Norris was born in 1835 in the Sussex village of

Aldingbourne Aldingbourne is a mixed rural and residential civil and ecclesiastical parish in the Arun district of West Sussex, England. It is centred north of Bognor Regis and east of Chichester. The civil parish, named after the small village of Aldingb ...

. By the age of 14 she moved to

Bognor Bognor Regis (), sometimes simply known as Bognor (), is a town and seaside resort in West Sussex on the south coast of England, south-west of London, west of Brighton, south-east of Chichester and east of Portsmouth. Other nearby towns i ...

to work for a Mrs Mills. Originally a domestic servant she was appointed to run the

bathing machine The bathing machine was a device, popular from the 18th century until the early 20th century, to allow people to change out of their usual clothes, change into swimwear, and wade in the ocean at beaches. Bathing machines were roofed and walled woo ...

s belonging to Mrs Mills. She would continue to run the bathing machines until 1909. In 1857 she married George Wheatland with whom she had seven children. Working by the sea and a keen and strong swimmer Wheatland took to the waters to rescue bathers who had got into difficulties, the first rescue being recorded when she was still only aged 16. By 1879 she had rescued 13 people and the Royal Humane Society recognised her achievements and presented her with the society's ''testament on vellum''. George died in 1880 leaving Mary to carry on working and to raise the children. In 1903 a benefit concert was arranged for her at which she was presented with the Royal Humane Society Bronze Medal, a second ''testament on vellum'' and a silver medal for gallantry by the publishers of the magazine, ''Golden Penny''. Wheatland retired in 1909 but continued to be seen around town until her death in 1924.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wheatland, Mary 1835 births 1924 deaths People from Bognor Regis Lifesaving