James Guidney or Jemmy the Rock Man (born 1779 or 1782; died 1866) was a British soldier and later street pedlar in Birmingham, England.[1]
Guidney was born in Norwich in 1779[2] or 1782.[1] He received five years of part-time education, and worked as an errand boy, before joining the 48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment, initially as a drummer boy, in 1797.[1] He served with them in Gibraltar and then Malta, where he lost his right eye as the result of Ophthalmia.[1] In around 1809 he transferred to the First Royal Veteran Battalion, claiming to have eventually been promoted to "Sergeant and Drum Major to the Battalion".[3]
His short biography, Some particulars of the life and adventures of James Guidney, a well known character in Birmingham. Written from his own account of himself., was published anonymously in Birmingham and ran to at least four editions, with revisions. It is considered autobiographical,[2] and has many demonstrably-incorrect dates.[2] Among the incidents described are the capture of a purported mermaid, and a lamb that Guidney claimed had assumed human form and instructed him to grow a beard.[3]
Guidney died on 28 September 1866 and is buried in Birmingham's Witton Cemetery.[2]
References
^ abcdeHansen, David (2017). Dempsey's people : a folio of British street portraits 1824-1844. Canberra: National Portrait Gallery. ISBN978-0-9953975-1-4.