Dirty Dick Dirty Dick Nathaniel Bentley (–1809), commonly known as Dirty Dick, was an 18th-century merchant who owned a hardware shop and warehouse in London, and is one person who is considered as a possible inspiration for Miss Havisham in Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations" after he refused to wash following the death of his fiancée on their wedding day. He was a previous owner of a pub on Bishopsgate, in the City of London, which is named after him. Bentley had been quite a dandy in his youth, but following the death of his fiancée on their wedding day he refused to
Havisham sexual fantasy reveals both the unrequited love and the passion that remains within Havisham following the wedding, a devastation from which her heart has never recovered. The poem is featured in the examining board AQA's English Literature Anthology for its GCSE qualification in English Literature. It is featured alongside works by Duffy, and three other contemporary writers: Simon Armitage, Seamus Heaney and Gillian Clarke. This poem is also featured in the Scottish Qualifications Authority's National 5 and Higher English Critical Reading paper, in the Scottish Texts section. Candidates study Anne Hathaway, War Photographer, Originally, Valentine and Mrs Midas alongside this