Prostitution during the 18th and 19th century Essay

prostitution became a probatory of capital of the United Kingdoms history during the eighteenth and nineteenth century. At the cartridge clip, whoredom was a chronic problem of the public order. It became so big in capital of the United Kingdom that it attracted the at gotion of many groups such as, the church, the state, the medical profession, philanthropists, feminists and others. (Bartley, 1) only of these groups worked in concert in order to resolve the problem, level offtide though at the time prostitution was non illegal. However, it was an activity that many tangle was soci in everyy unaccept able-bodied. Prostitution began because Britain was experiencing political and social ferment during the Industrial Revolution. The industrial revolution brought up new social groups, which had strugg direct to exert themselves politically and culturally. (Fisher, 29) During the 18th & 19th centuries capital of the United Kingdom had many deficiencies in their legal system, wh ich can explain the openness of prostitution.A major factor of this problem lays in the fact that almost no(prenominal) of the laws under(a) which prostitutes were most normally overtakeed in the 18th century referred to their offense by name. Instead, prostitutes were charged for violating laws. At the time, laws of night walking were put into the system. The main objective was to enforce a dawn-to-dusk curfew, so the recital of law could keep the towns under close watch. capital of the United Kingdom decided that it was time for to wank involve and respect a solution before the city went bug out of control. First of all, police officers started by taking more than action on the streets. Also, they started policing Disorderly domicils. In addition groups such as the emenders, Commentators, Church and others, used their own methods of result this problem. Finally, how did the spate of capital of the United Kingdom feel towards prostitution and prostitutes?The streets were becoming an unsafe surround for the citizens of capital of the United Kingdom. Prostitutes started occupying the streets of London more frequently. Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the policing of Londons streetwalkers were the responsibility of the constables, beadles, patrol, and watchman. Their duties were to enforce and maintain public order. There was a superior general police force consisting of f number and under Marshals, marshalmen, mean solar day and night patrols and even special forces for certain towns or argonas such as the Smithfield area. Each city had twenty-six Wards, which in turn produced their own forces such as constables, beadles, and watchmen. All of these men were able to enforce the laws in the proximity of the Ward. traffic pattern 1 & 2.The police force was to be creditworthy for containing street disorder and antipathy the danger from the uncontrol take and un-socialized classes, the constable role was to act as a domestic missionary, tra nslating and mediating bourgeois values in working-class communities. (Mahood, 120)In 1784, day patrol was introduced in Westminster, Nevertheless, before 1828 no parish anywhere in London had considered it either necessary or desirable to provide intensive daylight patrols. (Henderson (1), 191) During that time all the resources devoted their time to nightly watch, as they believed it was more of a crucial period of the day for prostitution. watchmen were the most intrusive in doing their work, and overly reduced the importance of constables. A constable was usually in company with a beadle, whose duties consisted of patrolling the streets of the parish as frequently as possible throughout the night. (Henderson (1),192) However, while on vocation, they would instead spend most of their time in a safer area around the watch house. Furthermore, they would not even charge up neartimes for duty. Moreover, the Watchman was always expected to be on the streets from dawn till dusk.It was very important for the police to clear up the streets. Solicitors and prostitutes crowded the busy narrow streets of London. It was inevitable either group would summon into conflicts with other citizens. The public streets were areas where cardinal could enjoy the view and sights of the beautiful city, in addition to beingnessness the main passageways, for vehicles and pedestrians. However, to the prostitutes the streets, and squares of London were a work do.(Henderson (1), 198)Mr. William Logan was given the duty in 1843 to research and find solutions of prostitution. He was an observer of many streets and sporting house houses, and he stated several solutions towards prostitution. One of the solutions was the policing of the streets. He suggests, from eight to ten oclock at night, to bear in mind those who are employed to conduct the evening correspondence and carry it safely. (Logan,40) Therefore, that crime should, be traced to its source as accurate as possible, and a system of cake must be introduced. (Asylums1817, 10) guard forces had many problems in assembling together and during the late 1840s a quarter of the Edinburgh police force was push aside annually for misconduct and 63 percent were recorded as sot on duty. (Mahood, 120)Policing Disorderly house was some other solution London brought approximately to eliminate prostitution. Disorderly and Bawdy houses were controlled, like streetwalking, because of their threat to the soundly being of the society.They were the causes of endless mischief, and tended directly to the overthrow of Mens bodies, to the wasting of their Livelihoods, and to the endangering of their souls. (Henderson (1), 253)The general society saw these houses as a place without chastes or religious principles, and rather a place of corruption. They were in any case concerned that the people that worked in the houses were being funded through fraud and robbery. Figure 3. Select Police Committee members in 1816 an d 1817 showed great concern of the spread of these cheap clear houses. They were catered only for thieves and prostitutes. The Committee introduced a license for selling alcoholic drinks, where if the house did not practice the laws, their alcohol license would be removed. The Justices of the Peace had the chief(a) responsibility, to grant these licenses. This procedure began in 1729 and it belt up in effect today. originally 1729, it was possible to get a license from the Stamp Office, which was a practice that helped keep open the Disorderly plates.In 1743, the Gin Act was introduced, and in 1751 confirmed and, forbade any but tavern, victualling house, inn, coffee house, or alehouse keepers to hold a license to sell spirituous liquors. (Henderson (1), 257) When it came time to renew licenses, the constable of separately Ward or parish was to present to the magistrates a list of those houses requiring a alternate of their license. After that, each Constable would be placed under gadfly and questioned about the conduct of the house in his district, as well as if any neighbors had made any complaints. (Henderson (1), 258) Even though the Constable had talk well of the house or not, any person that was present was able to state their objections towards the issue. Representatives of the parish or ward raised most of the objections,and in some cases there would be the presence of the neighbors.In 1752, London passed the Disorderly House Act. This act encouraged people to turn in the houses and owners into the police. If the information led to a charge, the witness would receive 20. The houses where divided into three different classes First, Second, and Third. Figure 4. Wealthy merchants, military officers, and those in the higher circle of society usually visited the First class houses. The Second class houses were mostly intended for businessmen, and wage-earning people. Finally, the Third class houses were for the not so wealthy citizens. As a result of the close monitoring of these houses and liquor licenses, the amount of Disorderly houses dropped, by the end of the 19th century.Other major groups besides the police valued to get involved to put a see to prostitution. These groups consisted of Parish committees, Reformers, and Philanthropist. They all contributed in different ways. The Church helped out the police by hiring watchmen, for the area that surrounds them. In 1796, St. James parish in Westminster was employing sixty-four watchmen, six beadles and two inspectors as well as its body of constables. (Henderson (1), 192) Even the smaller parishes helped out and had king-sizer metrical composition of people working. This was all possible because in Westminster from 1753, on, a series of Watch Acts where introduced.These acts gave individual parishes, or to the City and Liberty as a whole, the adjust and duty to establish a parochial watch, under the general command of the Middlesex Watch Justices of the Peace. (Hend erson (1), 190) Also the churches forbade women that were working as prostitutes of any religious rights. If they were still doing the trade until they died, they would not receive proper burial rights. The Church also made its own court and was responsible for maintaining acceptable standards of Christian behavior. (Henderson (2),81)Reformers believed that prostitutes were victims of upper class men who seduced them. However, they also believed that prostitution was the outcome of personal moral weakness, and therefore blamed women for prostitution. (Bartley, 5) Moral domesticateers demanded that the police be granted the chest of drawers to curb soliciting and brothel keeping. (Mahood, 121) TheReformers believed the only way to eliminate prostitution was to get rid of prostitutes. In turn, they started and founded a variety of insertions, such as large penitentiaries, asylums, and even small homes. These centers were used as places of rehabilitation. Figure 5. These institution centers were laid within most large cities and towns. In 1758, in Whitechapel, London the Reform opened up The Magdalen Hospital.It was a great success and thus led to the opening of more institutions. The Church tried not to connect all institutions with a religious aspect, like Lock Hospitals with lock wards. This kind of institution dealt more with unmarried females and tried to treat them for venereal diseases. Figure 5. By the end of the 19th century, a special group was formed, National legal jointure of Womens Worker (NUWW), whose members met once a year to discuss strategies and to analyse practices. (Bartley, 26) Each institution had its own managerial system the upper and nerve center class managed most of them.There were three main methods of managing a reform institution some were managed by men who employed female workers as matrons and laundry workers some where managed jointly by men and women some were managed by women only. (Bartley, 27)Reform Institutions had great success. Which resulted in a decline in prostitution. Furthermore, a mixture of clergy and laymen and women ran institutions that were set up by the Church of England. Philanthropists saw prostitution as a problem because of its negative effect on the population. They similarly implemented institution and ran them similar to the Reform.The majority of the people in London did not agree with prostitution, nor did they understand it. People of London felt that prostitution was touching the Modernity of London. Prostitutes disordered the state and threatened the empire. (Ogborn, 47) People felt that kids that are surrounded by prostitutes, specially boys would not grow up to be healthy, and productive men because prostitutes were only spreading ruin, disease, and death. Prostitution was an tour of duty of social relations and the geographies that surrounded them, which created new relationships and new spaces. It also was responsible for subverting the relations of the public sphere eventhe hierarchies and equalities of the public sphere were being affected. They also felt that prostitution caused the ruin of families.Prostitutes were looked upon as evil people, and were enured as though they were infected with the plague. They were public nuisances as one shopkeeper describes. The activities of prostitutes and their bullies along Fleet street and Ludgate Hill adversely affected their business. (Henderson (1), 195) It also became hard for all the women in the town, for they were also treated like prostitutes. For use if a woman were walking on the streets just after dusk, she would be harassed and insulted. On the other hand, people believed that men who engaged with prostitutes were not at fault because of the temptation the women give off the male passer-bys.In 1864, the Contagious Disease Act (CD Acts) was passed. It was meant to make paid sex safer for people, especially those in the armed forces. This act was passed because, at the time in the reg ular army and Navy, many men had contracted venereal diseases. So, the government enforced that all women that were practicing prostitution must be inspected. Police were given the authority to arrest any woman that was suspected of practicing prostitution, and make her undergo an internal interrogative sentence at a Certified Hospital. If a disease were found she would be detained until the disease was cured. Reformers felt that it was fair to say that Prostitution helped spaced out the wealth of men, because there would be different sections in the community. In one area you would have men that were well off and in another area men that were not well off. William Logan describes the girls that he observed were hapless and innocent children that were constantly being abused by their supporters. (Logan, 26)It is clear that prostitutes contend a very important role during the 18th and 19th centuries, which were modernness times of London. Consequently, it was not a good role. Pro stitution affected the teaching and growth of the city. As a result, the city had to put a impediment to the acts and began by policing the streets. They tried to control the narrow overcrowded streets to make them a safer place for other individuals. Secondly, they tried to control Disorderly houses. They achieved this by hiring inspectors andconstables to watch the houses, and even enforced Liquor Licenses. Moreover, groups such as the Church and Reformers had their own techniques to stop prostitution.Both groups built a series of institutions that were treated as rehab centers. Ultimately, citizens of London had their own view and understanding of prostitution. Most felt that it was the ruin of London, and it was affecting the modernization of the city, especially concerning the social relations and the geographies that went along with them. Others felt herb of grace for these young girls they believed they were victims of upper-class men. Although prostitution still exists to day, its evolution in the 18th and 19th centuries will be a significant part of Londons history forever.Work CitedBartley, Puala. Prostitution Prevention and Reform in England. London Routledge, 2000.Fisher, Trevor. Prostitution and the Victorians. New York Sutton, 1997.(1) Henderson, Anthony. female Prostitution in London 1730-1830. London University of London, 1992.(2) Henderson, Tony. Disorderly Women in the 18th Century London. New York Longman, 1999.Logan, William. Female Prostitution in London, Leeds, and Rochdale. London Personal Observation, 1843.Mahood, Linda. The Magdalenes Prostitution in the 19th Century. London Routledge, 1990.Ogborn, Miles. Spaces of Modernity. New York Guilford Press, 1998.Report of the Committee of the Guardian Society for the delivery of public morals, providing temporary Asylums for Prostitutes. Dec. 1815.Report of the Committee of the Guardian Society for the rescue of public morals, providing temporary Asylums for Prostitutes. Oct. 1817.