Why London?

Oct 21

2 min read

Prostitution, by virtue of the trade, requires a large and ever moving population to feed off and London, being the centre of administration, commerce, and trade since the early Middle Ages, had a long-standing history of prostitution, crime, and lawlessness. London was not the sole home of the sex trade, as many major cities, commercial areas, and ports had notable areas of prostitution, but London was often noted for the sheer number of prostitutes available and the diminished presence of any form of policing or enforcement of anti-prostitution laws. Traveller, Von Uffenbach was taken aback by a ‘vast number’ of ‘harlots’ on the streets and claimed that no city in Europe surpassed London in prostitution. To E. C. Denlinger there was an arithmetical fact to the number of prostitutes, for however the number of ‘whores’, the number of customers was always greater. In the eighteenth century, the rapid expansion of prostitution can be linked to specific developments in the culture of the population; the rise of leisure. For urbanites, particularly male urbanites, prostitution was just another facet of the growing theatres, gardens, and parties, found within London’s borders. Communal spaces, where the high and low could mix, were found in abundance. For the earlier part of the century, before the Gin Act of 1751, gin-shops and alehouses formed these spaces, whereas, once these were cracked down upon, coffee-shops and markets took their place. The staggered opening and closing hours of entertainment venues and ‘places of refreshment’, made prostitution a twenty-four-hour activity for those who sought it.

In addition to this, the rise of consumerism and commercial shopping in the capital facilitated new avenues for women to offer their services whilst operating in shops, stalls or as street hawkers. Not only was prostitution a leisure activity, but it was also a commerce, and one that was not dependent on fashion or trends. Most London marketplaces were not reduced to specific areas and arranged themselves along main roads and walking paths, thus making the trade mobile and subject to change. The changeable nature of the markets gave a certain anonymity to its sellers, giving many a needed cover should one try to accuse them of prostitution, and given the size of population at the time, one could easily move between areas to evade watchful eyes. Indeed, many prostitutes were self-employed and worked either on their own or in groups of twos or threes. Due to the abject revulsion of the English public towards brothels, bawdy-houses and their respective pimps and processes, brothels were subject to frequent raids and convictions, forcing their inhabitants to work or live elsewhere. Prostitutes, thus, were largely autonomous and the lack of a defined and organised police force, or a concise system of law, gave them free reign over the city and its inhabitants.

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