The London Underworld in the Victorian Period: Authentic First-Person Accounts by Beggars, Thieves and Prostitutes: v. 1

Bibliographical Note

This Dover edition, first published in 2005, is an unabridged republication of “Prostitution in London” (by Bracebridge Hemyng), “Thieves and Swindlers” (by John Binny), and “Beggars” (by Andrew Halliday) from Volume IV (also know as “THE EXTRA VOLUME” and subtitled, Those That Will Not Work, comprising Prostitutes, Thieves, Swindlers and Beggars) of the London Labour and the London Poor, originally published in 1861 by Griffin, Bohn, and Company, London.

The variations in spelling, style and format are intrinsic to the original and, for the most part, have not been altered here.

 

 

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Mayhew, Henry, 1812-1887.

[London labour and the London poor. Selections.]

The London underworld in the Victorian period : authentic first-person accounts by beggars, thieves, and prostitutes / Henry Mayhew and others ; illustrated. p. cm.

“Unabridged republication of ‘Prostitution in London’ (by Bracebridge Hemyng), ‘Thieves and swindlers’ (by John Binny), and ‘Beggars’ (by Andrew Halliday) from vol–ume IV (also known as ‘the extra volume’ and subtitled, Those that will not work, comprising prostitutes, thieves, swindlers, and beggars) of London labour and the London poor, originally published in 1861 by Griffin, Bohn, and Company, London”—T.p. verso.

9780486130842

1. Poor—England—London. 2. Working class—England—London. 3. Crime—England—London. 4. Prostitution—England—London. 5. London (England)—Social conditions—19th century. I. Title.

HV4086.L66M38 2005
305.5’69’0942109034—dc22

2005041274

 

 

 

 

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Table of Contents

 

Title Page
Copyright Page
PROSTITUTES
THIEVES AND SWINDLERS
BEGGARS AND CHEATS
DOVER BOOKS
A CATALOG OF SELECTED DOVER BOOKS IN ALL FIELDS OF INTEREST

PROSTITUTES

PROSTITUTION IN LONDON1

THE liberty of the subject is very jealously guarded in England, and so tenacious are the people of their rights and privileges that the legislature has not dared to infringe them, even for what by many would be considered a just and meritorious purpose. Neither are the magistracy or the police allowed to enter improper or disorderly houses, unless to suppress disturbances that would require their presence in the most respectable mansion in the land, if the aforesaid disturbances were committed within their precincts. Until very lately the police had not the power of arresting those traders, who earned an infamous livelihood by selling immoral books and obscene prints. It is to the late Lord Chancellor Campbell that we owe this salutary reform, under whose meritorious exertions the disgraceful trade of Holywell Street and kindred districts has received a blow from which it will never again rally.

If the neighbours choose to complain before a magistrate of a disorderly house, and are willing to undertake the labour, annoyance, and expense of a criminal indictment, it is probable that their exertions may in time have the desired effect; but there is no summary conviction, as in some continental cities whose condition we have studied in another portion of this work.

To show how difficult it is to give from any data at present before the public anything like a correct estimate of the number of prostitutes in London, we may mention (extracting from the work of Dr. Ryan) that while the Bishop of Exeter asserted the number of prostitutes in London to be 80,000, the City Police stated to Dr. Ryan that it did not exceed 7000 to 8000. About the year 1793 Mr. Colquhoun, a police magistrate, concluded, after tedious investigations, that there were 50,000 prostitutes in this metropolis. At that period the population was one million, and as it is now more than double we may form some idea of the extensive ramifications of this insidious vice.

In the year 1802, when immorality had spread more or less all over Europe, owing to the demoralizing effects of the French Revolution, a society was formed, called “The Society for the Suppression of Vice,” of which its secretary, Mr. Wilberforce, thus speaks:—

“The particular objects to which the attention of this Society is directed are as follow, viz.—

“1. The prevention of the profanation of the Lord’s day.

“2. Blasphemous publications.

“3. Obscene books, prints, etc.

“4. Disorderly houses.

“5.