Prostitution in Bristol and Nantes, 1750-1815: A comparative study Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor in Philosophy at the University of Leicester Marion Pluskota Centre for Urban History University of Leicester July 2011 Abstract This thesis is centred on prostitution in Nantes and Bristol, two port cities in France and England, between 1750 and 1815. The objectives of this research are fourfold: first, to understand the socio-economic characteristics of prostitution in these two port cities. Secondly, it aims to identify the similarities and the differences between Nantes and Bristol in the treatment of prostitution and in the evolution of mentalités by highlighting the local responses to prostitution. The third objective is to analyse the network of prostitution, in other words the relations prostitutes had with their family, the tenants of public houses, the lodging-keepers and the agents of the law to demonstrate if the women were living in a state of dependency. Finally, the geography of prostitution and its evolution between 1750 and 1815 is studied and put into perspective with the socio- economic context of the different districts to explain the spatial distribution of prostitutes in these two port cities. The methodology used relies on a comparative approach based on a vast corpus of archives, which notably includes judicial archives and newspapers. Qualitative and quantitative research allows the construction of relational databases, which highlight similar patterns of prostitution in both cities. When data is missing and a strict comparison between Nantes and Bristol is made impossible, extrapolations and comparisons with studies on different cities are used to draw subsequent conclusions. As a result, this thesis offers a unique picture of provincial prostitution in eighteenth- century port cities in France and England. It shows that women were using prostitution as a strategy of survival and on a casual basis and, if forced by economic necessities to do so, they kept a certain independence towards the people they met on a daily-basis. This thesis also shows, thanks to the comparative approach, that local events had a great influence on the shift of attitudes towards prostitution. It highlights, through the study of the dialectic national-local discourses, the specificities of local responses to prostitution and the importance of considering change of mentalités as a result of long- and short- term developments. Finally, this study also brings to light the similarities in attitudes towards prostitution which transcended the English and French national framework. Acknowledgments The completion of this thesis would not have been possible without the invaluable support and constant encouragements of my supervisor, Professor Roey Sweet whose constructive advice allowed me to improve my research and writing skills. I am also indebted to my partner, Scott Simmonds, as well as my closest friends, Frederic Stroh and Clémence Meyer whose encouragements and patience have helped me to complete this thesis. I owe much to my family, especially to my mother who supported me throughout my studies. I would like to thank all the academics, members of staff, colleagues and friends who helped me during these four years: Professor Guy Saupin, Dominique Lerch, Professor Peter King, Corinne Pelton, Ariane Richards, Nicole Fayard, Sarah Pointet Maud Hirspieler, Matt Jeffreys, Mary King, Jon Ellison, Tom Kimber, Tom McKay, Claire Duesbury, Liz Jones and Louise Naud. Finally, I am very grateful to the members of staff of Bristol Record Office and of the Archives Municipales de Nantes for their constant help and smiles. And Nescafé®. Table of Contents List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ i List of Tables and Appendices ...................................................................................................... ii Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 1 I. National frameworks: legislation on prostitution in France and England ................. 37 1. Prostitution and vagrancy ............................................................................................. 39 2. Prostitution and morality. .............................................................................................. 43 3. Prostitution and public order. ........................................................................................ 48 II. Local frameworks: the prosecution of prostitution in Bristol and Nantes. ................ 54 1. Bristol and Nantes' interpretation of the national policies against vice. ....................... 54 2. The means of prosecution: the Watch system in Bristol and the police in Nantes........ 63 3. Prostitution and types of crime ..................................................................................... 70 4. Community and prostitution: roles within the legal process ......................................... 89 III. Social origins and family ties of prostitutes. ........................................................... 100 1. The socio-economic background of prostitutes .......................................................... 102 2. Prostitutes and family: civil status, occupation and children ....................................... 113 3. The role of family in a prostitute's life ........................................................................ 128 IV. A widening sphere? The construction of prostitutes' social networks. .................... 140 1. Prostitutes and their customers ................................................................................... 140 2. Landlords, landladies, lodging-keepers and prostitutes. ............................................. 157 V. Prostitutes and their relations with the agents of the law. ........................................ 174 1. The role of the Watch in prosecutions against prostitutes in Bristol. .......................... 176 2. The role of the police in prosecutions against prostitutes in Nantes ........................... 185 3. Impacts of the Revolution on the attitudes of the police ............................................. 192 4. Towards the process of regulation .............................................................................. 200 VI. Spatial distribution of prostitutes and socio-economic contexts in port cities......... 205 1. Topography of Bristol and Nantes .............................................................................. 208 2. Localisation of prostitutes: Bristol .............................................................................. 212 3. Localisation of prostitutes: Nantes pre- and post-Revolution ..................................... 222 4. Prostitutes' movement and migration of prostitutes in Nantes .................................... 234 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 244 Appendices ................................................................................................................................256 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................. 263 List of Figures Figure II-1. Condemnations of prostitutes for thefts, Bristol 1780-1805 ....................... 77 Figure II-2. Percentage of sentences against prostitutes per decade, Bristol, 1780-1799 ........................................................................................................................................ 80 Figure II-3 Comparison of female convictions for theft in Bristol, 1780-1799 ............. 81 Figure II-4. Comparison of female convictions for theft in Bristol, 1780-1799 (discharged excluded) ..................................................................................................... 82 Figure III-1 Average age of prostitutes in Nantes, 1808 ............................................... 107 Figure III-2. Age structure of Nantes' prostitutes in 1808 census ................................. 108 Figure III-3. Prostitutes' qualifications in Nantes, 1808 ............................................... 111 Figure III-4 Marital status of Bristol Prostitutes ........................................................... 116 Figure III-5 Marital status of women accused of robbery and female witnesses, Bristol 1780-1805 ..................................................................................................................... 116 Figure III-6 Marital status of the tenants of disorderly houses, Bristol, 1780-1805 ..... 117 Figure III-7. Fragility of the family network, Nantes 1778-1779 ................................ 136 Figure IV-1. Plaintiffs' occupations, Bristol 1780-1805 ............................................... 146 Figure IV-2. Gender and marital status of tenants of public houses and lodging-keepers in Nantes and Bristol, 1750-1805 ................................................................................. 168 Figure IV-3. Marital status of female tenants and lodging-keepers in Nantes and Bristol, 1750-1805 ..................................................................................................................... 170 Figure V-1. Convictions against tenants of disorderly house in Bristol, with officers of the law as witness, 1778-1792