?A Scarborough brothel in 1870

The following is an account from the Scarborough Mercury in 1870 about a bawdy house in Cambridge Street. Various witnesses testified to the nature of the house. Many of the details were totally unfit for publication. To the next door neighbour the house was obviously a brothel as the walls were so thin everything was heard clearly.

This case for which a special sitting of the magistrates was held on Tuesday afternoon was one in which Ann Sheperd was indicted for keeping a bawdy house in Cambridge Street. The charge was laid under an Act passed in the 25th year of the reign George II, entitled, "An act for the better prevention of thefts and robberies, and for regulating places of public entertainment and punishing persons keeping disorderly houses" and also in and by a statute made and passed in the 5th year of the reign of George III. This Act requires that to prosecute in like offences two householders should lay complaint against any such disorderly house and be bound over in the sum of £20 each to give or produce material evidence against the parties offending.

In the present case the householders were Mr Thirkell of the Spa Hotel, Victoria Road and Mr Geo Crease, joiner, Cambridge Street. The prisoner on being brought into court was understood to wish to sit down in consequence of being indisposed she was therefore allowed a seat in the dock. Several girls of the "unfortunate" class which had been living with the prisoner were called upon to give evidence against her.

The first, Ruth Couling, a girl 19 years of age, who said she had been driven from home in consequence of the ill treatment she had experienced at the hands of her step mother. She had been leading her present state of life about three months previous to which time she had been living in service. She knew the prisoner's house 49 Camridge Street and has been living there about three weeks but had known the character of the home for upwards of three months. The prisoner had two daughters who were leading the same life as herself. She then proceeded to give details which showed unmistakeably the character of the house but which are totally unfit for publication.

They also proved conclusively the utterly abandoned state of the prisoner. Jane Elizabeth Wilkinson, 16 years of age, a native of Boston, Lincolnshire then gave evidence. She had been in service in Scarborough last summer but had been home during the winter. She had however, returned to Scarborough a few weeks ago and being unable to obtain a situation had resorted to the present mode of life. She had been living with the prisoner about a week and gave evidence similar to that of the previous witness. Mary Jane Robinson, a girl of 18 years of age had been in service in Scarborough but about a fortnight ago had left her situation and had gone to the prisoners house where she has been living since. She had been invited there by Ruth Conling, a former witness. She likewise gave evidence to the rest. Ann Hedgson, 19 years of age had been living at the prisoners house about a week but had frequented it for about three months. Her statement corroborated those of former witnesses. Mr George Creasey, joiner, said he had lived opposite the prisoners house for about nine or ten years. Mrs Sheperd had lived in her present house about four or five years.

He had seen men and girls go there at all hours of the day and night dating the last three months he had been much disturbed at night by girls going in and out of the prisoners house, shouting and making great noises also by men knocking at the prisoners door. He had no doubt of the character of the place. Mr Richard Allen, builder, said he resided next door to the prisoner for about three months during which time he had repeatedly seen men accompanying the prisoner and her daughter home. The wall which separated the two houses was but four and a half inches thick consequently he could hear nearly all that passed in the house and the language was generally so disgusting that he had threatened to leave for fear especially that his children would be contaminated.

There were often great noises made in the street by the frequenters of this house and he was often disturbed by men coming to his house and knocking at the door in mistake for the prisoner's. He also gave evidence respecting a disturbance made on the previous thursday at the prisoners and stated that on that occasion a fisherman came out of the prisoners house and threatened to smash his head with a poker. Mr W Thirkell said the prisoner's house was nearly opposite the back door of his house, the Spa Hotel, Victoria Road. He also deposed to seeing prostitutes.