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Charlottes Hayes: Covent Garden's Everlasting "It Girl"
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In this episode, Grace's delves into the life of Charlotte Hayes, a woman who carved out a name for herself in 18th-century London. Born into a world of complexity and contradiction, Charlotte's journey from Genoa to becoming a renowned madam is both fascinating and controversial. Discover how she navigated societal expectations, maintained her status, and left a legacy that continues to intrigue. Join us as we explore the intricacies of her life, her relationships, and the impact she had on her era.
Sources: Nocturnal Revels
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Transcript
Introduction to Charlotte Hayes
00:00:15
Speaker
Hi everyone and welcome back to another episode of Harlots and Hearses. It's me, your host, Grace Artis. Today's episode is a little bit of a continuation of last week's episode and that this episode is focusing on the prostitute and then Madam Charlotte Hayes.
Early Life and Family Background
00:00:37
Speaker
So what kind of set Charlotte Hayes apart from others of her period in time is that while she burned very brightly and while she was able to kind of live this glorious and esteemed life, she didn't burn out and she didn't end her life in debtor's prison or kind of in the slums like what happened with a lot of the other girls and women that were brought up in the same period around her and kind of like debuted and the same area.
00:01:13
Speaker
So she was really able to like make a name for herself and then maintain that name throughout her whole life. What also stands out about her is she actually has ties to Harris's list of Covent Garden ladies as well.
00:01:29
Speaker
So with all that being said, grab your beverages. I like always have my coffee and I'm being fancy today and drinking sparkling water out of a wine glass because I wanted to treat myself.
00:01:42
Speaker
So with all that being said, Let's crack into it. So thanks to Harris's list, the 1761 edition, all we know for certain about her early childhood is two things.
00:01:57
Speaker
The first is that she was born in Genoa, Italy, and the year 1761.
00:02:05
Speaker
Her story, both what makes her similar and different from other prostitutes of the period, is that what she was born into this life. And while a lot of other girls were, and at the time, were also born into it, what sets her apart is kind of how her mother shaped her and raised her. to be born into it. So her mother was a kept mistress to this very wealthy man and that's kind of what brought them over to Italy in the first place. Once Charlotte was born, they took the hush money and agreement that they would never contact Charlotte's birth father again.
00:02:41
Speaker
They would never never seek him out or anything in that
Elizabeth Ward's Brothel Operations
00:02:44
Speaker
regard. After Charlotte was born, her mother, Elizabeth Ward, would come back to London and taking all of her knowledge, all of the well-connected men that she met during her time abroad in Italy, and the money that she was able to pocket, the hush money, she was able to actually start her own brothel in London. Now, Elizabeth wore Charlotte's mother.
00:03:11
Speaker
Her whole goal with this brothel was to a serve a higher type of clientele, and to B, have classier type of girls. So right off the bat, she knew like she didn't want to end up on the lower side of things. She wanted to be as high class as you can go.
00:03:32
Speaker
And that was the life that she set in stone for Charlotte um already even like before she was born. That was what she wanted for Charlotte and she would accept pretty much nothing less.
00:03:44
Speaker
So that was what was drilled into Charlotte at a young age and that's what separated Charlotte apart from the others. Now, the brothel itself was located outside of of St. James' Park, and only those who knew about it knew it was there. The reason for this is it was kind of like a little speakeasy in in a way so So at the front of the brothel, because Elizabeth Ward, she didn't want anything about this to appear out of the norm. She wanted to appear respectable to any outsiders looking in
00:04:24
Speaker
So the front of the brothel would look like to be from the outside a milliner's business. So a business or store that made hats and bonnets and her girls would participate in that as well.
00:04:39
Speaker
But then like once you step into the store and any man who walked in and who knew it was there knew that once you're led through the front rooms into the back, that's where the true business lied.
00:04:52
Speaker
And Elizabeth did this as well, had this little milliner shop set up. to kind of excuse any foot traffic that would be coming into this store. So her mother, and this was not just something her mother did, it was very popular among other bods, madams, and pimps. It was a way to make these girls in the service pretty much indebted to the madams, indebted to them. So essentially they couldn't leave and they would be stuck in a way. Once the girls like entered in this service,
00:05:27
Speaker
to the madam, to Elizabeth Ward, and then soon, when Charlotte was older, to Charlotte. The girls would be gifted, what they thought would be gifted, you know, their wardrobe to fit the look and theme of the brothel. the highest end of the dresses, everything that was fitting at the time, ribbons and lace at the highest shoes and buckles to fit this image that the brothel was trying to give.
00:05:53
Speaker
But then the girls would soon find out come the end of the week or the month or whenever the dues were due, is that they would be expected to pay back for these gifts with high fees. So they would be taxed not only for their clothing, but for their boarding, for their food, for the washing of said clothing, which would leave them practically with nothing left over in terms of money and finances at the end of the week. So then they would find themselves constantly having to stay under the employee of these madams in these in these houses indebted trying to pay off what they owe.
00:06:33
Speaker
And then if a woman ever tried to flee the situation with nothing, just
Education and Exploitation of Virginity
00:06:38
Speaker
with the clothes off their back, Elizabeth Ward was not above getting the law involved. And she would actually take the girls to court for theft, for stealing the clothes, because she's like, those are my clothes and you actually owe me money on them. And there are several instances on the Bailey records and court records of the time of Elizabeth Ward taking and prosecuting girls for this. And then the girls would have to go back in service or pay off what they owe Elizabeth.
00:07:10
Speaker
And this was all the environment that Charlotte was. grew up in. This was all stuff that she was accustomed to. This was her childhood. She didn't know anything else.
00:07:21
Speaker
This was her upbringing. As well as her upbringing, her schooling was above that of the common girl as her period because Elizabeth recognized that what would also set Charlotte above that of other girls it would be her education because it was one thing to look pretty, but What would also set her apart from other girls is would be her charm and her wit and how she could hold herself and communicate herself and hold a conversation. So that is why part of her schooling would consist of reading, writing, French dancing, and music. Now, and this is a bit of a trigger warning. Now, all of this, so the education, the dancing, the prepping of Charlotte, what all of this was cultivating towards was Charlotte's immersion auctioning off into
00:08:21
Speaker
the big scene into society and one of the biggest days of charlotte's life in her mother's eyes and like i said what elizabeth had been prepping charlotte for since she was born essentially was the auctioning off of her virginity And as Holly Rubenhold, the author of the Covent Garden Ladies and other gender historians of the period would state, there was nothing more converted in the 18th century than sex with a virgin.
00:08:55
Speaker
And Rubenhold states that, nevertheless, bods pimps were pestered insistently to procure genuine maidenheads. In part, the demand came from those who enjoyed the thrill of intercourse with a young virgin,
00:09:09
Speaker
but also from those who believe the relations with the unspoiled girl would cure of venereal diseases or would ins ensure of a safe sex experience. so It was kind of like twofold. So A, those are those of a perverse nature who sought after the younger girls. And we'll get to that later. Just how young these girls truly were. And when I state young, I am stating like Charlotte and her mother and other madams and pimps of the time were known to start getting girls. Like when they were around the ages of like 30.
00:09:49
Speaker
so they were procuring these girls because a a lot of men at the time liked having sex with these young girls. It's not sex. It's rape. um Having inappropriate relations with these young girls. And then there are those who believed that the only way they they can ensure having safe sex because during this period ah STDs, STIs were running rampant. I will do a whole episode over venereal disease treatments and venereal disease hospitals during this time and just I believe it's like one in five people. or if not more, if i remember correctly, were infected with syphilis alone. So that's just like how out there it was. So that is why the want for a virgin was very high.
00:10:40
Speaker
because it was the only way to have quote-unquote safe sex. And condoms, while they were starting to be a thing of the period, they were made of sheep intestines, they were not 100% effective because they were hand-washed after each use. And when we say that technically it was one of the only ways to ensure that the person you were sleeping with did not have diseases, it's technically because a lot of the madams did manufacture these maidenhoods and virgin experiences with these girls. The reason that these madams and pimps did this is because it was easier than constantly having to search and look for young virgins. And they could make a lot of money reselling the girl and her virginity over and over and over again, especially if the girl in question looked young and well enough. Charlotte herself, when she was asked how her brothel was able to produce so many virgins, she explained, as to maidenheads, it was her opinion that a woman might lose hers a hundred times over and be as good as virgin as ever, and that a maidenhead was easily made as pudding.
00:12:06
Speaker
And so if you hear that, you're like, that is a very odd and weird thing to say. Now, the reason that Charlotte would say this is actually all thanks to a recipe book that was published and kind of well-known to madams and women of the time.
00:12:28
Speaker
So like I said, it was a well-known thing among these women that If you can find a virgin, you can sell that, you can upmarket, you can make profit of it.
00:12:40
Speaker
So you might as well try to do anything you can do to get your money, to get your bag. So one of the things that there was this book out and it was this book that was really well known called the oak enemy of love and it was by this man called john armstrong that contains a recipe for the restoration of virginity and in it the recipe states that to tighten the walls of the vagina a mixture of herbs consisting of myrtles stoppick berries the roots of the caper bush oat bark bestort and dock and plantain
00:13:16
Speaker
This was to be boiled in a wine until the herbs released their astringent smell formed in a lotion that was to be applied several times a day. And so just knowing this and then knowing with my background of studying women's recipe books and then how that knowledge was then transversed and used and copied into medical history books and used and sold to the mass markets.
00:13:42
Speaker
This was just something that was already common knowledge most likely among these women and was passed down either verbally or orally. and And this was a knowledge that they would have shared among each other. So it's just interesting to see how like a recipe book-esque is being used by these women as a way of kind of like restorative practice.
00:14:03
Speaker
to try and a means to make them more money. So that was one method of restoring virginity. Other madams would use a small animal bladder that was filled with blood that was inserted in the vagina of the girl so that when it was broken, it would replicate like a broken hymen or likewise, they would do something similar with a blood soaked sponge. And so this was kind of means that they were able to replicate like a girl becoming a virgin again, re-virginizing if
Manipulation and Relationships with Wealthy Men
00:14:39
Speaker
you will. So going back to Charlotte and her journey with this. So we don't know actually how much Charlotte's maidenhood sold for. We know that in the period that some could range anywhere from 20 pounds to 52 pounds, just depending. And that in today's money would range anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000.
00:15:05
Speaker
two fifteen thousand dollars So quite a bit of money. And remember that they could do this multiple times over again. Now that's on the lower end. On the higher side, and if the bod was skillful and if the girl was pretty enough, which is most likely the case given Elizabeth Ward's background and what we know of Charlotte and how she was described as being a very beautiful girl for her period, some girl's virginity could have been auctioned off for anywhere as high as 100 pounds back then.
00:15:44
Speaker
which in today's time is almost as high as 29,000 pounds. So we can see just how much a madam would have to gain from this.
00:15:55
Speaker
And we do know from one source called the nocturnal Revels, which was essentially a pamphlet book that had two editions. The one that I'm referencing was written in 1779. This one was written by a man who called himself a monk who was a member of the Hellfire Club, which during this period was essentially men's sex club of high men of high society who attended the brothels like Charlotte's, also nearly all the sex parties that you can think of, and participated in very debaucherous behavior. And they recorded it down and one of these books.
00:16:37
Speaker
There's really no way to verify if any of this is true, but this is kind of the closest thing we do have to a primary source, speaking of it. But he said, this monk, he said in the Nocturnal Revels that Charlotte's virginity was resold several times. Now, after her mother did the reselling of Charlotte's virginity, her mother's next goal was to get Charlotte set up as kept mistress.
00:17:08
Speaker
which is one of the highest statuses that you can achieve as a prostitute. It essentially means that the man is paying for everything and you have access to his accounts as well if he so deems it. It was a way for the men at times to also show off their wealth by keeping ah a mistress. By saying like, not only can I afford to dress my wife in the highest fashions and have our house in the highest styles, but I can afford to keep my mistress in the highest fashions, if not better. I can have her in the highest jewels and I can have my mistress host and pay for my mistress to host on my dime the best parties with the best wine, with the best food.
00:18:03
Speaker
And I'm fronting the bill for all of this. It was also like the man would pay for the woman's house. The man would pay for the woman's clothing. The man would pay for any of the food if she went to pretty much any of the bars he would have, a tab that she could put everything on. Essentially is, in a way, you could think of it like having a sugar daddy. There are differences, but it's essentially sugar daddy-esque. in a way. Now, one of the things that was very common was for the kept mistresses to take the name of their keeper if they were with them for long enough. So a lot of people assume that is where Charlotte changed her name from Ward to Hayes. But in all the accounts that we have, and from what we know, there's no record of Charlotte ever being with a man whose last name was Hayes anywhere in her history.
00:19:01
Speaker
So that part of her still does remain a secret. Now, when everyone talks about Charlotte, and from all the accounts that we have of Charlotte, everyone states that she was beautiful. Yes, she was pretty, yes.
00:19:17
Speaker
But what made her really stand out and last the test of time was not her looks, but was mainly her bewitching and alluring personality. It was noted that her composure and dignity and gentility made her unlike so many girls and that during her whole life that hardly an unfavorable word was uttered against her. And this once again goes back to her mother and her mother's training and schooling because her mother knew like looks would get you far but how you acted would get you further.
00:19:55
Speaker
and so that's really what she can accredit to her mom. But what made her really really shine and A lot of people note this, and this was written in her Harris's List blurb as well, was her way to kind of effortlessly manipulate and deceive these men, but do so in a way that the men kind of felt like it was their own idea so that they would be okay with it. And this can be seen best with her relationship. with Bo Tracy and our good old poet friend from the last episode, Sam Derrick. Now, Robert Bo Tracy, he came from a very esteemed and established family and a very, very rich family as well. Not only this, but he was the only heir. So he grew up being denied nothing and he acted like it.
00:20:54
Speaker
However, it cannot be said that Tracy was an idiot for he had passions for learning in life. And it was this passion for life and for learning and the love of that that led him to cross paths with Jesus.
00:21:06
Speaker
derek and it was also much like derek that he had such a weakness for women and when crossed paths with charlotte he was a goner in the biggest of senses But while he was very much head over heels, Charlotte kind of diluted him into thinking it was a love affair. But in reality, she knew it was a business transaction. She knew that the notion of love gets rewards like housing, clothing, and needs being met.
00:21:41
Speaker
And so she knew that in theory that she had to sell the idea that her devotion to him was as deep as his was to her. The nocturnal revels states that she had so much at her command that she could fleece him at will, which is essentially that she could do whatever she wanted with him. Like she could spend him for all his money. She could do this and that. And Tracy would just allow it.
00:22:09
Speaker
so much so that she was known to carry out affairs which as a kept mistress you could have your favorites still you could still carry out affairs but the manner in which charlotte did it took it to a whole new level because charlotte carried out her affairs all on beau tracy's dime I'll read like a snippet from the Nocturnal Rebels so. So that Charlotte was notoriously unfaithful to him he still winked at it without unbraining her. When she had inclination to enjoy the company of a favorite man, she would take him to the Shakespeare or the Rose and regale him at Beau's expense in the most scrumptious manner.
00:22:52
Speaker
For he having simply given her credit at those houses, Often when he thought there might be a score of four or five pounds, there would be one of 30 or 40. And hearing that, what Charlotte would do is she would take her favorite, which is the man that she was interested at the time, who was not Bo,
00:23:13
Speaker
And she would go to Shakespeare's Head or The Rose, which she had a credit at because Tracy was covering for it and paying her. And while Tracy thought that he would, you know, Charlotte would only, you know, charge up a tab of like, like, you know, a couple, like one or two drinks.
00:23:30
Speaker
No, she would run it up. Tracy would be okay with it. He never, he never scolded her, got onto her anything. So Charlotte kept doing it. And then another thing that she would do is when be would call on her, because keep in mind, she's a kept woman.
00:23:47
Speaker
Kept women do, there's a contract. If you're being kept, you have obligations to an fulfill the man who is paying for your company. She would be always dressed to the great advantage and then pretend to be in a violent hurry to go to the play or some other public diversion. She would not stay a moment unless he would toss her for a guinea each time. To this he readily yielded for the sake of her company.
00:24:13
Speaker
Whenever she won, she always took it. When she lost, she did not pay. By this means, in about a quarter of an hour, she would ease him of all his ready money, then bounce away and laugh at him. So essentially, Charlotte would not be with Beau for a minute longer than she had to be whenever that they were at the table gaming together, which was very popular at the time. If she lost, she never paid it. She would have Beau paid it. But if she won the money, she would take all that money as if it was her own. But even men at the time and the other people at this time, they didn't blame Charlotte.
00:24:49
Speaker
Everyone kind of blamed Tracy for not keeping better charge of Charlotte. and one of her favorites at this time was one of Tracy's good friends. It was Sam Derrick. So while she was running amok on Tracy's dime, Sam was benefiting just as much. It was stated that like, while we don't know if she loved Sam, we do know that Sam said that she always showed him kindness and comfort.
00:25:20
Speaker
And Sam states like, if he didn't have shoes, she would provide him with shoes because remember, Sam Derrick was not a practical man. He would spend what little money he did have on embroidering six waistcoats and jackets and spend no money on clean undershirts for himself and no money on food. But Sam did state that Charlotte would be one of the ones who would look after him, who would give him housing and food when he had none. So we do know that even if she didn't love Sam, we do know that she always showed him a kindness and a comfort.
00:25:54
Speaker
which is kind of more than we can say for what she showed Beau Tracy. Now, by 1755, keep in mind, Beau Tracy was the only heir of a very, very, very wealthy family.
00:26:10
Speaker
And by 1755, his finances were a mess. And the Nocturnal Revels states that it must appear obvious to everyone that by pursuing such a line of conduct, Tracy and might in time have squandered away the most ample fortune in England. So even then they were like, wow, dude fumbled the bag hard.
00:26:33
Speaker
And in 1756, at the young age of around 30, Tracy died very young.
Financial Downfall and Debtor's Prison
00:26:40
Speaker
He died of a mystery illness and Tracy actually ended up getting the last laugh because all he left of Charlotte was five pounds. Now, this was an insult to Charlotte because now she had to figure out how was she going to pay for her life. because Sam could not afford to keep her. He was a penniless poet and while comfort and kindness were great, they did not cover the bills and now Charlotte had to figure out a way um because Tracy wasn't covering for her lodging, for her dressing, for her food and board anymore and all those people were coming knocking for all of the bills that she had to pay.
00:27:24
Speaker
She had to sell everything that she owned. So all the silk dresses that she had, all the jewelry that she had her housing, her furniture in it, she had to sell everything. And even that wasn't enough to cover her debts.
00:27:36
Speaker
So in 1757, she was sent to the fleet, AKA the debtor's prison. And while Sam did try to go to those she owned the most money and like plead the case, He was ultimately unsuccessful and Charlotte was stuck there. Now the fleet itself contained about a hundred cells. It had an ale house, coffee house, a chapel and a kitchen and an outdoor area.
00:28:02
Speaker
It was very hierarchical hierarchical. I'll just tell you right now. I can say hierarchy. Don't think I can say it. It was very hierarchical and it was split into essentially like two classes.
00:28:14
Speaker
those who had money to pay for little comforts and those who did not. So kind of just like the bods, the wardens and his staff realized that they can shake down those in prison even more. So the first fee that those who entered had to pay was one pound six shillings and that was for them to even be hosted.
00:28:38
Speaker
in the prison itself so they had to pay to be there and keep in mind these people are already in debt there was fees for food bedding clothing and water and then after that the prison would essentially split into two sides the masters so those who would spend a few shillings a week and who were able to to to allow for a few comforts and then the comments so those who cannot so the master side is where charlotte would find herself because she wasn't completely destitute she'd have some money left over just not enough to pay off the large amounts of debt now many at the time specifically men realized that you can sell your items of clothing this or that to pay goods
00:29:26
Speaker
The women who were in this prison, many realize the hard way that their greatest value and worth was sadly between their legs. So, and Charlotte was specifically in danger as well because Charlotte was once seen as this very sought after and most esteemed out of reach woman there was.
00:29:46
Speaker
She was something that was to spend a night with her it was something that a lot of the men in there could never even dream of because they could never afford it. But now Charlotte is in there and she's on the same page they are.
00:30:00
Speaker
She's in the same presence and now nothing is stopping them. And also it can be argued that due to her upbringing and who her mother was, to an extent Charlotte always had some say who she could and could not sleep with.
00:30:17
Speaker
Obviously, we do not know if this is actually the case. We don't know if her mom ever forced her. We don't know if any men ever forced themselves upon her. But we do know that like because of her high standing, she had more say than a lot of other women at the time.
00:30:33
Speaker
And that was a courtesy that a lot of women did not have. But now in the fleet, she has a little to no control who has access over her body.
Partnership with Dennis O'Kelly
00:30:42
Speaker
And she knows that the only way to gain back some sense of control would be to find a protector. Essentially a man to kind of stand guard, watch over her, and kind of like work with.
00:30:56
Speaker
And that is where Dennis O'Kelly enters the picture. We don't know what point in her three-year stay in the fleet that their paths cross, but it would change both of their lives forever. So Dennis was from Ireland, and he himself was a master gambler.
00:31:14
Speaker
And while he was great at gambling, it was also gambling that would make him end up in the fleet itself. So Charlotte took notice of him because when she saw him, it was stated that even though he was close to being naked and he was in strips, he he was a fairly attractive man.
00:31:33
Speaker
So that may have caught her eye, but what caught her eye is it said that even though he was in the fleet, his spirit had not dimmed. So Charlotte, she fed him and clothed him and managed to get him a job working at the tap.
00:31:46
Speaker
And that is essentially where he would go around and kind of charge other prisoners a fee for getting it drinked. And now while others who were working the tap before him were not liked, he was actually pretty well liked mainly for his cheerful attitude and for the Irish songs that he would sing the other prisoners while he did so Things were already starting to look up for her and Dennis. He was able to make some money from doing this, but they realized that if they really wanted to make it out of there, they needed to make even more so, and that they realized that the way they had to do it is that Dennis would have to go back to gambling. That was the only way that they could make a lot of money in a short amount of time. However, this is where the big planning would have to come in because the fleet, there were what these were called these day rules where the prisoners to go work or to meet with their lawyers, they could leave the prison during the day.
00:32:45
Speaker
but they had to be back as soon as the sun began to set. Dennis is a gambling man who plays cards and he knows these card games can be unpredictable, so he can't just leave because the sun goes down.
00:32:58
Speaker
So this is where Charlotte would come in to distract the guards. We don't know from context of how women in guards go together. It was said that she would throw wine and orgies. We don't know she herself participated in the orgies or she got others to participate in the orgies. But and this is ultimately where a big deal of trust had to exist between Dennis and Charlotte. Mainly because Dennis was trusting Charlotte not to rat him out to the guards and Charlotte was trusting Dennis to come back to the prison so she wouldn't be stuck there in that life.
00:33:38
Speaker
And it worked. And in between all of this, Dennis and Charlotte would make plans. Charlotte's main goal at the time, what she wanted was to open up a brothel and she, just like her mother, she wanted it to be one that was set apart from all the rest.
00:33:52
Speaker
Her goal was to call it a nunnery and have it be elegant and refined in manner. One that kind of mimicked ones that were seen in France at the time and hadn't been seen so far yet in London of another class.
00:34:04
Speaker
And the two got their break in 1760. The two were released on prison on a new law that had passed stating if any prisoners were able to show a good portion of money raised that they would be able to be released from the fleet.
00:34:18
Speaker
So the two went there separate raised at first, but they both knew that it was going to be temporary. So Charlotte was still hiding from those she owed money. And this is where she asked her old friend Derek if he could write her up in Harris's list.
00:34:33
Speaker
And this is what her old friend Derek wrote of her in 1776. sixty one Time was when this lady was raining toast, when she rolled about in her chariot, shown in a front box, and who but she. She has been, however, a good while in eclipse, and is said to have chosen Scotland Yard for the suppletee of the air, which might in other parts of town be thickened by the rude breath of calamitous creditors.
00:35:01
Speaker
Were we to enter into an exact description of this celebrated ties, that is, were we to describe each limb in a feature a party, they would not appear so well as taken altogether, in which we must acknowledge her very pleasing and in our eye, and sure nobody can better tell what is what, she is desirable as ever. Her eyes are gray, her hair is brown, and continence as open for her heart.
00:35:28
Speaker
For notwithstanding the varieties she has seen in life, she has not learned to deceive. Her connection with the famous beau Tracy is well known. It is instead said she was the only woman he was ever fond of, that he squandered a good deal of money upon her. Charlotte was born of English parents of Genova and brought to England very young.
00:35:49
Speaker
She is said to never have loved any man in life, but to be very extravagant. So that kind of just like goes and kind of like sticks to the fact that yes, and at this point, Charlotte is well in her 30s now, which is little past her prime for...
00:36:07
Speaker
prostitute and Sam does acknowledge that. You know, she's been however a good while in Eclipse. You know, she she's been out of it. You know, wow while she's still out, she's still very pretty and she's not learned to deceive. I think that just speaks to like, Sam knew this woman, he knew the kind of relationship that she had with Trace and he saw what he saw and he can still speak good of her even though things did not end well.
00:36:32
Speaker
between them. And kind of just love this last line that he describes her with. She is said to have never loved any man in her life, but to be very extravagant. So it's kind of just setting the scene of who Charlotte is as this person. And that is kind of like how Charlotte would have to, you know, and know operate.
00:36:53
Speaker
to operate and so She knows she is at the end kind of enter of her line as a prostitute. She's not going to make the most money. So she knows that what she has to do now is kind of transition and into becoming like her mother was a brothel owner and a madam. And that is going to take some time because now she has to procure girls.
00:37:15
Speaker
She has to get a house. But to do that will take money. so In part, she has to hope that Dennis will also have to be able to raise the needs as well.
Opening a High-Class Brothel
00:37:26
Speaker
By 1761, the couple were able to open a small brothel in Soho. It was a very small scale operation. It was just starting out. It was just Charlotte.
00:37:38
Speaker
in two or three girls. And the girls that she selected were of the highest quality. She made sure of that. She wanted her selection to be of the best. She carried out that idea that she had in the fleet. Now, we're flash forwarding to the year 1766. Charlotte and Dennis had had much success.
00:38:03
Speaker
So much so that they were able to move into a house. The name of the house that they called it was Santa Charlotta of King's Place and it was right off of King Street and this was about in 1766. This was house of luxury and just like she said she titled it a nunnery and each girl there was a nun.
00:38:25
Speaker
um and a member of Venus, kind of reflecting that Greek and Roman ideal and mythology of love and sensuality and sexuality and kind of oozing that.
00:38:37
Speaker
And all of the girls that she employed reflected that. And Charlotte was constantly on the lookout for the best of the best. So Charlotte, like Jack Harris, was always searching for the streets of the prettiest face. So she would do that and the girls who were selling flowers, the girls who were selling fruit, any of the maid servants that were walking by, she was constantly on the prowl. Now, the Nocturnal Revels also states that her two most popular ways of doing recruitment were, the first was going to the registrar's office, which is kind of like a job searching place.
00:39:17
Speaker
Charlotte would go in simple clothing, so no one would knew who she was and the occupation that she was looking for. and she would ask for a lady's maid. Then once a girl was selected, and this is I am gonna put a trigger warning for assault. Once the girl was selected, Charlotte would bring her back to a lodging that she had rented. She would then serve the girl a dram of alcohol and then lock her in the room until a client came. Once the client leaves, you can imagine what would happen. The girl would be given a few guineas, given a new gown and shoes and presented with the options.
00:39:52
Speaker
The author of Nocturnal Rebels stated, is travesty and horrendous what Charlotte put these girls through and how the means in which recruited them and the horrors in which these girls persisted.
00:40:06
Speaker
and it is horrendous what charlotte put these girls through and how the means in which she recruited them and the horrors in which these girls persisted And it also saying at the same time is that this is the only life that Charlotte knew.
00:40:23
Speaker
Selling sex was the only life that Charlotte had ever grown up with. This was the life that her mother taught her. And that's not excusing Charlotte because what Charlotte did was very horrific.
00:40:35
Speaker
I think it can also be stated and gain background of knowing where she came from. and knowing her background of selling sex was the only life that Charlotte knew. But still be true in the fact that the conditions in which she put these girls in was also very much fucked up. Now, the next means that Charlotte would go to procure girls would be to take out an advertisement in the newspaper. And this is an example of them.
00:41:02
Speaker
So it says, wanted a young woman under 20 who has had the smallpox, who has not been long in town as a maid servant of all work in a Gentile family. She must turn her hand to everything as it is proposed, putting her under a man cook of skill and eminence. She must get up small things and even large ones occasionally. understanding clear starching without clapping and know something of pastry, at least to make standing crust, also preserving fruit.
00:41:34
Speaker
Good wages and proper encouragement will be given if she proves handy and can easily conceive According to instructions given to her so knowing what we know there's a lot of innuendos in this so She must turn her hand to everything under a man cook She must get up small things and even large ones know something a pastry at least making standing crusts proper encouragement will be given if she proves handy so while it is very on the nose to a girl
00:42:06
Speaker
To a very naive maidservant who is not fully aware, this may seem like a good job. It's well-paying. It's a maidservant of all work. You know, it can has good wages, proper encouragement. So the girls would go and apply for this job, and then the same thing would happen.
00:42:25
Speaker
Now, once the girls were under Charlotte's care, then they would kind of go through an education course to ensure they were the best. This course would cover how to observe people's behaviors and manners to know how to like make them work.
00:42:41
Speaker
Then a location, so how to properly talk and sound of higher classes than what they may have been born to. dancing, music, and anything to make them behave like the best ladies of London. Other rules.
00:42:56
Speaker
The girls could not pursue friendships outside of the brothel. Any female brought in had to be vouched for and go through a vouching process. Daily activity was closely monitored and contained.
00:43:09
Speaker
They had all of their meals together and went out as a group together through theater, walks in public. And then all the girls were checked out by a doctor that Charlotte had hired and essentially had on staff. So all of this was kind of in two parts.
Social Climbing and Personal Struggles
00:43:26
Speaker
A, it was to monitor the girls to make sure that they weren't getting into trouble, weren't getting with any men that they were supposed to be, kind of weren't getting led astray, but any women that they were supposed, any thoughts that were put in their head that weren't supposed to be put into their head.
00:43:41
Speaker
Also, the second part of this was to build camaraderie, kind of build friendship with the girls to make them want to stay the brothel even more. So Charlotte at the time was able to make a success of her empire more than any other brothel keeper at the time. So much so that in 1771, she opened up another nunnery. While she has so much to credit herself for this, her husband, Dennis, does have a memoir published about him. And in that memoir, her money-saving skills and her ability to work with money are highly, highly regarded and credited for for this. It ah is also of note that what also helped their growing bank account was Dennis's success at
00:44:26
Speaker
gambling however with gambling like we know comes ebbs and flows dennis had also at the time had found success success in the horse racing world and he had bought himself a very successful horse that he was able to a lot a lot of races and then was able to stud which i learned not long ago that that just essentially means taking the horse's sperm to make other horses and then sell that sperm for a price. But her and Dennis knew that the next steps for them to be considered in society and be placed at the table and kind of be seen as
00:45:05
Speaker
no longer as outsiders looking in with these members of society that they were always like rubbing shoulders with, that they were always serving and serving the needs of partaking. And now since they were rising in the ranks money-wise, to be seen as equals with them, the only way to do that, no matter how much money you had, that didn't matter. What matters is if you own land.
00:45:26
Speaker
And so they knew that that was their next step. And that is why 1769 such a big, big here for them because 1769 is when they would purchase the Clay Hill estate which had a good deal of land. It was a short ride to the racetrack so it was perfect for Dennis and then it was ah under a day's journey from London so it still worked out for Charlotte.
00:45:53
Speaker
Charlotte also in that year she would find out that she was pregnant. 1769 also the year that Sam Derrick would die. And it was that year that he would leave the proceedings of the list.
00:46:08
Speaker
So everything it made and all the profits it had made in its time, anything it had left over, he would leave it to his dear friend, Charlotte Hayes, who had stuck with him in the hard times. And that would actually help Charlotte, help tie up some financial struggles that it had come from running a successful brothel and buying an estate created. Now, Charlotte was ultimately hoping for a boy. when she found out she was pregnant because she knew that a son could be forgiven for having a mother with a questionable bat background like hers. Even though her and Dennis were making steps to become more acceptable in society, while they had a very successful brothel, it was very, it was not one of the lower ones. It was very high-end. It was very esteemed.
00:46:56
Speaker
and now they owned an estate and Dennis was running a very successful horse enterprise I guess you could call it with his new racing horse and he was at the track constantly and he was with this like new group of like track racing high-class buddies she knew that if they were to have a son Her background can kind of be overlooked and forgotten, and her son can make amends and kind of raise in society.
00:47:25
Speaker
She knew though that if she had a daughter, the daughter would take on the past of the mother and would never be forgiven, and kind of the sins of the mother would live on. That is why when Charlotte found out and when Mary, her daughter, was born, she knew right away that she did not want Mary, her daughter, to have the life that she had. She wanted Mary to have the best life possible. And so she knew that to do that, Mary could never really be seen with Charlotte and Dennis.
00:47:56
Speaker
So Mary was essentially raised... by Dennis's family with Charlotte visiting in secret when she could. When her daughter was at the age of 12, Charlotte took her to a boarding school in Belgium. And kind of a story that kind of encapsulates why Charlotte felt like she had to do what she had to do is when, even when Charlotte was dropping her off in Belgium, which she thought was far enough away from London, Charlotte ran into some of her clients
00:48:28
Speaker
And is this was one of her like high-end, like best-known clients and his brothers or friends. And the client and his friends start hitting on her daughter in a very rude manner. And keep in mind, the daughter's 12.
00:48:44
Speaker
well And essentially these men are saying things of like, what are you doing here with such a young girl? me see if I can find it. Yeah. So the brothers in question, the clients in question were called the Hickneys.
00:48:58
Speaker
The Hickneys brothers described being beastly drunk could not prevent himself from making making overtures towards the 12-year-old Miss O'Kelly, at which the mother was greatly enraged. Regardless of Charlotte's anger, Joseph Hickley continued his nonsense, swearing the young one's bosom had already too much swell for a nun.
00:49:18
Speaker
No canting anything. hypocritical friar should have the fingering of those plump loose globes. Hickney's brother then lunged at the girl clapping his hands upon Mrs. Bosom.
00:49:29
Speaker
Much to the male's guest's surprise, Charlotte was visibly horrified. Shaking with anger, she entreated that he would cease to use such indecent language and action before her innocent child. innocent echoed joseph very innocent to be sure but she knows a thing or two however i'll take her to bed with me and discern how matters are with that a struggle ensued joseph hickley attempted to pull the girl away from the table while charlotte parting with her unusually polite demeter immediately jumped from her chair in a wrathful voice
00:50:03
Speaker
bestowed some tolerably vulgar abuse upon them and wrestled Mary from the clutches of the brothers. So even though she had made it all the way to Belgium and thought she was safe, she wasn't. And even though she had told them that this is my child, she's innocent, the men knowing her didn't believe her and still tried to get away with it.
00:50:25
Speaker
Which just kind of proved Mary's point that like, no matter how high in society I go and try to separate myself, my daughter won't be safe. That's why I have to take my daughter here. Now, what's very sad is that after dropping off her daughter, there is no further record of her daughter being mentioned anywhere. again not in a will nothing um and is this because of this that we historians assume that her daughter did die while in the boarding school then in 1776 a few years later things were still going good between charlotte and dennis were still at some point able to maintain the life that they had going in between london and the their country estate
00:51:14
Speaker
splitting the time back and forth. However, in 1776 a debt kind of arose in which a 50 pounds were to be owed to a dressmaker and because of a miscommunication or mishap Charlotte actually found herself once again in the debtor's prison and all of this happened while Dennis was at the racetracks.
00:51:38
Speaker
So once Dennis had finally learned of this and he made it up to jail to bail her out, she was able to be released. But it kind of just shows that like they had all of this and just because of one slip up, she could find herself right back to where she was in all of the beginning and where it all started.
00:51:58
Speaker
Come 70, 78, and Charlotte at this point, I believe is like 53. And she had decided, you know, I'm kind of tired of the city for a while. I want to retire to the country. and But what Charlotte didn't realize was just how isolating living in the country would be. Because in the city, Charlotte could mix and mingle with anyone. She could go to the taverns, she could go to the parties, and there was never anyone telling her that she never belonged in a place because Charlotte essentially set the rules. She she made and set the rules for her own society with her brothels.
00:52:39
Speaker
And the people that she invited. And she could go to the theaters. And she could go to the stores. And she could go to the parks. But what Charlotte didn't realize is that the country and country living played much, much different game. Because in the country, she couldn't.
00:52:56
Speaker
In the country, the women, the wives, the wives of the husbands of the men who were hiring capped mistrishes, they didn't want to be around her. They didn't want to invite her to their houses.
00:53:10
Speaker
And that was essentially the only thing you could do. You would retire to each other's homes. So then that essentially meant that the only place that she could go is where any place that James went.
00:53:21
Speaker
So to the racetracks, to the taverns, and that was essentially it, or her
Grand Event and Later Years
00:53:26
Speaker
house. So she essentially then lived in isolation. with nothing really to do with her own time and she became very lonely so after eighteen months of living like this charlotte decided to move back to the city and during this time she always still maintained self so self sufficient brothels so When she came back to the city in 1778, she kind of wanted to go out on on a high streak and kind of bid farewell to Santa Charletta and King's Place because she knew she wanted to move somewhere, ultimately end up somewhere smaller. to So to go out in a big, big fashion, if you will, she decided that she was going to throw in
00:54:13
Speaker
a charlotte manor a tahitian feast of venus which was inspired by captain cook's recent voyages of the south pacific and and an invitation that she sent out this is what she described it was going to be as miss hayes presents her most respectful compliments to lord and takes liberty to acquaint him that tomorrow evening precisely at seven a dozen beautiful nymphs unsullied and untainted who breathe health and nature will perform the celebrated rites of Venus as practice at Ulta Haiti under the instruction and tuition of Queen Oberera in which character Miss Hayes would appear upon this occasion. And so for this event, she sought out a whole bunch of new recruits and not only was she going to have her girls there, but she was also going to have athletic men participate as well. And so the night of the event,
00:55:11
Speaker
As the clock struck eleven, the males presented each of their mistress with a nail of at least twelve inches in length. So essentially at the end of that sexual olymp oh sexual Olympics, if you will, all the parties would go off and and enjoy the night. And that kind of marked the end of Santa.
Legacy and Morality Questions
00:55:31
Speaker
charlotta And during this time, she kind of drew back and started to maintain smaller and self-sufficient brothels.
00:55:41
Speaker
But then her public appearances became less and less. Between the years 1783 85, she recluse. refused to leave the house and became a recluse In all the accounts and all of her memoirs of her and Dennis, no one knows what plagued her or what caused it. She started to gather a great menagerie of animals.
00:56:02
Speaker
The best was known was a parrot named Polly that Dennis himself actually gave her. And it says she cherished that animal and loved it so much. And all of this is said too that Dennis never left her side at once during all this. He was there with her for all of it.
00:56:18
Speaker
And then 1787, upon Dennis's death, Charlotte fell into a deeper melancholy, so much so that Dennis's own family was deeply worried about her. um And they were writing letters between themselves to check on Charlotte.
00:56:34
Speaker
And she would actually become to rely greatly on his family for support. The relationship between her and Dennis, it was said that Dennis may have actually been the only man that she really did love and she actually would go on to take the name of Miss Kelly and the reason that it said that she did love Dennis is because the trust that they would come to form and how much they did greatly come to rely on each other and really just how much his death affected her. Additionally, in his will, Dennis looked after Charlotte even after death because he ensured that she would be taken care of. She was allowed to still live in his estate. She would get a monthly allowance um and to be looked after. Now, Charlotte would go on to live until 1813 she would die of reasons not recorded. She herself would outlive
00:57:30
Speaker
both Harris's list of Covent Garden ladies and both of its authors. Now, Charlotte as a woman, as a madam, as a prostitute, she has a very complicated history and a very complicated past.
00:57:44
Speaker
Can we judge Charlotte for her actions? She's a very complicated person because while she did go on to do so much and while she did go on to raise this very successful life, it was also off the backs of so many other women that did have to suffer because of it. So it is kind of interesting to see and to compare it in those aspects. And could you argue that she was just living the life that her mother groomed her for and that's all she knew?
00:58:15
Speaker
Absolutely. But I think it is kind of you have to weigh them both together. So that is ultimately the life of notorious madam Charlotte Hayes. That is this week's episode. Thank you so much for listening. If you like the episode, like, should share, subscribe, rate it um post it on your Insta stories for me to see. I will be back next week with a new episode. Have a good one, you guys, and I look forward to seeing it and talking with you again next week.