In the foreword, the author writes that ‘I feel that this account has its place in the city’s social history and it needs to be known’ and that is certainly a fair point. For an author who has written on Preston war memorials and other illustrated works on the city it is certainly a departure. However, the transition is well made and book cannot be said to lack detail. In addition to local sources and census material there is evidence of background reading. Sometimes, the detail is so overwhelming, the court cases apparently repeating themselves in their evidence of criminality and the endless fines and imprisonment. Although the detail is from Preston the author is describing a phenomenon common to industrialisation across the world. A surplus male population gathered together to form a reservoir of labour, no available safety net and just about everyone – including the ‘respectable’ just an accident or an illness away from poverty and misery. An existence tempered by drink and with women the constant victims of violence.
It is not an easy read – but that is not to say that it is badly written. It is well researched, well presented and author has looked to provide context in respect of brothel and public order legislation, the various Beer Acts and the start of that Victorian obsession with ‘reforming’ the poor through pushing religion, temperance and education as the solutions for social ills. As the needs of the broader society change then the red-light district changes and ultimately fades away. Authority is stamped upon the population, more police brought in, more laws are passed and more women are imprisoned or ‘encouraged’ to move on.
There is a much broader sociological and cultural discussion to be had about prostitution, legislation and some of the labels accorded to those involved. It is not in this work, but what it does do is to present a detailed portrait of some aspects of working-class life in nineteenth century Preston – which is exactly what the author intended.
David Hargreaves