290:. As she had done in St James's, she decorated the house in opulent style and hired liveried servants to wait on her customers. The Covent Garden location meant that customers were plentiful. It also had the advantage of being close to the theatres; these supplied a continual flow of beautiful, but poor, actresses—who would supplement their incomes by working for Douglas. The customers coming from the many drinking dens and
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chimneys, and staircases. This house was decorated to the highest standards with fine furniture, china, glass, and expensive paintings adorning the walls. She added a restaurant with liveried waiters to serve the guests. As well as paying high prices to enjoy the luxurious surroundings and hand-picked girls of her establishment, her patrons were able to take advantage of
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By 1759, she was unable to continue business, and the lease on the King's Head passed to a relative, Amelia
Douglas. Jane was described as "much bloated by Drink and Debauch...her Legs swelled out of shape...suffering great discomfort". She died on 10 June 1761 leaving a considerable estate. The
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Around 1746, her fortunes took a turn for the worse. Her house fell out of fashion with high society and a lower class of customer began to patronise the establishment. Douglas herself became pregnant; the child was thought to be Lord
Fitzwilliam's and was the subject of much debate, although
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In 1741, Douglas moved to the opposite side of the square into the vacant King's Head. This house was much larger, with a garden and running water supplied to the basement. Douglas made further improvements, installing a drain and cesspool, extending the water supply, and renovating the roof,
154:, 1745 showing Douglas in the window at the bottom right praying for the safe return of her "Babes of Grace". Douglas' girls line the other windows, and the cats on the roof indicate the house is a "cattery"; the signboard shows King Charles
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and his anti-vice patrols, and was arrested. On most of these occasions she escaped with a fine, or by bribery escaped punishment completely, but she did once or twice have to spend time in prison.
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as "that inimitable
Courtesan". She was on intimate terms with many influential people, both men and women, but had a particularly close friendship with John Williams (later 1st
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family named
Marinet. She had three sisters and at least one brother, but nothing more is known of the family. By the time she was 17, she was already working as a
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of the time. She took a house in the Little Piazza, to the east of the main piazza on the corner of
Russell Street, that had recently been vacated by
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She attempted to maintain an honest house, discharging girls if they were caught stealing, but from time to time she fell afoul of the
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that surrounded the square were often drunk and rowdy. This led to disturbances at the house, and occasional raids and arrests.
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in mid-18th century London. Known at the time as "The
Empress of the Bawds", her house in
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Wits, Wenchers and
Wantons - London's Low Life: Covent Garden in the Eighteenth Century
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often sketched in her house and featured her praying from the window of her house in
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London - The Wicked City: A Thousand Years of
Prostitution and Vice
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contents of her house were sold off by her friend, the auctioneer
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was a frequent visitor and presented her with some silver plate.
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Genuine
Memoirs of the Late Celebrated Jane D*****s, Anon. 1756
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in London under the name
Douglas. She worked out of a house in
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attracted customers from the higher echelons of society.
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Madam Britannia: Women, Church, and Nation 1712-1812
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Mother Douglas was born around 1698 to a well-to-do
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531:RĂ©veil, Etienne Achille; Duchesne, Jean (1833).
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230:– 10 June 1761), commonly known as
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29:18th century London brothel-keeper
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534:Museum of Painting and Sculpture
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24:Jane Douglas (disambiguation)
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18:For the Scottish noble, see
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545:A Great and Monstrous Thing
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432:White 2013
404:References
398:The Mirror
389:Fanny Hill
260:St James's
256:prostitute
208:Occupation
181:1761-06-10
169:, Scotland
82:newspapers
252:Edinburgh
167:Edinburgh
537:. Audot.
308:syphilis
284:brothels
264:John Gay
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