For a study I am doing of labor force activities in
19th Century British Port Cities, I have been trying to
find estimates of the numbers employed as prostitutes in
London and other major British ports during this period.
Mayhew in London Labour reports on the one hand the assessment
by the Bishop of Exeter that some 80,000 women were employed
in London as prostitutes while the City Police claimed that
the number did not exceed 8,000. I have also come across
the estimate by Leon Faucher tin *Manchester in 1844* that
official records reported 701 prostitutes but that to get a true
estimate this figure should be at least doubled. It is in the nature
of this occupation that reliable estimates of numbers employed will
be especially problematic if not impossible to develop.
But if anyone could refer to me other attempts to make some assessment
of the extent of prostitution in 19th C British port cities, I would
be grateful. For that matter, I would be interested in other references
to studies of occupational structure of Port Cities (I am familiar with
Jacob Price's important pieces on North American Port Cities.)
David Mitch
University of Maryland Baltimore County
Mitch@UMBC2.UMBC.EDU