Conclusion

Rather than dealing with crimes such as rape or theft, the Societies for the Reformation of Manners dealt with the sins which they believed were the root cause of all criminal activity, such as swearing and Sabbath-breaking. The appearance of Sir John Gonson in Hogarth's A Harlot's Progress indicates the prominence and strength of their campaigns against disorderly houses, yet also undermines the zealousness and alleged 'benevolence' of their work. The Societies may have been successful in regards to numbers of arrests and convictions, but I would argue that they provided more of a short term means of keeping control whilst the general perspective and ideas about sexuality, crime and prostitution gradually changed around them.

Works Cited:

Bindman, D. (1997) Hogarth and His Times. London: Cambridge University Press.

Hurl-Eamon, J. (2004) ‘Policing Male Heterosexuality: The Reformation of Manners Societies' Campaign against the Brothels in Westminster, 1690-1720’ Journal of Social History, Vol. 37: pp. 1017-1035

Trumbach, R. (1998) Sex and the Gender Revolution. USA: The University of Chicago Press.

Wheatley, H. B. (1909) Hogarth's London. London: Constable and Company Ltd.

www.rictornorton.co.uk/gu01.htm (last accessed: 31 March 2011)