Madam violet biography
Dora Noyce
Scottish brothel keeper
Dora Noyce | |
|---|---|
Danube Street, Stockbridge, Edinburgh where Noyce ran a brothel at no. 17 | |
| Born | Georgie Hunter Rae Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Died | () (aged&#;76–77) |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Occupation | Brothel madam |
Dora Noyce (born Georgie Hunter Rae, [1]&#;)[2] was a Scottish brothel keeper ("madam") based in Edinburgh.
Early life
Born Georgie Hunter Rae in Rose Lane, Edinburgh,[3] the youngest of five, her parents were Alexander Rae, a cutler, and his wife Mary.[4] The poverty of her upbringing led Rae to prostitution and was working in the occupation before she reached her majority, soon adopting the accent of the affluent Morningside district of the city.
Although not her first offence, she did not receive her first conviction for living off immoral earnings until [3][5] Noyce had a daughter Violet (b. ), and took the surname of her child's official father to apply as a pseudonym.[1]
17 Danube Street
Noyce had begun to operate as a madam from premises at 17 Danube Street, Stockbridge, Edinburgh by the end of the second world war and it remained her base until she died.[3] She owned two floors of 17 Danube Street, plus other properties in the capital and in Blackpool, although none of these are believed to have been used as brothels.[5]
Overseeing 15 resident prostitutes, Noyce was able to draw on up to 25 other women in busy periods.[1][6] She could name on a contact in Glasgow and additional women would enter in taxis.[7] Her employees had regular health checks in line with the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act which legislated that "habitual prostitutes" should be checked for sexually transmitted diseases.[5] While she claimed in an interview that demand for her services was greatest during the Edinburgh International Festival, her second busiest period was when the general assembly of the Church of Scotland was in session each May.[8][9] Queues formed around the block when certain ships were in port.
The aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy docked at Leith in leading to her women reportedly attending to £4, of business in one nighttime. The ship's captain was forced to declare the house off-limits.[3][2]
Noyce disliked the description of her premises as a brothel, preferring "a house of leisure and pleasure"[10] or "a YMCA with extras"[11] and once observed: "In my profession there is no such thing as bad publicity, so do make sure you print the correct address in your newspaper".[3] Scottish writer Roddy Martine stumbled into Noyce's establishment in the early s, though remained uninvolved: "I remember it being rather scruffy.
There was a big television and girls sitting about on sofas with drunken men. Dora served glasses of dry white wine and asked the suddenly sober stag night revellers if they were sailors".[4] Because of its notoriety, neighbours in the vicinity of Noyce's brothel managed to acquire a reduction in their rates because of the impact on the value of local properties.[12]
A Conservative supporter who displayed banners for the party in her windows during elections, Noyce embarrassed her member of parliament by turning up at garden fetes.[13] She also attended Kirk, the services of the Church of Scotland.[14]
Law and order
Known for dressing in a fur coat, twinset and pearls, giving an outwardly respectable image,[15] Noyce was charged 47 times for living off immoral earnings, but generally paid the fine immediately (sometimes up to £).[3] When charged, according to a former senior Edinburgh policeman, she would only disclose to "doing what comes naturally" and "would simply accept it as part of the job".
She would pay the pleasant , keep a low profile for a day or two and then" continue "as if nothing had happened". Other accounts relate that she would converse with the press at Deacon Brodie's pub (in the Royal Mile) after a court appearance.[5]
Pleading at fault to charges relating to running a brothel, she was sentenced to two terms of three months in prison on 31 May ,[5] serving for four-months,[2] in what turned out her last period in custody.[16] On her release, she said her sentence "was very stupid of the court.
I was just a burden on the ratepayers and, goodness knows, they hold enough to put up with already".[10]
She served as a police informer on occasion, which helped to reduce the number of raids,[3] and reportedly had an "arrangement" whereby she would only be raided about twice a year in exchange for data, often about stolen goods.[5] On one official visit, she reputedly asked: "Business or pleasure, gentlemen?"[4] Local councillors commented that they received more complaints when Noyce was in prison because her business was less well managed.
Death
She became one of Edinburgh's characters, well known to locals, who was mourned when she died. A neighbour corresponded to The Scotsman newspaper in a letter published on 26 August "I confess to having felt something of affection for Dora Noyce.
Although not her first offence, she did not obtain her first conviction for living off immoral earnings until Noyce had begun to operate as a madam from premises at 17 Danube Street, Stockbridge, Edinburgh by the end of the second world war and it remained her base until she died. Overseeing 15 resident prostitutes, Noyce was able to trace on up to 25 other women in busy periods. The ship's captain was forced to declare the house off-limits.At least she was prepared to accept responsibility for what occurred within and outside of her premises It may well be that Mrs. Noyce was right when she always claimed that she offered a necessary social service". The establishment finally closed not long after she died.[17]
See also
References
- ^ abcDick, Sandra (25 February ).
"Danube Street brothel: From sex-starved sailors to the Capital's establishment". Edinburgh Evening News.
- ^ abcEmslie, Katie (14 December ).
"Nights at city's blue Danube St". Edinburgh Evemning News.
- ^ abcdefgMcLean, David (10 March ).
"Lost Edinburgh: 17 Danube Street". The Scotsman. Retrieved 28 December
- ^ abc"Danube Street brothel: From sex-starved sailors to the Capital's establishment".About this rating. For more than a decade, an ominous image has been doing the rounds on social mediaallegedly depicting a photo of a Victorian-era lady identified only as "Madam Violet," who was said to contain twice been voted the scariest woman in the U. According to one version of the caption, which often accompanies the black-and-white image, posted to Facebook March 13, Ina blog display on the website Spooky Celestial went into greater detail about the woman featured in the creepy image, offering the supposed backstory of "Violet Spears" along with additional photographs as proof, titled, "Not Sorry: The Story of Madam Violet and the Edinburgh Vampire Hive":.
The Scotsman. 25 February Retrieved 28 December
- ^ abcdef"A Parcel of Rogues: Dora Noyce - the prim and proper Tory who ran a notorious Edinburgh brothel".
The National. Glasgow. 21 April Retrieved 28 December
- ^Davidson, Roger; Davis, Gayle ().
In , medium and hypnotist Madam Violet began to attract notoriety in Edinburgh. By this time, the charasmatic spiritualist had gathered a little group of followers, whom she affectionately referred to as her “hive.”.
The Sexual State: Sexuality and Scottish Governance –80. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. p.&#; ISBN&#;.
- ^Davidson & Davis, p. 30
- ^Groom, Brian (3 September ). "Notebook: Virtues and vices of the manse".
Financial Times. Retrieved 28 December
- ^Roy, Kenneth ().
For more than a decade, an ominous image has been circulated, allegedly depicting a woman identified as the queen of a Scottish vampire hive. A black-and-white photo authentically shows a woman.
The Invisible Spirit: A Life of Post-War Scotland . Edinburgh: Birlinn. p.&#; ISBN&#;.
- ^ ab"Nights at city's blue Danube St". The Scotsman. 14 December Retrieved 28 December
- ^Crofton, Ian ().
A Dictionary of Scottish Phrase and Fable. Edinburgh: Birlinn.
Spooky | Spooky Moon: Dora Noyce (born Georgie Hunter Rae, [1] –) [2] was a Scottish brothel keeper ("madam") based in Edinburgh. Born Georgie Hunter Rae in Rose Street, Edinburgh, [3] the youngest of five, her parents were Alexander Rae, a cutler, and his wife Mary. [4].pp.&#;– ISBN&#;.
- ^Davidson & Davis, p. 32
- ^Meek, Brian (16 September ). "Prostitution and the least awful option". The Herald. Glasgow. Her reputed display of Conservative Party banners is described as an "urban legend" in "Sex and the City".
The Scotsman.
She was the daughter of H. AsquithPrime Minister from toand she was known as Lady Violet, a courtesy titleafter her father's elevation to the peerage as Earl of Oxford and Asquith in Later she became active in Liberal politics herself, and was a leading opponent of appeasement. She stood for Parliament and became a life peer.24 June Retrieved 28 December
- ^Bechhofer, Frank. "Prof David McCrone's retiral reception 14 September ". University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 28 December
- ^Dick, Sandra (25 October ). "The seedy underbelly of genteel Edinburgh".
The Scotsman. Retrieved 28 December
- ^Dick, Sandra (12 June ). "Edinburgh and sex: City's seedy history laid bare". The Scotsman. Retrieved 28 December
- ^Bondi, Liz (). "Sexing the City".Clans Covenants History Lexicon Pittsburghese. Because of her refusal to back Carthian Socialism or Carthian Capitalismthe Prefect Ben Franklin suggested she run for Myrmidon, a role she won easily as she ran unopposed. Born Roseanne Violet Spencer in rural southeastern Pennsylvania at the dawn of the 20th century to well-meaning parents of modest means, after a somewhat turbulent adolescence she moved to the big capital to make a new existence. A natural beauty like Violet's caught the eye of a local entertainment organizer and promoter, who exploited the young girl's naivete and cast her in a leading role in a burlesque show.
In Fincher, Ruth; Jacobs, Jane M. (eds.). Cities of Difference. New York & London: The Guilford Press. pp.&#;– ISBN&#;.