The Society for the Reformation of Manners was founded in the Tower Hamlets area of London in 1691.Reformation Necessary to Prevent Our Ruin, 1727

Rictor Norton Rictor Norton (born 1945) is an American writer on literary and cultural history, particularly queer history. He is based in London, England. Biography Norton was born in Friendship, New York, USA, on June 25, 1945. He gained a BA from Flo ...

. The term " manners" then meant " morals" rather than

etiquette Etiquette () is the set of norms of personal behaviour in polite society, usually occurring in the form of an ethical code of the expected and accepted social behaviours that accord with the conventions and norms observed and practised by a ...

. Thus its aims were the suppression of profanity, immorality, and other lewd activities in general, and of

brothel A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub par ...

s and

prostitution Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...

in particular. The society flourished until the 1730s and was briefly revived during 1757.

History

It was one of many similar societies founded in that period, it reflected a sea-change in the social attitudes in England following the

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution; gd, Rèabhlaid Ghlòrmhor; cy, Chwyldro Gogoneddus , also known as the ''Glorieuze Overtocht'' or ''Glorious Crossing'' in the Netherlands, is the sequence of events leading to the deposition of King James II and ...

of 1688, and a shifting from the socially liberal attitudes of the

Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

period under Charles II and

James II James II may refer to: * James II of Avesnes (died c. 1205), knight of the Fourth Crusade * James II of Majorca (died 1311), Lord of Montpellier * James II of Aragon (1267–1327), King of Sicily * James II, Count of La Marche (1370–1438), King C ...

to a more moral and censorious attitude of respectability and seriousness under

William III William III or William the Third may refer to: Kings * William III of Sicily (c. 1186–c. 1198) * William III of England and Ireland or William III of Orange or William II of Scotland (1650–1702) * William III of the Netherlands and Luxembourg ...

and

Mary II Mary II (30 April 166228 December 1694) was Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland, co-reigning with her husband, William III & II, from 1689 until her death in 1694. Mary was the eldest daughter of James, Duke of York, and his first wife ...

. Although inspired and fed by the moral excesses of London, branches were set up in towns and cities as far afield as Edinburgh, where

Daniel Defoe Daniel Defoe (; born Daniel Foe; – 24 April 1731) was an English writer, trader, journalist, pamphleteer and spy. He is most famous for his novel ''Robinson Crusoe'', published in 1719, which is claimed to be second only to the Bible in its ...

was a member, though the societies never flourished in rural areas. A woman of all trades from covent garden

The society was arranged in four tiers, with the "''Society of Original Gentlemen''" at the top. These eminent professionals (lawyers, judges and MPs) along with the original founders, provided the expertise and financing to enable prosecutions to proceed. The next tier was the "''Second Society''" which consisted mainly of tradesmen, and whose role it was to suppress vice. Among other methods, the "''Second Society''" employed a blacklist which they published annually to shame the alleged offenders. Below the tradesmen was the "''Association of Constables''" who took a more active role in arresting the miscreants who offended the public morality. Finally the fourth layer consisted of informers: a network of "moral guardians" throughout the City of London, with two stewards in each parish, to gather information about moral infractions. The central committee of "Original Gentlemen" collected the information with a view to passing the information to the local magistrates, so the malefactors could be prosecuted and punished. The society would pay others to bring prosecutions, or bring prosecutions on its own account. A prominent supporter of the society was John Gonson,

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

and Chairman of the Quarter Sessions for the

City of Westminster The City of Westminster is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and London boroughs, borough in Inner London. It is the site of the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament and much of the British government. It occupies a large area of cent ...

for 50 years in the early 18th century. He was noted for his enthusiasm for raiding

s and for passing harsh sentences, and was depicted twice in William Hogarth's '' A Harlot's Progress'' series of paintings and engravings. In around 1770, the society denounced

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...

as: The society sought and gained the patronage of both Church and Crown: John Tillotson, the

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...

between 1691 and 1694 actively encouraged the society and his successor Thomas Tenison commended them to his bishops, while Queens Mary and Anne both issued ''Proclamations against Vice'' at the society's urging. The society also had influence within the House of Lords, demonstrated by a declaration of support signed by 36 of the members. While there were undoubtedly MPs that shared the society's viewpoint and some which were members, there was little relevant legislation passed during the period of the society's activities and the society paid little attention to the House of Commons. Jonathan Swift was an early critic of the societies, arguing in his tract ''A Project for the Advancement of Religion, and the Reformation of Manners'' (1709), that while the project began with excellent intentions, it had grown into a means of enriching corrupt informers. The society also brought lawsuits against playwrights whose plays were perceived to contain insufficient moral instruction. The new attitude to the theatre may be judged from the anti-theatre pamphlet '' Short View of the Immorality and Profaneness of the English Stage'' by Jeremy Collier, from 1698, who attacked the lack of moral instruction contained in contemporary plays, such as ''

Love For Love ''Love for Love'' is a Restoration comedy written by British playwright William Congreve. It premiered on 30 April 1695 at the Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre. Staged by Thomas Betterton's company the original cast included Betterton as Valentine ...

'' (1695) by William Congreve and '' The Relapse'' (1696) by

John Vanbrugh Sir John Vanbrugh (; 24 January 1664 (baptised) – 26 March 1726) was an English architect, dramatist and herald, perhaps best known as the designer of Blenheim Palace and Castle Howard. He wrote two argumentative and outspoken Restora ...

, signalling the end of the popularity of Restoration comedy. The society flourished until the 1730s, with 1,363 prosecutions in 1726–7.Commentary
on ''

Conjugal Lewdness "Conjugal Lewdness or, Matrimonial Whoredom" (later retitled "A Treatise Concerning the Use and Abuse of the Marriage Bed" for propriety) is a 1727 essay by Daniel Defoe. The essay dealt primarily with contraception Birth control, also ...

'' (1727) by

, from the

Literary Encyclopedia ''Literary Encyclopedia'' (Russian: Литературная энциклопедия) is a 12-volume encyclopedia published in the USSR from 1929 until 1939. It contains more than 5000 entries with a focus on Russian and Soviet authors, as well ...

. There was a series of raids on " molly houses" (homosexual brothels) in 1725. One prominent victim of the society was

Charles Hitchen Charles Hitchen, also mentioned as Charles Hitchin in other sources, (''c.'' 1675 – 1727) was a "thief-taker" (private policeman) and under-marshal of the City of London in the early 18th century, also, famously tried for homosexual acts and s ...

, a "thief-taker" and Under City Marshal. He acted as a "finder" of stolen merchandise, negotiating a fee for the return of the stolen items, while extorting bribes from pickpockets to prevent arrest, and leaning on the thieves to make them fence their stolen goods through him. His business may have been undermined by the success of his competitor

Jonathan Wild Jonathan Wild, also spelled Wilde (1682 or 1683 – 24 May 1725), was a London underworld figure notable for operating on both sides of the law, posing as a public-spirited vigilante entitled the "'' Thief-Taker General''". He simultaneously ran ...

. In 1727, Hitchen was accused of sodomitical practices, and tried for sodomy (a capital offence) and attempted sodomy. He was sentenced to a fine of 20 pounds, to be put in the

pillory The pillory is a device made of a wooden or metal framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, formerly used for punishment by public humiliation and often further physical abuse. The pillory is related to the stocks ...

for one hour, and then to serve six months in prison. He was badly beaten while in the pilory, and died soon after being released from prison.

Revival

The society was revived for a period in 1757, and was recognised by George II. A later successor was William Wilberforce's Society for the Suppression of Vice, founded following a royal proclamation by George III in 1787, " For the Encouragement of Piety and Virtue, and for the Preventing and Punishing of Vice, Profaneness and Immorality".

References

Bibliography

* Anonymous, ''A Proposal for a National Reformation of Manners'', John Dunton, London 1694. * T. C. Curtis & W. A. Speck, ''The Societies for the Reformation of Manners: A Case Study in the Theory and Practice of Moral Reform'', "Literature and History", III 1976, pp. 45–64. * * * Clegg, Jeanne, ''Perseguitati/persecutori: dissenzienti, delatori e movimento per la riforma del costume'', in: Marina Formica & Alberto Postigliola (eds.), ''Diversità e minoranze nel Settecento'', Rome: Edizioni di storia e letteratura, 2006, pp. 79–86. {{ISBN, 9788884983404.

External links

The Reformation of Manners
extracts from 18th century newspapers, compiled by

. Organisations based in the United Kingdom with royal patronage Organizations established in 1691 1691 establishments in England