Betty Careless
Encyclopedia
Betty Careless or Betsy Careless (c.1704–1739) was a notorious prostitute and later bagnio
-owner in 18th-century London. Probably born Elizabeth Carless (though she later used the name Mrs. Elizabeth Biddulph too), she adapted her name to better suit her profession. Her name, beauty and reputation made her, like Sally Salisbury
before her, something of an archetypal courtesan for the popular culture of the day.
), by 1729 when she opened her own house in Tavistock Row she was attached to Sir Charles Wyndham
(later Earl of Egremont). Wyndham and Careless probably had a mutually beneficial relationship; he lived for free while his society connections ensured a higher-class clientele for Careless's house.
In Amelia
, Henry Fielding
recalled seeing her as at a play when she was a young girl. Though, he said, "it was impossible to conceive a greater Appearance of Modesty, Innocence and Simplicity", her beauty disguised her true character. He had seen her a few days before "in bed with a Rake, at a bagnio, smoking Tobacco, drinking Punch, talking obscenity and swearing and cursing with all the Impudence and Impiety of the lowest and most abandoned Trull of a Soldier".
Some idea of her reputation can be divined from the graffiti "Prayer" attributed to her in the Bog-House Miscellany (ca. 1731): "Grant us good lusty Men, ye gracious Pow'rs!
Or else stop up those craving Things of ours!", and her inclusion in one of Joe Miller's Jests in which an admirer compliments her on the perfection of her legs and says they are so alike that they "must be twins", to which Betty replies, "Oh no sir, for I have had more than one or two in between them".
By the early 1730s she had reached the peak of her professional career, and she moved to a house in the Little Piazza in Covent Garden
to try her hand as a bawd
.
She takes centre-stage in Louis Peter Boitard
's 1739 picture The Covent Garden Morning Frolick, in which she is being chauffeured home in a sedan chair after a night on the town with Captain "Mad Jack" Montague
(who rides on the top of the sedan chair) and a motley assortment of her companions, including her personal link-boy
, Little Casey. In William Hogarth
's A Rake's Progress
her name is carved on the steps by an inmate in the final scene. According to the notes in the Anecdotes of William Hogarth, this man is William Ellis who was supposed to have been driven mad by his love for Betty. In his essay on Dr Johnson, Thomas Babington Macaulay portrays her as the archetypal courtesan, characterising the life of those of "literary character" as precarious, fortunate to be "sometimes drinking champagne and tokay with Betty Careless". Careless, alongside many of the other notorious bawds of the early 18th century, may have inspired Mrs Cole in John Cleland
's Fanny Hill
.
By early 1735 she had given up her house in Covent Garden (Jane Douglas
took it over): she was drinking heavily and could not duplicate the success she had enjoyed as a prostitute when she attempted to run a brothel. She announced that she would be opening a "Coffee House" in Prujean's Court at the Old Bailey, but she herself acknowledged that the place was ill-situated for her business and in her advertisement practically begged her customers to continue to visit her. The Gentleman's Magazine
announced in October 1739 that she had been buried from the poor house. Much later, Fielding recorded her epitaph in The Covent Garden Journal:
Bagnio
A Bagnio was originally a bath or bath-house.The term was then used to name the prison for hostages in Istanbul, which was near the bath-house, and thereafter all the slave prisons in the Ottoman Empire and the Barbary regencies...
-owner in 18th-century London. Probably born Elizabeth Carless (though she later used the name Mrs. Elizabeth Biddulph too), she adapted her name to better suit her profession. Her name, beauty and reputation made her, like Sally Salisbury
Sally Salisbury
Sally Salisbury , real name Sarah Pridden and also known as Sarah Priddon, was a celebrated prostitute in early 18th-century London. She was the lover of many notable members of society, and socialised with many others....
before her, something of an archetypal courtesan for the popular culture of the day.
Biography
She was born around 1704 in London. Nothing is known of her early life, but she was an established courtesan by the 1720s. Initially under the protection of the barrister Robert Henley (later Lord ChancellorLord Chancellor
The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom. He is the second highest ranking of the Great Officers of State, ranking only after the Lord High Steward. The Lord Chancellor is appointed by the Sovereign...
), by 1729 when she opened her own house in Tavistock Row she was attached to Sir Charles Wyndham
Charles Wyndham, 2nd Earl of Egremont
Charles Wyndham, 2nd Earl of Egremont, PC and Catherine née Seymour, succeeded his uncle, Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset, as 2nd Earl of Egremont in 1750...
(later Earl of Egremont). Wyndham and Careless probably had a mutually beneficial relationship; he lived for free while his society connections ensured a higher-class clientele for Careless's house.
In Amelia
Amelia (novel)
Amelia is a sentimental novel written by Henry Fielding and published in December 1751. It was the fourth and final novel written by Fielding, and it was printed in only one edition while the author was alive, although 5,000 copies were published of the first edition. Amelia follows the life of...
, Henry Fielding
Henry Fielding
Henry Fielding was an English novelist and dramatist known for his rich earthy humour and satirical prowess, and as the author of the novel Tom Jones....
recalled seeing her as at a play when she was a young girl. Though, he said, "it was impossible to conceive a greater Appearance of Modesty, Innocence and Simplicity", her beauty disguised her true character. He had seen her a few days before "in bed with a Rake, at a bagnio, smoking Tobacco, drinking Punch, talking obscenity and swearing and cursing with all the Impudence and Impiety of the lowest and most abandoned Trull of a Soldier".
Some idea of her reputation can be divined from the graffiti "Prayer" attributed to her in the Bog-House Miscellany (ca. 1731): "Grant us good lusty Men, ye gracious Pow'rs!
Or else stop up those craving Things of ours!", and her inclusion in one of Joe Miller's Jests in which an admirer compliments her on the perfection of her legs and says they are so alike that they "must be twins", to which Betty replies, "Oh no sir, for I have had more than one or two in between them".
By the early 1730s she had reached the peak of her professional career, and she moved to a house in the Little Piazza in Covent Garden
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 site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
to try her hand as a bawd
Procuring (prostitution)
Procuring or pandering is the facilitation or provision of a prostitute in the arrangement of a sex act with a customer. Examples of procuring include:*trafficking a prostitute into a country for the purpose of soliciting sex...
.
She takes centre-stage in Louis Peter Boitard
Louis Peter Boitard
-Life:He was born in France, and was a pupil of Raymond Lafage. His father François Boitard brought him to England. The date of his death is unknown, being stated by some authorities as 1758, by others as after 1760.-Works:...
's 1739 picture The Covent Garden Morning Frolick, in which she is being chauffeured home in a sedan chair after a night on the town with Captain "Mad Jack" Montague
John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich
John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, PC, FRS was a British statesman who succeeded his grandfather, Edward Montagu, 3rd Earl of Sandwich, as the Earl of Sandwich in 1729, at the age of ten...
(who rides on the top of the sedan chair) and a motley assortment of her companions, including her personal link-boy
Link-boy
A link-boy was a boy who carried a flaming torch to light the way for pedestrians at night. Linkboys were common in London in the days before street lighting...
, Little Casey. In William Hogarth
William Hogarth
William Hogarth was an English painter, printmaker, pictorial satirist, social critic and editorial cartoonist who has been credited with pioneering western sequential art. His work ranged from realistic portraiture to comic strip-like series of pictures called "modern moral subjects"...
's A Rake's Progress
A Rake's Progress
A Rake's Progress is a series of eight paintings by 18th century English artist William Hogarth. The canvases were produced in 1732–33 then engraved and published in print form in 1735...
her name is carved on the steps by an inmate in the final scene. According to the notes in the Anecdotes of William Hogarth, this man is William Ellis who was supposed to have been driven mad by his love for Betty. In his essay on Dr Johnson, Thomas Babington Macaulay portrays her as the archetypal courtesan, characterising the life of those of "literary character" as precarious, fortunate to be "sometimes drinking champagne and tokay with Betty Careless". Careless, alongside many of the other notorious bawds of the early 18th century, may have inspired Mrs Cole in John Cleland
John Cleland
John Cleland was an English novelist most famous and infamous as the author of Fanny Hill: or, the Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure....
's Fanny Hill
Fanny Hill
Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure is an erotic novel by John Cleland first published in England in 1748...
.
By early 1735 she had given up her house in Covent Garden (Jane Douglas
Jane Douglas
Jane Douglas commonly known as Mother Douglas, was a brothel-keeper in mid-18th century London. Known at the time as The Empress of the Bawds, her house in Covent Garden attracted customers from the higher echelons of society.-Early career:Mother Douglas was born around 1700 to a well-to-do...
took it over): she was drinking heavily and could not duplicate the success she had enjoyed as a prostitute when she attempted to run a brothel. She announced that she would be opening a "Coffee House" in Prujean's Court at the Old Bailey, but she herself acknowledged that the place was ill-situated for her business and in her advertisement practically begged her customers to continue to visit her. The Gentleman's Magazine
The Gentleman's Magazine
The Gentleman's Magazine was founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1922. It was the first to use the term "magazine" for a periodical...
announced in October 1739 that she had been buried from the poor house. Much later, Fielding recorded her epitaph in The Covent Garden Journal: