BBC TV "WDYTYA?" Series 10 Episode 6 Alex Kingston

[nospringchicken]

How disappointing if they DO turn out to be dressmakers ... Actually I suppose doing actual dressmaking but having to turn to the oldest profession as well may have gone hand in hand.

I noted that Elizabeth Braham wasn't an actual Madam. She didn't run a brothel but rented out rooms to prostitutes.

It may be it was her son Lewis or Louis who crossed the line trying to run matters. The court case evidence sounded very odd, especially as a wife was also involved. Maybe a business arrangement gone wrong presented as something else?

As Alex hinted with her final newspaper reference, it seems quite a nexus or perhaps a profitable circle - the courts, lawyers and judges got fines, the "lodging houses" with the ladies' clientele continued, it made juicy tidbits for the printers and newspapers and ad infinitum ...

[stonechat]

A very interesting episode

Make you wonder what's lurking in my tree unnoticed

Bob

[mofid42]

The British Newspaper Archive have published two more newspaper articles about Alex Kingstons ancestor
They are free to view on their blog

http://blog.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/

[jan57]

 Those  clippings made interesting reading ! 

[nospringchicken]

Yes, the second clipping was especially interesting! My hunch about something fishy about the wife in the court case with Lewis/Louis may be borne out by this.

It may even be a pimp and madam situation and it may be the BRAHAM women were afraid of the women whom Lewis "introduced" and of losing the property to another gang or maybe something even more surprising!

It also looks like the three daughters may have married Emmanuel cousins?

It was interesting how in the programme the King's name was invoked as regards the conviction for running a bawdy house. While I understand it is the King's court and the King's justice, it did make me wonder how involved the royals and the court were in all this ... Or is it taking it all too far?

There was also a well-known opera singer by the name of BRAHAM with a fascinating story and I do wonder whether there is a connection although BRAHAM/ABRAHAM must have been a common name.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Braham

[nanny jan]

Hi,

Background to the Court of King's Bench:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Court_of_King%27s_Bench_%28England%29



Nanny Jan

[Lydart]

Do I read that right, that Mrs Braham's son contested her will ..... probably because he didn't get anything ?   

I think the BBC ought to make another whole programme !!

[nospringchicken]

From the background to the King's Bench, it sounds as if the courts themselves were an unregulated free-for-all (but not free in terms of cost!) which needed the cash from fines & drawn out litigation & publicity in the newspapers, so it may have been rather, for want of a better word, an incestuous relationship with the families who were allowed to continue to run prostitution rings & brought to court for other matters. it also sounds as if the King's Bench was on its last legs when all this happened & didn't survive much longer.

I did wonder though if Alex's reference to Lewis/Louis Braham as a 'party boy' could have been a hint that there was something going on as regards party politics and therefore something bigger?

[LizzieW]

I did wonder though if Alex's reference to Lewis/Louis Braham as a 'party boy' could have been a hint that there was something going on as regards party politics and therefore something bigger?

Oh, I thought she meant he was a bit of a man about town, maybe even bringing "ladies" to his mother's lodging house.