There was a time in this fair land when the railroad did not run, (apologies to Canadian singer Gordon Lightfoot) people were made to pay for their mistakes, transgressions, stupidity and carelessness. Brianna-Leah was not stupid and she was not reckless but she could be a little careless at times. Her actions sometimes got her into scrapes she would rather not be in. Scrapes with the law such as it was in the 1750s. The Constabulary and the Courts and male society generally took a dim view of women in 18th century Britain and even the North American colonies.

Women prostitutes were greatly desired and used by men (Oh, were they ever used) but they had no standing in proper society. In fact, respectable women had little standing back then. They could be (and frequently were) stripped nude and publicly whipped or paddled across their buttocks by court order while tied to a whipping post. And in front of a crowd of townspeople. How unfortunate! How humiliating is that? The public spectacle of a nude 28 year old maid being whipped across her womanly bottom with a Cat O’Nine Tails was always very well attended by matrons, men and their wives and sometimes even children. In fact, cheers and merriment were the order of the day. The victims screams of anguish were met by great ìHurrahsî by the crowd.

Brianna-Leah was a serving wench in a popular London Pub called ìSheep Dipî. Brianna-Leah, as did all women, liked to look good for the opposite sex and her own sex too. She could be very striking with her flashing raven black hair, her big fullsome bosom, her shapely hips and her statuesque 5ft 10in height. Plus she was fond of showing off her figure, especially her bottom although there were limited opportunities for this. She was good at her job and earned the admiration of the clientele which was mostly men but the enmity of the other girls. She was 28 years old and was even able to read and write a few words.

Women, of course, can be very catty towards other women. The other girls were jealous of her earning power, not only in tips but her prowess in attracting male clients for herself. Brianna-Leah was always being fondled by men. Her bottom was pinched, her breasts were often grabbed and in more darkened areas of the Pub some men even reached under her dress sometimes being rewarded with wet and fragrant fingers (and a warm memory). When this happened she did not scream or cry or faint. She merely said to the gentleman, ìSir, there is a time and a place for everything ñ if you are interested in thatî.

She did enjoy the attention and rarely complained to Frenchie the owner. She did entertain men in her room upstairs and not just to learn to read and write. She knew the customers and how to get them drunk just enough so that they could perform and pay for her services. Brianna-Leah was good in bed. And she always needed a man. Even during her time of the month she would apply her finer skills to give the customer a satisfying experience.

She wore a typical sack or dress low cut to show off her breasts and tight at the waist. She wore her hair to her shoulders as she knew men liked that. In an era where it was sometimes difficult to do she tried to keep herself clean and sometimes wore perfume. As they lived in a port city there were often ìJack Tarsî in the pub. She always gave them special service and they often left a good bit of their wages with her.

One afternoon a handsome Jack Tar was in the Sheep Dip and Brianna-Leah served him grog. He was polite and friendly and struck up a conversation with Brianna’s fellow serving wench Eliza. Eliza was known to take gentlemen to her own boudoir. The sailor was soon enthralled with Eliza and later in the evening Eliza took him upstairs to her room. Within seconds he swooped her up and laid her on her bed. Her bodice was quickly stripped off then off came her dress and she was nude with her legs open. She lay on her side and the sailor entered her. It was over in a few minutes and he paid her 6 pence the going rate. Somewhere along the line the sailor took his eye off his pocketbook and Eliza fleeced him of his earnings. Standard operating procedure for 1750s prostitutes. But he was too drunk to notice until the next morning.

The next morning the sailor was back but with the Constabulary. He swore that Brianna-Leah had fleeced him. She countered she had only served him grog but as she was well known to take gentlemen to her room the Constable seized and arrested her. Eliza looked the other way then made herself scarce. It was a Jack Tar against a mere serving wench. Women were second class citizens in 1750s England. Serving wenches were there to be used and abused.

Brianna-Leah knew she was in trouble. Off to gaol and then to court the next day. The judge looked her up and down and even recognized her. Well, why not, he had been a client of hers fairly regularly. He was not happy to see her in court. The charges were read and guilt was pronounced. Then came the sentence. Brianna-Leah would spend 2 months in the womens’ gaol and receive the customary whipping to which she gasped loudly. She protested loudly too but to no avail. The judge was a stern man. It was only his fondness for her as a wench that he let her off with only 2 months incarceration. But he could do nothing about the corporal punishment. That was Parliament’s doing.

She was terrified of the sentence and implored the judge to reconsider his verdict. He refused and directed that she be whipped in the nude and across her shapely bottom. And publicly. The spectators in the court roared their approval and she was led away to the cells. She would immediately be taken to gaol and receive her punishment the following day. She was incarcerated with several other women who had been convicted by the court. Some were very rough and aggressive and she tried to avoid them. Mind you she had her moments herself. Others were just poor and in bad circumstances.

Morning came and Brianna-Leah was hauled out of the cell with four other women. They were carted to the public square to receive their corporal punishment and were securely tied into the wagon. One at a time they were untied and hauled by two strong gaolers to the public whipping post. Brianna-Leah did not go first or second or third or fourth. She was the last, the fifth to be whipped. She was made to listen while averting her gaze from the scene. She heard the crowd cheering as the unfortunate victim was stripped of her clothes and tied to the post at her wrists high above her head. Then she heard the loud whistling of the Cat O’Nine Tails as the nine lashes tore through the air and flayed the woman’s back and buttocks.

Before each whipping began the crime and the sentence was read out. The first woman’s sentence was 30 lashes for stealing. That woman did not stoically bear her burden. She screamed at the first one and every one that followed. She sobbed loudly between the strokes. The crowd assembled around the site, however, roared its approval, clapping, whistling, singing, jeering, swearing. Oh The Humanity. After thirty strokes the first woman could barely stand. Her womanly bottom, which before was shapely and lovely, was now bloodied with red welts, black bruises and stripes. This was her welcoming whipping. Welcome to gaol, Lassie.

Brianna-Leah heard it all. She tried to close out the sound but could not. She heard the lashes as they tore through the air and connected with the woman’s skin then the scream that immediately followed. And the sobs. And with each woman dealt with they got closer and closer to her. The third woman had received her lashes and the fourth was now tied and awaiting the strokes. Brianna-Leah watched this time. The gaoler was a strong man and very good at his job. He wound up and brought the 3 foot lashes down hard on the skin of her bottom. Another scream and another as the woman struggled to free herself. She tried to move her hips off to the side to avoid the lashes but the gaoler was familiar with that trick. He did not miss his mark. Then eventually it was over.

Now Brianna felt a strong arm around her as her rope was untied. She was pulled off the wagon and hauled to the post. She felt her knees go weak and the gaolers virtually carried her to the post. Her dress, etc. was quickly pulled off and she was tied to the post. Now she felt her nakedness and the keenly prying eyes of the townspeople staring at her full breasts, her lovely, shapely hips and bottom and legs and her womanhood with its triangle of black pubic hair. She couldn’t believe she was here in this situation.

She had been framed maliciously but nevertheless she heard her crime and sentence read out. Eighty strokes of the whip! ìOh My Godî she screamed. Then time seemed to stand still as the lash tore into her naked buttocks. She screamed and the tears came quickly. Her pain was terrible. The sting was so bad she couldn’t help her anguished screaming. And then another. The sting was unbearable. She tried to move to avoid the strokes but the gaoler was very good at his job. He did not miss once.

The girl screamed with each stroke of the whip and sobbed between them as had the others. Only she was to get more strokes than they had. Her hips were thrust to one side then the other. At fifty she was still screaming and squirming trying to avoid the lash. As she did so her full breasts swayed, bounced and jiggled against the whipping post providing great entertainment to the assembled crowd including the pubescent young boys in attendance who keenly watched her writhing at the strokes. They could not believe their good luck at witnessing this spectacle. The matrons cheered and yelled, ìServes you right, you strumpetî.

Brianna-Leah could hear nothing of their cries and taunts. They said, ìHow do you like it now Brianna? Will you steal a man’s purse again? How dare you, how dare youî Greta in the front row kept repeating.

Each stroke of the whip was terribly painful for her. Brianna was utterly humiliated in front of the assembled crowd, which, of course, was part of the punishment. She knew they were all trying to catch a glimpse of her lovely womanhood. Her downy triangle of light black pubic hair did not conceal her slit from the view of the crowd especially as she struggled and squirmed from side to side. The stress of her situation had caused her monthly time to begin and menstrual blood trickled down the inside of her thighs. And each stroke hurt terribly. The sting was unbearable but she had to bear it! Between screams she shrieked ìPlease stop, Sir. Please stop. I beg you, Sir, please stop. Please have mercy on me.î The gaoler was unmoved. He grinned widely as he brought the Cat back behind him to wind up for another harsh stroke. He was a ‘Company manî and was intent on doing his job properly to the delight of the crowd and the City fathers.

The gaoler never stopped until the full sentence was carried out. Sometimes they reduced the strength of the strokes to spare the victim but not often. He didn’t in Brianna’s case. And her womanly bottom told the tale. Heavy purple, red and black stripes criss-crossed her naked buttocks from her lower back to her thighs. She would carry the scars for the rest of her life. She was sweating profusely and at 75 strokes she was just hanging from the ropes around her wrists high above her head. She was stretched out so all could see her naked body and the whipping.

The final five strokes were given and her full bottom shuddered violently as each tail of the Cat striped her. Then it was over. Brianna sobbed quietly and the gaoler untied her and they helped her dress, such as they could. One of them wiped the inside of her thighs with a rag. The crowd was quieter now, the spectacle of five youngish women being stripped and whipped across the naked buttocks satiating them. At least for now.

The women were all tied into the cart and off it went to the town gaol where they were documented as having received their welcoming whipping and were each given a cell. They were given some food and drink all the while the gaolers were eyeing the most attractive one, Brianna-Leah. She was still striking with her lovely long black hair, 5 foot 10 height and full bosom and womanly hips. She did not notice that the highest ranking matron at the women’s gaol was indeed a woman. Matron Copps.

In the cells the Matron applied a salve to the women’s bottoms to help them heal which would take some time. The Matron seemed to enjoy applying the salve and took pains to rub it in thoroughly even between the legs of the women. She even rubbed it into their womanhood. Especially in Brianna-Leah’s case. Brianna enjoyed feeling the salve massaged into her. She moaned softly as Copps fingers penetrated her but she yelped as those fingers massaged it into the welts crisscrossing her bottom. Copps smiled to herself as the girl yelped. In truth the skin on her bottom was a mess, a welter of stripes, cuts and black bruises. After all she had taken 80 strokes without fainting or worse. Brianna-Leah was a trooper.

Life in an English women’s prison was not easy and it could be fraught with danger. Corporal punishment was a mainstay used to keep the women in line and it was often used every day. Some of the clientele were very rough. At least Brianna-Leah had some manners. She lay face down on her boards that passed for a bed and winced as her clothes slid over her welted bottom. She tried to rest and was soon fast asleep. She dreamt of butterflies and soaring birds and a handsome knight returning from war safe and sound to her, Brianna-Leah. The only knight to have swept her off her feet and was to take her as his bride. Oh yes...

The very next day Matron Copps came to her cell and took her out to the main work area and explained the work she was going to be required to do. They were mundane tasks they all had to do. Copps seemed almost kindly as she gave instructions to Brianna-Leah. She stood just off to the side of the girl and while talking ran her hands up and down the girls hips and on to her bottom so she could feel the outline of her womanly shape. The girl was very shapely. A thin waist was accentuated by flairing baby making hips that were not too wide but just wide enough to make her ìperfectî in the eyes of most men. Her full bosom just made things that much better. And she was very pretty.