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- Title
Kõlvatud naised Tallinna eeslinnas anno 1660 ja 1666.
- Authors
Pöltsam-Jürjo, Inna
- Abstract
There are two noteworthy documents from 1660 and 1666 to be found in archival records of the Tallinn Magistrate in the Tallinn City Archives (s. Bs7). A letter within this archival file presents "A brief overview of whores anno 1600, 13-14 June". The list compiled on 21-22 May 1666 has a similar content. In these two years, the Tallinn town council organized a visit to four neighborhoods outside the central city, with the aim of recording all women with suspicious reputations, i.e. women who for the town government qualified as "whores". They went from household to household, asking questions, listening to complaints and "gossip", and recorded the information. A considerable amount of the information collected by the visitors was based on gossip, on what neighbours and others said. This indicates the important social-disciplinary role of gossip in early modern society. From the 1660 and 1666 visits we have a colourful picture of the residents and life on the outskirts of Tallinn. In addition to "whores", we can see from the documents those people who were closely associated with these women and who mixed with them. They were primarily the poor, or people belonging to social fringe groups, like soldiers, sailors, apprentice craftsmen, casual workers, students, but also the town executioner, drummer and undertaker. The documents also offer rather a good picture of life in suburban taverns. The taverns offered shelter and accommodation to very different types of people. The residents were mostly various workers, including women (lose weiber), serving girls, sailors, casual workers who moved around in search of work, and travelling students. Tavern accommodation was also used by cohabiting women and concubines as well as single mothers. Some of the women who ended up in the "whores" list were indeed prostitutes, but not all of them. Women who were not married to the men that they lived with, i.e. cohabiting, were also called whores. Living together in this way was considered, according to the moral norms of the time, to constitute a clear case of whoring (hurerey). Both lists do include women who dealt directly with prostitution, and they also provide information on a number of brothels operating in the outskirts of town. The visitors were also interested in the relationship of the people with the church. Thus, we find in the list of "whores" names people who never went to church or communion.
- Subjects
TALLINN (Estonia); ESTONIA; SEX workers; SEX workers' customers; GOSSIP -- Social aspects; BROTHELS; TAVERNS (Inns); SOCIAL conditions of women; ESTONIAN history
- Publication
Tuna, 2009, Issue 1, p72
- ISSN
1406-4030
- Publication type
Article