Holland's Leaguer (brothel)

For the play of the same name, see Holland's Leaguer (play).

Holland's Leaguer or Manor House of Paris Garden

Holland's Leaguer was the name of a Dutch English brothel in London between 1603 and January 1632. It has been referred to as the most famed brothel in 17th-century England. "Legeur" means military encampment.[1][2]

It was an expensive establishment with King James I of England and George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, among its clients.[3] The brothel was owned and managed by Elizabeth "Bess" Holland.[4] She may have been married to one of the Holland family, notorious figures in the Elizabethan underworld.[5][6] Popular rumour linked the house specifically with Dutch prostitutes.[7] The brothel modelled itself on the Schoen Majken (The Lovely Little Maiden) in Brussels. It provided luxurious surroundings, good food, clean linen and 'modern' plumbing.[7]

  1. ^ Higgins 2017.
  2. ^ Williams 2001, p. 789.
  3. ^ Walford 1878.
  4. ^ Price 2006, p. 211.
  5. ^ "Today in London's immoral history: 'Holland's Leaguer', notorious Bankside brothel, resists siege by constables, 1632". Past Tense. 26 January 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  6. ^ "Vill you not stay in my bosom tonight, love?". Shakespeare's England. Archived from the original on 7 September 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  7. ^ a b Kaler 1991, p. 34.