Huntingdon's position on the Old North Road made it a popular stop-over point for travellers during the heyday of stagecoach travel. Some of the town's pubs catered for these travellers by providing more than just food, beer and beds on their premises.
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Conviction in Huntingdon Borough's court sessions book of 1817-36
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The centre of Huntingdon's red light district during the Georgian period was the eastern side of the High Street, between Hartford Lane and Orchard Lane. In 1831 the borough's constables raided two notorious pubs, The Windmill and The Sun, and arrested seven "common prostitutes": Mary Fields, Maria Stephens, Susan Reid, Maria Fuller, Mary Rose, Elizabeth Hilliard and Mary Ann Cropley. Each received eleven days in prison.
The market for prostitution in Huntingdon collapsed during the 1850s, after the railway was built. Now that it was possible for travellers heading north from London to cover great distances in just a few hours, the attraction of Huntingdon as a stop-over point declined, and the numbers of travellers staying in the town fell.
Source:
This entry is taken from Huntingdon Borough's court sessions book of 1817-36. The original document is held at Huntingdonshire Archives, document reference HB12.