Bawdy houses, 1896-99
Bawdy houses, 1896-99

Section 231, Criminal Code Act, 1899 (63 Vic No 9) and A digest of the Statutory Law in force in Queensland on the first day of January 1896, with a table of the statutes, prepared by the Hon Sir Samuel Walker Griffith, G.C.M.G., Chief Justice of Queensland, Brisbane, Government Printer.

The introduction of the Criminal Code in January 1901 helped clarified the definition of a ‘brothel’.  And while most policing was confined to the deployment of summary charges, a comprehensive search of Queensland’s Criminal Deposition Registers reveals that 28 indictable offences came before the higher courts between 1890 and 1914. They involve 33 individuals; 21 of them women and a number of repeat offenders. There were six cases each in Bundaberg and Charter Towers, four in Brisbane, and three in Cairns, with the remainder spread over northern coastal towns and inland mining centres. Twenty-two cases returned a verdict (a ‘No True Bill’ was presented in four matters, one conviction was quashed by the High Court, and the details of one case are unclear). The conviction rate was very high and the accused were found not guilty in only four instances.

Location Node: 
Date captured: 
22 October 2010
Date created: 
22 October 2010