Mrs. Berkeley’s Flogging Machine

The last post having reminded me of The Flogging Whores Of Old London, I thought it might be worthwhile to reproduce the section on the “notorious machine” for the flogging of gentlemen (though, I daresay, it would be of equal utility when used to chastise the fairer sex):

“A notorious machine was invented for Mrs Berkley to flog gentlemen upon, in the spring of 1828. It is capable of being opened to a considerable extent, so as to bring the body to any angle that might be desirable.

There is a print in Mrs Berkley’s memoirs, representing a man upon it quite naked. A woman is sitting in a chair exactly under it, with her bosom, belly, and bush exposed: she is manualizing his embolon, whilst Mrs Berkley is birching his posteriors. The female acting as frictrix, was intended for Fisher, a fine, tall, dark-haired girl, all must remember who visited Charlotte Street at that day, as well as the good humoured blonde, Willis; the plump, tight, frisky and merry arsed Thrulow; Grenville, with the enormous bubbies; Bentine, with breadth of hip and splendour of buttock; Olive, the gipsy, whose brown skin, wicked black eye, and Medicean form, would melt an anchorite; the mild and amiable Palmer, with luxuriant and well-fledged mount, from whose tufted honors many a noble lord had stolen a sprig; and Pryce, the pleasing and complaisant, who, if birch was a question, could both give and take.

“When the new flogging machine was invented, the designer told her it would bring her into notice, and go by her name after her death; and it did cause her to be talked of, and brought her a great deal of business. She died in September, 1836, having funded ten thousand pounds during the eight years she had been a governess. The original horse is among the models of the Society of Arts at the Adelphi, and was presented by Doctor Vance, her executor.

  1. bodack commented on February 1st, 2009:

    Here is another spanking machine I just found.

    http://elsmar.com/pdf_files/Old%20Gags%20Catalogue/lifting_and_spanking_machine.jpg

  2. Pandora commented on February 1st, 2009:

    GENIUS. I have just read this entire passage aloud to my boyfriend, who has seen the print but not heard the text before. MANUALIZING his EMBOLON! Omg, that has completely made my day :D

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