Let us introduce you to Victorian Barnstaple's most resilient women … its prostitutes. Historian Sue Pengelly and writer Stef Fox bring you the true, unfiltered stories of their struggles, their moments of humour, and their incredible resilience in conversations that are sometimes moving, sometimes funny, sometimes astonishing - and always real. Just like the women themselves.

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Follow us for behind the scenes content, plus updates on new research and information about the girls:

INSTAGRAM: @cunnycorner

FACEBOOK: @cunnycorner

TIKTOK: @cunnycorner

WEBSITE: cunnycorner.co.uk

EMAIL: cunnycorner@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this first episode about the true stories of prostitutes working in 19th Century Barnstaple we start with Eliza’s story. Badly treated as a young girl, she overcame disability to take her life into her own hands … by learning how to navigate life as a street girl. We also hear about the drunken workhouse runaways who ended up being chased all over town!

Welcome to Cunny Corner, the podcast where historian Sue Pengelly and writer Stef Fox shine a light on the hidden stories of Victorian Barnstaple's most resilient women … its prostitutes. We're bringing you their real, unfiltered stories - deeply human accounts of survival, humour and strength.

Please follow or subscribe and leave a rating and review ... and tell your friends about Cunny Corner!

Follow us for behind the scenes content, plus updates on new research and information about the girls:

INSTAGRAM: @cunnycorner

FACEBOOK: @cunnycorner

TIKTOK: @cunnycorner

WEBSITE: cunnycorner.co.uk

EMAIL: cunnycorner@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this second episode we find out the tricks of the trade … and how these women kept themselves as safe as they could whilst trading sex on the streets. What did they do to avoid disease, or getting pregnant? And what were they … expected to actually do for their clients? We start by asking …. How must it have felt for to be starting out in this line of work?

Welcome to Cunny Corner, the podcast where historian Sue Pengelly and writer Stef Fox shine a light on the hidden stories of Victorian Barnstaple's most resilient women … its prostitutes. We're bringing you their real, unfiltered stories - deeply human accounts of survival, humour and strength.

Please follow or subscribe and leave a rating and review ... and tell your friends about Cunny Corner!

Follow us for behind the scenes content, plus updates on new research and information about the girls:

INSTAGRAM: @cunnycorner

FACEBOOK: @cunnycorner

TIKTOK: @cunnycorner

WEBSITE: cunnycorner.co.uk

EMAIL: cunnycorner@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this third episode we hear about the women who set up their own brothels. These women – or cunnymongers as they were called – forged their own paths, often out of anger at how prostitutes and the poor in general were treated and exploited, and their brothels became places of camaraderie and relative safety for the women who worked there.

Welcome to Cunny Corner, the podcast where historian Sue Pengelly and writer Stef Fox shine a light on the hidden stories of Victorian Barnstaple's most resilient women … its prostitutes. We're bringing you their real, unfiltered stories - deeply human accounts of survival, humour and strength.

Please follow or subscribe and leave a rating and review ... and tell your friends about Cunny Corner!

Follow us for behind the scenes content, plus updates on new research and information about the girls:

INSTAGRAM: @cunnycorner

FACEBOOK: @cunnycorner

TIKTOK: @cunnycorner

WEBSITE: cunnycorner.co.uk

EMAIL: cunnycorner@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this fourth episode we discover the ingenious scams the prostitutes came up with to make money without resorting to sex work. After all, who wouldn’t choose to steal a sovereign or two if it meant they got to keep their bits to themselves! Mind you, they often fell foul of the law for doing so …

Welcome to Cunny Corner, the podcast where historian Sue Pengelly and writer Stef Fox shine a light on the hidden stories of Victorian Barnstaple's most resilient women … its prostitutes. We're bringing you their real, unfiltered stories - deeply human accounts of survival, humour and strength.

Please follow or subscribe and leave a rating and review ... and tell your friends about Cunny Corner!

Follow us for behind the scenes content, plus updates on new research and information about the girls:

INSTAGRAM: @cunnycorner

FACEBOOK: @cunnycorner

TIKTOK: @cunnycorner

WEBSITE: cunnycorner.co.uk

EMAIL: cunnycorner@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this fifth episode we hear about the punishments, often totally disproportionate, meted out to these women who, after all, were just trying to make a living under their own steam … and about those who managed to avoid the law, sometimes by breaking out of prison believe it or not!

Welcome to Cunny Corner, the podcast where historian Sue Pengelly and writer Stef Fox shine a light on the hidden stories of Victorian Barnstaple's most resilient women … its prostitutes. We're bringing you their real, unfiltered stories - deeply human accounts of survival, humour and strength.

Please follow or subscribe and leave a rating and review ... and tell your friends about Cunny Corner!

Follow us for behind the scenes content, plus updates on new research and information about the girls:

INSTAGRAM: @cunnycorner

FACEBOOK: @cunnycorner

TIKTOK: @cunnycorner

WEBSITE: cunnycorner.co.uk

EMAIL: cunnycorner@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this sixth episode we meet some of the more notorious characters of Victorian Barnstaple … the brothel owners and women who didn’t quite fit in, even in that unconventional world. Come and meet Calfskin Jack, Molly The Sop, the notorious Heards … and a few others.

Welcome to Cunny Corner, the podcast where historian Sue Pengelly and writer Stef Fox shine a light on the hidden stories of Victorian Barnstaple's most resilient women … its prostitutes. We're bringing you their real, unfiltered stories - deeply human accounts of survival, humour and strength.

Please follow or subscribe and leave a rating and review ... and tell your friends about Cunny Corner!

Follow us for behind the scenes content, plus updates on new research and information about the girls:

INSTAGRAM: @cunnycorner

FACEBOOK: @cunnycorner

TIKTOK: @cunnycorner

WEBSITE: cunnycorner.co.uk

EMAIL: cunnycorner@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In our Christmas 2025 special you'll hear all about Victorian Barnstaple and its working girls at Christmas time. We chat about how they made the most of the season's goodwill, busy pubs and trade opportunities ... and how girls like Catherine's and Kate still fell foul of the law. Plus, as a great piece of music created just for the pod.

Please follow or subscribe and leave a rating and review ... and tell your friends about Cunny Corner!

Follow us for behind the scenes content, plus updates on new research and information about the girls:

INSTAGRAM: @cunnycorner

FACEBOOK: @cunnycorner

TIKTOK: @cunnycorner

WEBSITE: cunnycorner.co.uk

EMAIL: cunnycorner@gmail.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.