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June 12, 2025 34 mins

Despite Christianity coming in hot and heavy in the medieval period, sex work was thriving.


In many places it was legal, even.


In this second episode in our mini-series exploring sex work through history, Kate is joined by the legend of sex worker history, Ruth Karras.


What did a medieval brothel look like? How did sex workers dress? And why does the word 'spinster' mean sex worker?


This episode was edited and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Charlotte Long.


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All music from Epidemic Sounds.


Betwixt the Sheets: History of Sex, Scandal & Society is a History Hit podcast.

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