Charlotte Hayes (c. 1725–1813) was a highly successful brothel keeper in early Georgian London, and the owner of some of the city's most luxurious brothels in and around King's Place, in St James's. Biography Although the precise details of Hayes's early life are unknown, it is believed she was born in Genoa (as cited in the 1761 edition of Harris's List of Covent Garden Ladies) to the courtesan and brothel keeper, Elizabeth Ward. In her early career as a prostitute, she was known as Charlotte Ward. Eventually, she would grow to be considered one of the most desirable 'women of the town', along with Lucy Cooper and Fanny Murray. It is unknown why or when she adopted the surname of Hayes. In the 1750s, Charlotte had two fairly well-documented liaisons; one with Robert "Beau" Tracy, the wealthy son of a judge, and another with his friend, Samuel Derrick, an impoverished Irish poet who became the author of Harris's List of Covent Garden Ladies. Upon Derrick's death in 1769 he was buried at St Peter and St Paul's church, Bath, on 2 April 1769, according to its parish register, and bequeathed the profits of the final edition of Harris's List to her. In spite of her success as a brothel keeper, first in Soho, at Berwick Street and Great Marlborough Street, and then in St James's, at King's Street, King's Place, and Arlington Street, Hayes was committed to debtors' prisons on several occasions. Fergus Linnane writes that Hayes was committed to the Marshalsea prison in 1776 for refusing to pay £50 to a bankrupt lacemaker. During her stay in the Fleet Prison in the late 1750s, she met Dennis O'Kelly, who became her partner in life as well as in business. Contrary to popular belief, Hayes and O'Kelly never married, but lived as common-law husband and wife. In her later years, she chose to be known as Mrs O'Kelly or Charlotte Kelly. Dennis O'Kelly was a professional gambler and race horse owner and eventually made his fortune through the purchase of the prize-winning stallion Eclipse. With the money he earned through breeding Eclipse, and what Charlotte earned through running several brothels, the couple were able to purchase two estates, Clay Hill outside of Epsom, and later Canons Park, in addition to numerous properties throughout St James. It is believed that Charlotte's enterprise was worth £20,000, but that collectively, she and Dennis