Dora Noyce

Who was Dora Noyce?

Dora Noyce was a Scottish brothel keeper based in Edinburgh.

Born in Ross Street, the youngest of five, her parents were Alexander Rae, a cutler, and his wife Mary. Noyce had a daughter Violet, and took the surname of her child's official father to use as a pseudonym. Noyce had begun to operate as a madam from premises at 17 Danube Street, Stockbridge, Edinburgh by the end of the war and remained there until her death. She owned other properties in the city and in Blackpool.

Overseeing 15 resident prostitutes, Noyce was able to draw on up to 25 other women in busy periods. Her employees apparently had regular health checks. Queues formed around the block when certain ships were in port. When the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy was in dock at Leith, the women reportedly did £4,000 of business in one night and the ship's captain declared the house off-limits. Noyce was charged 47 times for living off immoral earnings, generally paid the fine instantly, and served a four-month prison sentence in 1972, her last time in custody. Local councillors commented that they received more complaints when the madam was in prison because her business was less well managed in these periods.