Society for the Reformation of Manners Society would pay others to bring prosecutions, or bring prosecutions on its own account. A prominent supporter of the Society was John Gonson, Justice of the Peace and Chairman of the Quarter Sessions for the City of Westminster for 50 years in the early 18th century. He was noted for his enthusiasm for raiding brothels and for passing harsh sentences, and was depicted twice in William Hogarth's "A Harlot's Progress" series of paintings and engravings. In around 1770, the Society denounced Covent Garden as: The Society sought and gained the patronage of both Church and Crown: John Tillotson, the Archbishop
A Harlot's Progress Hackabout Died Sept 2d 1731 Aged 23") is either named after the heroine of "Moll Flanders" and Kate Hackabout or ironically after the Blessed Virgin Mary. Kate was a notorious prostitute and the sister of highwayman Francis Hackabout: he was hanged on 17 April 1730; she was convicted of keeping a disorderly house in August the same year, having been arrested by Westminster magistrate Sir John Gonson. The series of paintings proved to be very popular and Hogarth used his experience as an apprentice to a silversmith to create engravings of the images, selling a "limited edition" of 1,240 sets