The Life and Work of Cynthia Payne Cynthia Diana Paine born 24 December 1932, she was known professionally as Cynthia Payne and nicknamed Madam Cyn, was an English madam, brothel keeper, party hostess, and media personality. She was widely considered to be Britain's best known madam. She made headlines throughout the 1970s and 1980s, when she was convicted of running a brothel at 32 Ambleside Avenue in Streatham, south London.