Molly house
Encyclopedia
A Molly house is an archaic
18th century English
term for a tavern or private room where homosexual and cross-dressing
men could meet each other and possible sexual partners. Molly houses were one precursor to some types of gay bar
s.
In 18th century England, a "molly" referred to an effeminate usually homosexual male. Mollies, and other third sex identities, were one precursor to the broader 'homosexual' identity of the 20th and 21st centuries.
The most famous molly house was Mother Clap
's open for two years from 1724-1726 in the Holborn
area of London
.
Patrons of Molly houses who dressed in women's clothing were called "Mollies", they would take on a female persona, have a female name, and affect feminine mannerisms and speech. Marriage ceremonies between a Mollie and his male lover were enacted to symbolise their partnership and commitment, and the role-play at times incorporated a ritualised giving birth.
At the time, sodomy was a capital offence in England, and court records of sodomy trials
of the period provide much of the evidence about molly houses.
On 9 May 1726, three men (Gabriel Lawrence, William Griffin, and Thomas Wright) were hanged at Tyburn
for sodomy following a raid of Margaret Clap
's molly house. Charles Hitchen
, the Under City Marshal (and crime lord), was also convicted (in 1727) of attempted sodomy at a Molly house.
Archaism
In language, an archaism is the use of a form of speech or writing that is no longer current. This can either be done deliberately or as part of a specific jargon or formula...
18th century English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
term for a tavern or private room where homosexual and cross-dressing
Cross-dressing
Cross-dressing is the wearing of clothing and other accoutrement commonly associated with a gender within a particular society that is seen as different than the one usually presented by the dresser...
men could meet each other and possible sexual partners. Molly houses were one precursor to some types of gay bar
Gay bar
A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender clientele; the term gay is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBT and queer communities...
s.
In 18th century England, a "molly" referred to an effeminate usually homosexual male. Mollies, and other third sex identities, were one precursor to the broader 'homosexual' identity of the 20th and 21st centuries.
The most famous molly house was Mother Clap
Margaret Clap
Margaret Clap , better known as Mother Clap, ran a coffee house from 1724 to 1726 in Holborn, London. Notable for running a molly house, an inn or tavern primarily frequented by homosexual men, she was also heavily involved in the ensuing legal battles after her premise was raided and shut down...
's open for two years from 1724-1726 in the Holborn
Holborn
Holborn is an area of Central London. Holborn is also the name of the area's principal east-west street, running as High Holborn from St Giles's High Street to Gray's Inn Road and then on to Holborn Viaduct...
area of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Patrons of Molly houses who dressed in women's clothing were called "Mollies", they would take on a female persona, have a female name, and affect feminine mannerisms and speech. Marriage ceremonies between a Mollie and his male lover were enacted to symbolise their partnership and commitment, and the role-play at times incorporated a ritualised giving birth.
At the time, sodomy was a capital offence in England, and court records of sodomy trials
Sodomy law
A sodomy law is a law that defines certain sexual acts as crimes. The precise sexual acts meant by the term sodomy are rarely spelled out in the law, but are typically understood by courts to include any sexual act deemed unnatural. It also has a range of similar euphemisms...
of the period provide much of the evidence about molly houses.
On 9 May 1726, three men (Gabriel Lawrence, William Griffin, and Thomas Wright) were hanged at Tyburn
Tyburn, London
Tyburn was a village in the county of Middlesex close to the current location of Marble Arch in present-day London. It took its name from the Tyburn or Teo Bourne 'boundary stream', a tributary of the River Thames which is now completely covered over between its source and its outfall into the...
for sodomy following a raid of Margaret Clap
Margaret Clap
Margaret Clap , better known as Mother Clap, ran a coffee house from 1724 to 1726 in Holborn, London. Notable for running a molly house, an inn or tavern primarily frequented by homosexual men, she was also heavily involved in the ensuing legal battles after her premise was raided and shut down...
's molly house. Charles Hitchen
Charles Hitchen
Charles Hitchen was a "thief-taker" in 18th century London who was also famously tried for homosexuality....
, the Under City Marshal (and crime lord), was also convicted (in 1727) of attempted sodomy at a Molly house.
External links
- The Gay Subculture in Early Eighteenth-Century London
- The Trial of Thomas Wright
- City of Vice on Channel 4 featured Molly House in Episode 2
- Rictor NortonRictor NortonDr. Rictor Norton is an American scholar of literary and cultural history, particularly gay history. He is based in London, England.- Biography :...
(Ed), Homosexuality in Eighteenth-Century England: A Sourcebook