Molly House

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A Molly House was a cross between a gay club and brothel in the 18th century. They were social venues where people could come to sing and dance, but men could sit on each other’s laps. Legal records say that there were 30 Molly Houses in London, which was extensive for its population of 600,000, to have 12 was the equivalent of having around 200 gay clubs in London in the 1970s. ‘Molly’ had the meaning of ‘Mary’ and also slang for soft or sissy (as in Molly Coddle), or a slang for female prostitute. It meant pansy, puff or fairy.

Sex between men was illegal in Britain until 1967.

In the 1720s there was a prosecution wave amongst the gay community. Prosecutions for sodomy were about 5 a decade in London, but in the 1720s there were 15 a year in London.

A raid produced the following case at the Old Bailey. 20 April 1726 Gabriel Lawrence was tried at the Old Bailey for the crime of sodomy with Thomas Newton aged 30. The House of Margaret Clap, next to the Bunch of Grapes in Field Lane in Holborn. It hosted 30 or 40 persons every night, but more on Sundays. All rooms had beds.

External sites http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/
http://www.oldbaileyonline.org/browse.jsp?id=t17260420-64&div=t17260420-64&terms=Molly#highlight