In England during the 17th and 18th centuries there were early forms of a homosexual subculture. The meeting places of homosexuals (the so‑called Mollies) were known as Molly Houses. These venues were mostly pubs or coffeehouses where gay men could meet and make connections. One of the best‑known Molly Houses was Margaret Clap’s bordello, “Mother Clap’s Molly House,” on Field Lane in the London district of Holborn. On a typical night—especially Sundays—about 30 to 40 men gathered here. The main room was large enough for dancing and violin music, and, as in other brothels, alcohol was served. In 1726 there was a raid with far‑reaching consequences.
The most important secondary literature on the raid and the subsequent convictions comes from the American historian and gay‑rights activist Rictor Norton, who analyzed the trial records. Unless noted otherwise, I rely on his detailed account “The Raid on Mother Clap’s Molly House 1726,” which he made available online on his homepage. I have also added notes on related literature, music, and a board game.
The Prehistory: In 1724 a disgruntled homosexual becomes a police informant
In October 1724, Mark Partridge became involved in a quarrel with his lover, Mr. Harrington (Harrington’s given name is unknown). Harrington had told a third party that Partridge was his lover. Enraged, Partridge retaliated by spreading word that Harrington was a regular ‘guest’ at several homosexual brothels. This tip circulated beyond the Molly subculture. The police contacted Partridge and probably coerced him into working as an informant in order to avoid his own prosecution.
Two rent‑boys who worked as male prostitutes, Thomas Newton and Edward Courtney, also served as informants for the police—likely out of financial need. Newton was arrested at the end of February 1726 and, after being released in March, actively served as an informant. It was presumably a condition of his release and immunity to assist in convicting others. Newton named the men with whom he had sex, which led to their arrest.
Observations and the behavior of the guests
Through collaboration with homosexual informants, the policeman Samuel Stevens gained access to what was essentially an internal club, after the informant posed him as his “husband.” Stevens’s report of a visit on 14 November 1725 is part of the records: “I found about 40 to 50 men there, sleeping with one another, as they called it. Sometimes they sat on each other, kissed each other lustfully, and touched one another indecently. Then they stood up, danced, bowed, and imitated female voices. Then they embraced, played and teased each other, and went in pairs to another room on the same floor to marry, as they called it.” In keeping with the euphemistic term of “marriage” for sex, the rooms rented by the hour were also referred to as “bridal chambers” or a “chapel.”
The February 1726 raid
One Sunday night in February 1726, the police raided Margaret Clap’s brothel. About forty homosexual men were arrested and initially brought to Newgate Prison. By the end of the month additional brothels were raided in a similar fashion and more men were imprisoned. None of the men were caught in the act—though some were found with their trousers undone. Later, most were released for lack of evidence. Some, however, were fined, imprisoned, pilloried, or sentenced to death.
Who was Mother Clap?
Margaret Clap was a married and presumably heterosexual woman. Given her courtroom statements, Norton suggests she likely ran the business more from leisure than profit. Clap’s house in Field Lane did not carry a special name; it was a private residence with an attached coffee shop. It belonged to her husband John Clap, who seldom appeared. The house was regarded as somewhat seedy, but it probably wasn’t widely known specifically as a men’s brothel. Likely Clap earned her living by renting rooms and selling spirits. Several men lived at her house, most of whom were probably male sex workers. William Griffin—who was later executed—also lived there for nearly a year.
The Trials
In April 1726, several men were brought to trial. Among them was 43‑year‑old milkman Gabriel Lawrence, who testified that he was a frequent guest at Mother Clap’s. Lawrence conceded in his defense only that he had often drunk beer at Mother Clap’s.
Also on trial was 43‑year‑old upholsterer William Griffin. A police officer testified that Griffin was commonly seen in company; the officer claimed to have seen Griffin enter the “bridal chamber” with another man and once to have “touched him in the trousers.” Griffin stated that he had indeed lived with Margaret Clap for a year, but he had never known it was a brothel. He asserted his innocence and claimed to have a wife and two children.
The trial also encompassed 32‑year‑old wool carder Thomas Wright. Wright had supplied beer to several brothels before opening his own in Beech Lane, nearly as popular as Clap’s. A constable reported that in a large chamber there was a violinist and eight others dancing folk dances, making obscene motions, and singing: “Come, let us f—k (as Norton notes, the full lyric was censored in the records and the complete text is lost). Then they sat on one another, spoke lewdly, and engaged in all sorts of indecencies.”
On the charge of running a brothel, Margaret Clap herself stood in judgment and told the jury angrily, “I hope you will consider that I am a woman and thus could not be capable of such practices.”
The Verdicts and the Newspapers
On Monday, 9 May 1726, Lawrence, Griffin, and Wright—as well as others tried in related cases—were hanged. Mass public executions were popular, and wealthier spectators took seats in special stands erected for them. The sentences were carried out at Tyburn, a place in what is now the City of Westminster and historically London’s public gallows site from 1196 to 1783. Margaret Clap was condemned to two years’ imprisonment and the pillory. The torture of the pillory was so brutal that she fainted several times and fell from the device. It is believed she died later that year from the injuries sustained.
By August 1726, three men had been hanged at Tyburn, while two men and one woman were subjected to the pillory, with others fined or imprisoned. One man died in prison. Norton correctly describes this as a “witch hunt” and stresses that, given the severity of the penalties, it seems daring to speak of the Enlightenment era. He cites an article in the London Journal (14 May 1726) in which a journalist recommended a so‑called “mirror” punishment: “When a person is discovered, accused, and convicted, the hangman should bind him by the hands and feet, a skilled surgeon should immediately remove his testes, and then the hangman should scorch his scrotum with a hot iron.”
Mark Ravenhill’s Drama: “Mother Clap’s Molly House” (2001)
Building on these real events, Mark Ravenhill wrote the drama “Mother Clap’s Molly House” (2001, 2008, 2015; 2001 partially online). It is a stage piece with songs contributed by Matthew Scott. Ravenhill connects the year 1726 with a parallel plot about a group of wealthy gay men preparing for a wild party in 2001. As a comedy, the play highlights the diversity of human sexuality and offers a glimpse into London’s history. It can be read as a manifesto for sexual tolerance and also as a critique of the brutalization of sexuality.
The staging of Ravenhill’s drama at the prestigious Royal National Theatre in London, directed by Nicholas Hytner, sparked controversy due to explicit sexual content and unfiltered language. Critics reacted variously: The Guardian (6 September 2001) dubbed it a “Dirty Work”; the New York Post (16 September 2001) deemed it an “ugly disappointment.” In Jonathan Croall’s book “Inside the Molly House: The National Theatre at Work” (no date), the background to this controversial production is explored. A trailer advertising Ravenhill’s play at the Bedlam Theatre in Edinburgh may convey how the two eras—1726 and 2001—were linked in the minds of audiences.
Music and Crime Novels
The history of British Molly Houses has inspired many artists to create new works. One example is the album “Molly House Volume 1 (Deluxe Edition)” (2017) by “davomakesbeats,” which features electronic dance music. There is also Grahame Peace, who, in his vivid ghost stories, blends real places and historical events with fantasy elements. Six of his novels carry the subtitle “The Ghost from the Molly-House” (2018–2021).
To me these are examples of “name‑dropping” that aim to link contemporary art with historical events. By invoking Molly Houses, the music album and the fantasy novels try to convey that they stand in a long tradition of queer subculture, seeking to lend authenticity to their work. Historical references are invoked to market a product. Critics also address many similar products—as with a certain board game.
A Fun Family Board Game
Since 2025 an online historical strategy game titled “Molly House” has been available. The board depicts “Mother Clap’s Molly House” and makes clear which Molly House is meant. The description presents 18th‑century London as “a city full of secrets, longing, and danger.” In “Molly House,” 1 to 5 players take on the roles of gender‑nonconforming Mollies seeking sanctuary and community in the city’s hidden corners. Yet the reform‑minded society is close on their heels. By playing Vice cards, players throw wild parties, form relationships, and try to spread joy—always risking discovery and betrayal. Each turn offers the chance to become an informant or to fall victim to one. There are more than ten promotional videos on YouTube for this game, including portions around 38:01 and 49:37.
It is commendable that historical events are conveyed through board games. Yet it is unsettling to use persecutions and executions merely for entertainment. I do not wish to be a spoil‑sport, but it would be like turning concentrations camps and trapdoors into the focus of a historical edition of Monopoly instead of Boardwalk and Water Works.
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Conclusion
The memory of the 1726 raid remains vivid to this day—sometimes referenced in questionable ways, but more often through informative short films like “The Story Of Mother Clap” (episode 140 of “The History Lords,” 4:45 minutes). For further reading I recommend Rictor Norton’s “Mother Clap’s Molly House” (1992) as well as Alan Bray’s “Homosexuality in Renaissance England” (1982, pages 81–115). Overall, the Mother Clap’s Molly House documents are among the most important and engaging sources for understanding Molly culture and how homosexuals interacted within 18th‑century England.
