Everything about Margaret Clap totally explained
Margaret Clap (better known as
Mother Clap, died circa
1726) was a woman who ran a
brothel for
homosexual men in
London in the early part of the
18th century.
At the time homosexuality in England was illegal, punishable by
execution. Despite this, particularly in larger cities, private homosexual activity did take place. To service these actions, mainly in the cities, there existed brothels where men (from all
social classes) could find homosexual partners. These were called
molly houses, and the most famous of these was Mother Clap's molly house in the
Holborn area of London, specifically on Field Lane (heading north to Farringdon). It was later destroyed by the construction of
Holborn Viaduct.
After a tip-off to the local constabulary, Mother Clap's molly house was raided in 1726 and she was sentenced to spend time in the
stocks. Public feeling against acts of
sodomy was quite strong at the time and Clap was physically assaulted by angry citizens throughout her sentence. It is speculated that soon after her release from the stocks she died from the injuries she sustained, though no historical records document this
(External Link
). Some of the men who were arrested with her were hanged at
Tyburn on
May 9 1726.
Some hold that the name "the clap" is an
eponym of "Mother Clap" ("the clap" being a slang term for
Gonorrhea) presumably because
sexually transmitted diseases were rife among the underground homosexual community in the 18th century. However, the term "the clap" may date from 1587 (suggested etymology: from the Old French word "clapier", meaning "brothel"
(External Link)).
Further Information
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