Margaret Clap

Margaret Clap (—circa 1726), 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. While not much is known about her life, she was an important part of the gay subculture of early 18th century England. At the time sodomy in England was illegal, punishable by a fine, jail time or execution. Despite this, particularly in larger cities, private homosexual activity took place. To service these actions there existed locations where men from all classes could find partners or just socialize, called molly houses, "molly" being slang for a gay man at the time - and possibly originating from Margaret Clap's house, given that Molly is a short name for Margaret, much like Ted is short for Edward. One of the most famous of these was Clap's molly house.