History
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, under the Buggery Act 1533, buggery was a capital offence in England, and court records of buggery 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 buggery 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 buggery at a Molly house.
Read more about this topic: Molly House
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