Molly Houses and Madams: Unravelling Georgian Subcultures
Channel: British Library
Date: 2021-03-14

Established in 1691, the Society for the Reformation of Manners aimed to suppress all immoral behaviour in London – from profane plays and prostitution to salacious art and sodomy. 

Its results were a raft of highly publicised prosecutions and raids on brothels, molly houses and contemporary literature. An unexpected consequence was a veritable goldmine of archival material into previously under-acknowledged London subcultures.

In this talk, Victoria & Albert Museum LGBTQ tour coordinator Dan Vo, award-winning playwright Mark Ravenhill (Mother Clap’s Molly House) and bestselling author and historian Professor Kate Williams lift the lid on the secret worlds of the eighteenth century London – from Molly Houses and bawdy houses, to writers and madams.