The Labour MP tells the story of two men tried and executed for having sex nearly 200 years ago In 1835 James Pratt and John Smith became the last people to be hanged in England for a crime so heinous that no newspaper dared print its name. Instead, it was rendered as "b-gg-ry". Pratt and Smith had been discovered in a room by a nosy landlord and his wife, who had taken it in turns to peer through the keyhole before calling the police. Even these busybodies, however, seemed shocked at how heavil...
James and John by Chris Bryant review - the cost of being gay in 19th century London
The Guardian - 14 Feb 2024 13:00
The Labour MP tells the story of two men tried and executed for having sex nearly 200 years ago In 1835 James Pratt and John Smith became the last people to be hanged in England for a crime so heinous that no newspaper dared print its name. Instead, it was rendered as "b-gg-ry". Pratt and Smith had been discovered in a room by a nosy landlord and his wife, who had taken it in turns to peer through the keyhole before calling the police. Even these busybodies, however, seemed shocked at how heavil...
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