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Homosexuality was not exactly open and accepted, but London was well-known for its 'molly houses' – gay clubs frequented mainly by the working-class men and artisans. Sodomy had been a capital offence since Henry VIII's reign, but by the 18th century, the authorities rarely took action against homosexuality. In the 1720s, there were 30 molly houses in London – it wouldn't be until the 1960s that there would be more gay clubs in the capital.
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However, moral panics and bouts of homophobia broke out periodically. In 1725, for example, the Society for the Reformation of Manners targeted Margaret 'Mother' Clap, who ran one of London's best-known molly houses. Found guilty of running a disorderly house, she was fined 20 marks and sentenced to stand in the pillory in Smithfield market and to two years' imprisonment.
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London had clubs and brothels that catered to all kinds of tastes. There was a flagellants' brothel in Charlotte Street and at least one female flagellants' club. Masked balls held in Soho were a well-known front for pick-ups, and at a club in Pall Mall, you could watch a floor show that included naked dancing and a Tahitian 'Love Feast' between 12 nymphs and 12 youths.
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