Margaret Clap (better known as Mother Clap, died circa 1726) was a woman who ran a brothel for homosexual men in London in the early part of the 18th century. At the time male homosexuality in England was illegal, punishable by execution. Despite this, particularly in larger cities, private homosexual activity did take place. To service these actions, mainly in the cities, there existed brothels where men could find homosexual partners.

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  • Margaret Clap (better known as Mother Clap, died circa 1726) was a woman who ran a brothel for homosexual men in London in the early part of the 18th century. At the time male homosexuality in England was illegal, punishable by execution. Despite this, particularly in larger cities, private homosexual activity did take place. To service these actions, mainly in the cities, there existed brothels where men could find homosexual partners. These were called molly houses, and the most famous of these was Mother Clap's molly house in the Holborn area of London, specifically on Field Lane (heading north to Farringdon). It was later destroyed by the construction of Holborn Viaduct. After a tip-off to the local constabulary, Mother Clap's molly house was raided in 1726 and she was sentenced to spend time in the stocks. Public feeling against acts of sodomy was quite strong at the time and Clap was physically assaulted by angry citizens throughout her sentence. It is speculated that soon after her release from the stocks she died from the injuries she sustained, though no historical records document this. Some of the men who were arrested with her were hanged at Tyburn on May 9 1726. Some hold that the name "the clap" is an eponym of "Mother Clap" ("the clap" being a slang term for Gonorrhea) presumably because sexually transmitted diseases were rife among the underground homosexual community in the 18th century. However, the term "the clap" may date from 1587 .
  • Margaret Clap (más conocida como Mother Clap, fallecida hacia 1726) fue una mujer que regentaba un burdel para homosexuales en Londres durante a principios del siglo XVIII. Durante la época la homosexualidad era ilegal en Inglaterra, castigada con la pena de muerte. A pesar de este hecho, en particular en las ciudades grandes, existía actividad privada de homosexuales. Como servicio a estas actividades existían principalmente en las ciudades burdeles donde hombres (de todas las clases sociales) podían encontrar compañeros homosexuales. Estos lugares eran llamados molly houses y el más famoso era regentado por Mother Clap en el área de Holborn, en Londres, concretamente en Field Lane (en dirección norte hacia Farringdon). Fue destruida más tarde en la construcción del viaducto de Holborn. Tras un chivatazo a la policía local, se realizó una redada en 1726 del burdel de Mother Clap y ella fue condenada al cepo. El sentimiento público contra la sodomía era muy fuerte y Clap fue atacada físicamente por ciudadanos furiosos durante su condena. Se especula que poco después de su liberación murió de las heridas que sufrió, aunque no existen documentos históricos que lo demuestren. Algunos de los hombres detenidos durante la redada fueron ejecutados por la horca en Tyburn el 9 de mayo de 1726. Algunos consideran que el nombre the clap (un término del argot para la gonorrea) es un epónimo de Mother Clap, posiblemente porque las enfermedades de transmisión sexual eran muy comunes entre la comunidad clandestina homosexual en el siglo XVIII. Sin embargo, el término the clap podría ser de 1587 (una etimología posible sería de la palabra del antiguo francés "clapier", que significaba «burdel»).
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  • Margaret Clap (better known as Mother Clap, died circa 1726) was a woman who ran a brothel for homosexual men in London in the early part of the 18th century. At the time male homosexuality in England was illegal, punishable by execution. Despite this, particularly in larger cities, private homosexual activity did take place. To service these actions, mainly in the cities, there existed brothels where men could find homosexual partners.
  • Margaret Clap (más conocida como Mother Clap, fallecida hacia 1726) fue una mujer que regentaba un burdel para homosexuales en Londres durante a principios del siglo XVIII. Durante la época la homosexualidad era ilegal en Inglaterra, castigada con la pena de muerte. A pesar de este hecho, en particular en las ciudades grandes, existía actividad privada de homosexuales.
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  • Margaret Clap
  • Regiones de Estados Unidos
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