Vere Street Coterie
Encyclopedia
The Vere Street Coterie were a group of men arrest
ed at a molly house
in Vere Street, London in 1810 for sodomy
and attempted sodomy. Eight men were eventually convict
ed. Two of them were hanged
(as per the then still extant sodomy law
s promulgated by Henry VIII
in 1534) and six were pilloried
for this offence. Along with Oscar Wilde
's imprisonment for a similar offence, this episode was one of the major events in gay history in England during the 19th century.
The White Swan on Vere Street
in London was established as a molly-house (that is, a gay club) in early 1810 by two men, James Cook (not the seafarer
) and Yardley (full name unknown), who realised the lack of gay brothels in the city offered a business opportunity for them (Yardley claimed to be straight with a wife and purely in it for the money).
The club had been operating for less than six months when, on 8 July 1810, it was raided by the Bow Street police
. Twenty-seven men were arrested, but in the end, the majority of them were released (perhaps as a result of bribes), and only eight were tried and convicted.
Six of the convicted men, who had been found guilty of attempted sodomy, were pilloried in the Haymarket on 27 September that year. The crowds who turned out to witness the scene were violent and unruly, throwing various objects (including rotten fish, dead cats, "cannonballs" made of mud, and of course, vegetables) at the convicted men. The women in the crowd were reported as being particularly vicious. The city provided a guard force of 200 armed constable
s, half of them mounted and the other half on foot, to protect the men from even worse mistreatment.
A man and a boy, John Hepburn (46) and Thomas White (16, a drummer boy
), were convicted of the act of sodomy, despite not being present at the White Swan during the night of the raid. The pair was hanged at Newgate Prison
on 7 March 1811.
Vere Street Coterie is also known in connection with alleged same sex marriages there, performed by Reverend John Church.
The entire history of the White Swan and the Vere Street Coterie were related by the lawyer Robert Holloway, who published a book about it called The Phoenix of Sodom in 1813.
Arrest
An arrest is the act of depriving a person of his or her liberty usually in relation to the purported investigation and prevention of crime and presenting into the criminal justice system or harm to oneself or others...
ed at a molly house
Molly house
A Molly house is an archaic 18th century English term for a tavern or private room where homosexual and cross-dressing men could meet each other and possible sexual partners. Molly houses were one precursor to some types of gay bars....
in Vere Street, London in 1810 for sodomy
Sodomy
Sodomy is an anal or other copulation-like act, especially between male persons or between a man and animal, and one who practices sodomy is a "sodomite"...
and attempted sodomy. Eight men were eventually convict
Convict
A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison", sometimes referred to in slang as simply a "con". Convicts are often called prisoners or inmates. Persons convicted and sentenced to non-custodial sentences often are not termed...
ed. Two of them were hanged
Hanging
Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature. The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death by suspension by the neck", though it formerly also referred to crucifixion and death by impalement in which the body would remain...
(as per the then still extant sodomy law
Sodomy law
A sodomy law is a law that defines certain sexual acts as crimes. The precise sexual acts meant by the term sodomy are rarely spelled out in the law, but are typically understood by courts to include any sexual act deemed unnatural. It also has a range of similar euphemisms...
s promulgated by Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
in 1534) and six were pilloried
Pillory
The pillory was a device made of a wooden or metal framework erected on a post, with holes for securing the head and hands, formerly used for punishment by public humiliation and often further physical abuse, sometimes lethal...
for this offence. Along with Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
's imprisonment for a similar offence, this episode was one of the major events in gay history in England during the 19th century.
The White Swan on Vere Street
Vere Street, Camden
Vere Street was a street in the Lincoln's Inn Fields area, between Clare Market at its eastern end and Duke Street at its western end...
in London was established as a molly-house (that is, a gay club) in early 1810 by two men, James Cook (not the seafarer
James Cook
Captain James Cook, FRS, RN was a British explorer, navigator and cartographer who ultimately rose to the rank of captain in the Royal Navy...
) and Yardley (full name unknown), who realised the lack of gay brothels in the city offered a business opportunity for them (Yardley claimed to be straight with a wife and purely in it for the money).
The club had been operating for less than six months when, on 8 July 1810, it was raided by the Bow Street police
Bow Street Runners
The Bow Street Runners have been called London's first professional police force. The force was founded in 1749 by the author Henry Fielding and originally numbered just six. Bow Street runners was the public's nickname for these officers, "although the officers never referred to themselves as...
. Twenty-seven men were arrested, but in the end, the majority of them were released (perhaps as a result of bribes), and only eight were tried and convicted.
Six of the convicted men, who had been found guilty of attempted sodomy, were pilloried in the Haymarket on 27 September that year. The crowds who turned out to witness the scene were violent and unruly, throwing various objects (including rotten fish, dead cats, "cannonballs" made of mud, and of course, vegetables) at the convicted men. The women in the crowd were reported as being particularly vicious. The city provided a guard force of 200 armed constable
Constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions.-Etymology:...
s, half of them mounted and the other half on foot, to protect the men from even worse mistreatment.
A man and a boy, John Hepburn (46) and Thomas White (16, a drummer boy
Drummer boy (military)
Drummer boys were children recruited as military drummers for use on the battlefield.Armies regularly recruited young boys for this service, well into the nineteenth century...
), were convicted of the act of sodomy, despite not being present at the White Swan during the night of the raid. The pair was hanged at Newgate Prison
Newgate Prison
Newgate Prison was a prison in London, at the corner of Newgate Street and Old Bailey just inside the City of London. It was originally located at the site of a gate in the Roman London Wall. The gate/prison was rebuilt in the 12th century, and demolished in 1777...
on 7 March 1811.
Vere Street Coterie is also known in connection with alleged same sex marriages there, performed by Reverend John Church.
The entire history of the White Swan and the Vere Street Coterie were related by the lawyer Robert Holloway, who published a book about it called The Phoenix of Sodom in 1813.