Sodomite’s Walk is the nickname given to a path in the Moorfields area of London that was a well-known gay cruising ground for almost a century. For LGBTQ+ History Month, let’s find out more about the thoroughfare that became synonymous with homosexuality.
The development of modern gay homosexuality has its roots in Georgian London. Men and women began to identify themselves as homosexual and established a network of friends, acquaintances, locations and establishments that served their sexual needs. According to Lucy Inglis, the “typical homosexual of the eighteenth century was a respectable tradesman rather than a fashionable libertine.” (p66, Georgian London: Into the Streets.)
Certain areas of London (and other cities across Britain) became part of a distinctive gay subculture. As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, gay men at this time were labelled “mollies”. The London Journal identified several parts of London that it called “Molly Markets”—suggesting these were areas where it was easy to find a same-sex partner—including Lincoln’s Inn, the piazzas of Covent Garden and Moorfields.
The Moorfields Molly Market
Moorfields was once a boggy field at the edge of the city. The area was packed with establishments that met the needs of London’s homosexuals. Now, because the penalty for sodomy was death, one would think that the risk of being caught engaging in public sex was too great. For many it was, but there were still plenty who enjoyed cruising the streets in search of partners.
Sodomite’s Walk
The old city wall separated Upper Moorfields and Middle Moorfields. Along that wall ran a path that became so popular as a gay cruising ground it was named Sodomite’s Walk.
Because the walk was not the best-kept secret, those who wished to trap homosexuals also patrolled it. In the 1720s, there were several prosecutions of men accused of sexual offences after being caught in the area.
Thomas Newtown, a sex worker in Moorfields, was arrested in 1725 but escaped prosecution by agreeing to become an agent provocateur. Newtown worked with local constables to entrap unsuspecting gay men. One of his victims was William Brown, who was found guilty of attempted sodomy (a misdemeanour at the time) in July 1726. Brown was arrested after approaching Newton along Sodomite’s Walk.
While not being “gay and proud” in the modern sense, Brown (a married man) displayed modern thinking regarding his sexuality. When questioned by the authorities, he declared he was unashamed of his behaviour and felt that how he used his body was his own business.
Brown was sentenced to stand at the pillory in Moorfields (where The British Gazetteer on 1st August 1726 says he was pelted with rotten eggs, dead cats and turnip tops), fined ten marks and sent to prison for two months.
Sodomite’s Walk disappeared in the 1770s following the development of Finsbury Square and is now a busy road that runs along the south side. The Barbican complex covers the middle field and part of the old wall can be found in the underground car park.
Sources
Rictor Norton, “The Sodomites’ Walk in Moorfields”, The Gay Subculture in Georgian England, 11 August 2009 https://rictornorton.co.uk/eighteen/moorfiel.htm
Sodomite’s Walk and Other Secrets of 18th Century Queer London
Sodomite’s Walk and Moorfield’s Pillory
Rictor Norton (Ed.), “The Trial of William Brown, 1726”, Homosexuality in Eighteenth-Century England: A Sourcebook. 22 April 2000, updated 20 June 2008 https://rictornorton.co.uk/eighteen/brown.htm
Georgian London: Into the Streets, Lucy Inglis (2013)
