Orgies, Threesomes and Gay Bars in 18th century Regency London: How accurate are Bridgerton’s depictions of sexuality in this context?
By Elaura Lacey, Third Year History Student
A week later and we’re still only seeing the final roses and boxes of discount chocolates leaving the shelves from Valentines Day. A holiday which encapsulates all things pink and fluffy, but also has many other, raunchier, connotations. Sexuality as a historical lens is a fascinating way of studying the past and has proved to be very attractive amongst the public with the success of period dramas like the Netflix series ‘Bridgerton’. So, in light of Valentine’s Day, and seizing the opportunity to talk about naughty things, I thought it was only fitting to discuss and explore sex culture in 18th century London to see if the sexy depictions from said show are historically accurate. This article will also be exploring questions like: was there a sexual revolution in Regency London? How visible was the sexual underbelly of elite society? And were women given the same opportunities to explore their sexuality as men in this context?
The story of Bridgerton is set during the Georgian period, which spanned from 1714 to the 1837 and witnessed great changes in attitudes towards sex. Historian Faramerz Dabhoiwala in his book Origins of Sex: A history of the First Sexual Revolution argues that it was the urbanisation of England that was a prime factor in liberalising sexual attitudes and relations, creating “more opportunities for sexual adventure”1. Alongside physical developments, the late 18th century saw the emergence of the Romantic movement which emphasised emotion, individualism and pleasure thus driving a cult of sexual experimentation and pleasure-seeking. This was translated within architecture itself, with the creation of sublime landscapes, Pleasure Gardens, and places of leisure such as theatres and coffeehouses. This notion of pleasure combined with the creation of spaces that attracted young, affluent people therefore saw the emergence of more erotic and liberal sexual experimentation, practise, and lifestyles. To explore this, I’ll be focusing on three themes illuminated in Bridgerton to ground their contextual significance: the first will be Georgian sex parties, or sex houses, the second will be threesomes, and the last will be homosexual culture seen in archetypal gay bars in Regency London.
Firstly, we’ll begin with sex parties or sex houses in the Georgian era, as seen in the series. The historical consultant who worked on Bridgerton, Hannah Grieg, suggested in an interview with the Chicago Tribune that the social backdrop to Regency London was one teeming with sexual intrigue. She argues that there was an “open culture of prostitution in London” as well as “celebrity courtesans and mistresses”2, illustrating how sexuality was woven into the fabric of the city, even if it wasn’t considered polite society to address. In Covent Garden and Soho, urban development carved areas out for sexual practises, commonly for the elite. Brothels were commonplace in the area, but the more risqué ‘flagellation brothels’ began to pop up to appease kinks of upper class men. Discreteness was key in these practises, and this was reflected in the urban landscape. The White House brothel in Soho was built with a hidden side entrance to conceal those who entered but to also add to the dark, mystical, and sensual atmosphere created inside. Having side doors reflected the duality of polite society during the day versus sexual practises at night, revealing the discrepancy between public and private affairs. The different erotic-themed rooms of the hotel helped to create a fantasy illusion for sexual experimentation, some being tiled with mirrors to heighten experiences. Although these forms of secretive practises weren’t unique to the time, their wholesale incorporation into the physical landscape was a new development.
As well as architectural changes, an underground movement of ‘sex clubs’ began to emerge which invited courtesans and ‘playboys’ to drink and experiment sexually, enjoying opulent and erotic performances with nude models and books in private homes. What’s interesting here is the disparity between upper class and working class uses and practises of sexual behaviours, as in private the elites of society partook in illicit acts but looked down their nose at more common sex work. Prostitution in London in the late 18th century was a staple piece to society, despite being heavily disapproved of. This can be evidenced by the guidebooks titled Harris’s List of Covent Garden Ladies which carefully documents the details of women working as prostitutes in London at this time. The List contains hundreds of entries about each woman’s appearance, age, address, sexual specialities, and their price, but also more personal things like their aspirations and story. Not only does this source reveal a high demand for sex workers in London, but evidences the different forms of prostitution from part-time, to family-owned businesses to large brothel enterprises and communities.
While Bridgerton does give some insight into the lives of working class communities, the show focuses on the ton of London, and the sexuality of the elite classes. One sexual practise that was considered relatively normative among the elites was a three-way relationship, or more commonly, husbands keeping mistresses. A famous account of such a relationship was Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, her husband, William Cavendish, 5th Duke of Devonshire, and Lady Elizabeth Foster who became his mistress. The three all lived together at Chiswick House for 25 years and Lady Elizabeth Foster (Bess) had two children by the Duke. What’s interesting about this case is that Bess entered the polyamorous relationship at the request of Georgiana who became a close friend. The details of their personal relationship are vague, but there is much speculation that it may have been romantic after reading Georgiana’s letters expressing adoration. When Georgiana died in 1806, Bess became William Cavendish’s wife and wrote of her love for Georgiana, saying that it passed “the love of woman”3, raising even more speculation of the nature of their relationship. The celebrity status of Georgiana, and the knowledge of this three-way relationship in society, demonstrates an acceptance for unorthodox relations. This does, however, highlight a double standard for men and women, as women couldn’t take another male lover. While this demonstrates liberal attitudes towards relations in high society, it also raises very interesting questions about the visibility and deniability of lesbianism in 18th century society.
Finally, we’ll be considering homosexual sub-cultures in 18th century London as Bridgerton briefly acknowledges this through the character of Henry Granville. In this depiction, Granville’s character is tied up with other underground sex practises like prostitution and orgies, highlighting what society deemed as perversive sexual behaviours. In 18th century London, however, there was seen to be quite a prominent gay sub-culture, and this was demonstrated through the existence of Molly Houses. Molly Houses, like brothels, were built into the urban landscape and took the form of coffee houses, inns, and taverns where men could meet and have sex with other men discretely. The term Molly House was the slang term, hence why they existed in different commercial enterprises. ‘Molly’ could also apply to lower class women and prostitutes, signifying a sexual hierarchy that incorporated perverse sexual practise as well as gender and class. According to legal records, around 30 molly houses existed in London in the 1720s which compared to the population suggests a prominent gay sub-culture in the region, despite the threat of capital punishment for homosexual activity. Most Molly Houses were found in Moorfields in Shoreditch and areas in Finsbury Square that were so prolific for homosexual encounters that they were known as ‘Sodomite’s Walk’ colloquially. Some Molly Houses were of a more romantic nature, offering formal weddings for long-term couples, celebrating the romantic side of same-sex relations as well as providing hidden spaces for sexual encounters. What’s so interesting about the existence of such spaces is the continued threat of death as punishment, but this didn’t seem to have had as much of an effect in private and public sexual practises. The urbanisation of London did, as Dabhoiwala suggests, have a huge impact on the way in which people were expressing their sexuality and exploring sexual pleasure. The discrete nature of public houses and establishments provided a useful smokescreen for acts that were seen as illicit and provided spaces that combined the public and private to accommodate such experimentation and escapism.
To conclude, after briefly exploring these case studies, as demonstrated to some degree on the Netflix series Bridgerton, we can suggest that Regency London in the late 18th century was quite a dualistic place to be. While the legal system remained strict in regulating and constraining what was considered perverse sexual practise, and social attitudes remained mostly conservative, there was much evidence for sexual liberation and experimentation woven into the urbanising scenery. Brothels, and specialised houses for pleasure for higher and lower classes, as well as Molly Houses, highlights the significance of urbanisation in providing spaces for sexual pleasure but also highlights the already present sub-cultures of sexual practises and orientations that went outside societal norms. A homosexual subculture is suggested through the existence of Molly Houses, but also the different services they provided for celebrating homosexual love as well as sex. The polyamorous relationships that were embraced by the elites also raises speculation for potential lesbian cultures and visibility, but whether this was considered ‘gay’ in the same way that homosexual relations were is questionable. Overall, I think we can see there was more opportunity for the elites to explore their sexuality in open settings compared to lower class, such as street-prostitutes, who were still heavily berated. This puts Bridgerton in a position to be relatively accurate in the types of sexuality they are representing, making those raunchy scenes very much believable, if not toned down for viewers.
Bibliography:
‘Regency Hot Spots: The White House’, Regency Reader, http://www.regrom.com/2017/10/26/regency-hot-spots-the-white-house/ ‘Romantic Female Friendship’, English Heritage, (2021) https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/learn/histories/lgbtq-history/romantic-female-friendship/
‘Un/civilised: from orgies to opium, exposing the underbelly of Regency London’, The Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/brand-connect/fx-taboo/
Hallie Rubenhold, ‘The Harris’s List of Covent Garden Ladies and The Covent Garden Ladies’, (2019) https://www.hallierubenhold.com/book-news/the-harriss-list-of-covent-garden-ladies-and-the-covent-garden-ladies/
Kayti Burt, ‘Bridgerton: Let’s Talk About Sex Education, Baby’, Den of Geek, (2020)https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/bridgerton-the-real-history-of-sex-education-in-regency-england/
Rictor Norton, ‘Homosexuality’ in Chapter 16 ‘Mother Clap’s Molly House & Deputy Marshall Hitchin’, http://rictornorton.co.uk/gu16.htm
Rod Dreher, The First Sexual Revolution, The American Conservative (2012) https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/the-first-sexual-revolution/
Sarah Jackson, ‘Miss Muff’s Molly House in Whitechapel’, East End Women’s Museum, (2016) https://eastendwomensmuseum.org/blog/miss-muffs-molly-house-in-whitechapel
Cover Photo Credit: Akeenster on Unsplash