The story of James and John – the last two men to be hanged for homosexuality
James Pratt and John Smith were the last two men put to death in England for homosexuality (Picture: Harvard Law School Library)
It was not just ‘the love that dare not speak its name’, in the words of Oscar Wilde’s lover.
In mid-19th century Britain, sex between men was still the crime that dare not speak its name.
When a new law was introduced in 1826 making it easier to convict for sodomy, Sir Robert Peel did not even say ‘the crime against Christians not to be named’ in English – opting instead for Latin.
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