Queer Georgians by Anthony Delaney

Queer Georgians : A hidden history of lovers, lawbreakers and homemakers
 
Mother Clap's Holborn coffee house is open to all comers, a place of companionship and community, until a tip-off leads to a midnight raid.
 
Two women, exiled from their families, set up a utopian homestead in a remote Welsh cottage, inspiring a generation of Romantic poets.

The celebrated Chevalier d'Éon, soldier, diplomat and spy, challenges a rival to a fencing match. The sweepstake is not over who will win, but whether the Chevalier is a man or a woman.
 
In this dazzling work of restorative history, Dr Anthony Delaney has traced the stories of people daring to challenge society's expectations, unearthing archives and court records to reveal the tragedies and the joys of queer life three centuries ago.  Breathing new life into the forgotten and offering radical new interpretations of celebrated figures such as Anne Lister, Queer Georgians is an invitation to view our shared history in a whole new light. 
 
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'Fascinating, exciting, vivid with stories, and scrupulously researched, the brilliant Queer Georgians tells us so much about the period and so many lives. Anthony Delaney has combed the archives, explored the sources and created a superb book that brings the Georgian world to life and all its secret lives. Wonderful' -- Professor Kate Williams, author of Rival Queens

'A rare combination of bold ideas, rigorous archival research, and a personal voice, Queer Georgians introduces us to a fascinating range of characters.' -- Emma Donoghue