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Queer Georgians

A hidden history of lovers, lawbreakers and homemakers
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Queer Georgians

By: Anthony Delaney
Narrated by: Anthony Delaney
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

History Hit podcast presenter Dr Anthony Delaney reveals the real people that inspired Gentleman Jack and the gay romances in Bridgerton, long written out of the nation's story and now lovingly restored.

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.

'In this moving and revelatory book, Anthony Delaney gives a voice to women and men whose lives have been written out of history' Hallie Rubenhold, author of The Five and Story of a Murder

'Reading this hitherto hidden history was a revelation. I was utterly enthralled from the first page to the last.' Tracy Borman, Chief Historian, Historic Royal Palaces and author of The Private Lives of the Tudors

'Anthony Delaney has opened the closet door of Jane Austen’s England and found people of every style - criminalised in their own time, ignored by ours, heroically finding their own ways.' Philippa Gregory, author of Normal Women

© Anthony Delaney 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

©2025 Anthony Delaney (P)2025 Penguin Audio 18th Century Europe Great Britain LGBTQ+ Studies Modern Romance Espionage Royalty England LGBTQIA+

Critic Reviews

Anthony Delaney has opened the closet door of Jane Austen’s England and found people of every style - criminalised in their own time, ignored by ours, heroically finding their own ways to make individual lives, families and even communities. (Philippa Gregory, author of Normal Women)
In this moving and revelatory book, Anthony Delaney gives a voice to women and men whose lives have been written out of history. At heart, Queer Georgians is about the triumph of love in adversity. (Hallie Rubenhold, author of The Five and Story of a Murder)
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)
Anthony Delaney is a superb public historian, words drop off his tongue and flow from his pen with a fluency that is the envy of us all. (Dan Snow, broadcaster and author of Death or Victory)
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, author of Room and Passions Between Women)

Anthony Delaney's research is sharp, his prose so elegant, and the result is a deeply thoughtful reimagining of the Georgian world... Flawless. (Dr Owen Emmerson, Historical Consultant on Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light (BBC))
An illuminating, deeply researched and deeply felt account of many remarkable lives. Anthony Delaney writes of love in every part of Georgian society - from royal residences to red-light districts - with sensitivity, wit, and learning. This is a fascinating book. (Gareth Russell, author of Queen James and The Palace)
In Anthony Delaney’s Queer Georgians, the queer histories of the Georgians are reexamined through a diverse character cast and across a sweeping stage – from lavish aristocratic seats to torrid London prisons – that makes for a compulsive read. Delaney’s book offers a timely window onto a side of Georgian society that is all too rarely seen. (Emily Hauser, author of Mythica)
A fascinating story, beautifully told. The many and varied characters are brought vividly to life by the author's keen eye for period detail and lively, evocative writing style. Reading this hitherto hidden history was a revelation. I was utterly enthralled from the first page to the last. (Tracy Borman, Chief Historian, Historic Royal Palaces and author of Private Lives of the Tudors)
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