In October 1762, a man named Shann, the 60-year-old master of a china shop, was convicted of attempted sodomy and sentenced to stand in the pillory, near the conduit on Cheapside. The printseller Thomas Ewart, who had a shop in the Strand near Charing Cross, saw an opportunity and on 9 October he had published a broadside ballad designed to be sold to the spectators, called This is not the Thing: Or, Molly Exalted. However, on the day appointed for Shann to stand in the pillory, 18 October, ‘many idle people attended, who met with disappointment’, because the pillory was empty. This was because Shann, fearing for his life after the treatment given to Lowther, had appealed to have his sentence changed to transportation for life, and it was believed this would be granted. But after some consideration, his appeal was not granted, and at noon on 3 November, Shann was finally put in the pillory, at the upper end of Cheapside. He had friends who tried to protect him, with some success initially, but then things got out of hand, as reported below. Saturday, 9 October 1762
Introduction
The nineteenth-century collector Edward Hawkins collected the only extant copy of the ballad, and in his handwriting on this copy he referred to a sodomite killed in the pillory in Stratford in April 1763 (see Newsreports for 1763). Hawkins mistakenly thought the ballad was published in 1763 and referred to the 1763 incident. The broadside ballad was exhibited in the British Library's "London 1753" exhibition in 2003, and although the catalogue entry points out that it was published in October 1762, it mistakenly identifies the incident with an incident in October 1761 when a sodomite was brutally beaten while in the Cheapside pillory (see Newsreports for 1761). The following newspaper reports make it clear that the ballad concerns the sodomite Shann in October 1762.
Nor Knave, nor Fool, but, from unlucky Time,
Slides into Verse, and hitches in a Rhime. Pope.
To be had of T. Ewart, at the Beehive in the Strand, and of all the Printsellers in Great Britain and Ireland.
(Public Advertiser)
14-16 October 1762
Postscript. On Monday next Mr. Shann, some Time since convicted of an Attempt to commit a detestable Crime, will stand on the Pillory near the Conduit in Cheapside. (St. James's Chronicle)
15-18 October 1762
Postscript [18 October]. The fellow for an attempt of a most atrocious nature did not stand in the pillory in Cheapside this day, as mentioned in a morning paper; many idle people attended, who met with disappointment. (Lloyd's Evening Post)18-20 October 1762
Postscript [20 October]. We are informed that the person who was to have stood in the pillory for an atrocious crime, has petitioned to be transported for life, which it is said will be granted. (Lloyd's Evening Post)
2-4 November 1762
A Number of Butchers Boys being collected together, placed themselves round the Pillory, and began to pelt the Populace, in order to draw their Attention from the Prisoner, which had its desired Effect at first, for they ran from the Boys; but, being reinforced, they returned, and fell with such Fury on the Butchers, that they were obliged to retreat. The Populace then fell upon the Wretch in the Pillory, tore off his Coat, Waistcoat, Shirt, Hat, Wig, and Breeches, and then pelted and whipped him in a most severe Manner. He was once pulled off the Pillory, but hung by his Arms till he was set up once again, and stood in that naked Condition, covered with Mud, till the Hour was out, when he was conducted back to Newgate. (St James's Chronicle)
Thursday, 4 November 1762
Yesterday Shan stood in the pi8llory at the west end of Cheapside, near St. Paul's, for an atrocious unnatural attempt. At his first mounting the stage he endeavoured to win the populace (who were very numerous) by the most implorint obey ances (sic, misspelling for "abeyances"?). (Printer papers had been publickly stuck up, signed by the Town Clerk, in order to deter the mob from ill-using him, setting forth the illegality of the practice, and the punishment for such infringements of the law. Besides this, Shan previously procured papers to be distributed. For some time the people were pretty quiet, at last the diversion egan, by a bargeman's saluting him with a handful of mud; upon this, some butchers, placed there as supposed to protect the delinquent, attacked the bargeman, which caused a scuffle, but the mob observing that this drew off their attention too much from Shan, they fell upon the Knights of the Cleaver with great fuy, and entirely drove them out of the field. Immediately the pillory and the pilloried were covered with mud, and the pelting continued with unabating rage for near the space of half an hour, when,m to compleat their inhumanity (for such no doubt it is) a person laid hold of his waistband and tore off his breeches, in which he was obliged to use such force, that the unhappy creature's head was violently drawn out of the pillory, and he fell down. At this a constable exerted himself and seized one of the most forward of the offenders, but he was soon rescued, and the peace officer was obliged to retreat under the protection of his brethren, as the mob declared evengeance against him. Shan was then hoisted up again, his cloathes entirely torn off, and he was continued to be treated with great barbarity, as well by whipping as pelting him, till his hour was expired. It is remarkable, that two pigeons were thrown up, when he had stood little more than halkf his time; they took their flight eastward. – We have been the more particular in this account, in hoipes it may deter this unnatural crew of wretches from any future attempts that may subject them to the same most severe punishment. – Shan was formerly an eminent chinaman in Cheapsidek, and has kept his equipage.
The account that Shan, after he stood in the pillory was carried back to Newgate in a coach, is erroneous; being a little recovered, he was led to Newgate by two men amidst the mob, and looked, being covered with mud and dirt, more like a devil than a human being. (Gazetteer and London Daily Advertiser)
11 November 1762
Yesterday at Noon, Shann, (a Man about 60 Years of Age) stood in the Pillory at the upper End of Cheapside, for an Attempt of a detestable Nature. A Number of Butchers Boys being collected togetheer, placed themselves round the Pillory, and began to pelt the Populace, in order to draw their Attention from the Prisoner, which had its desired Effect at first, for they run from the Boys; but being reinforced, they returned, and fell with such Fury on the Butchers, that they were obliged to retreat. The Populace then fell upon the Wretch in the Pillory, tore off hjis Coat, Waistcoat, Shirt, Hat, Wig, and Breeches, and then pelted and whipped him in a most severe Manner. He was once pulled off the Pillory, but hung by his Arms til he was set up aain, and stood in that naked Condition, covered with Mud, till the Hour was out, when he was conducted back to Newgate. He was formerly Master of a China-shop in Cheapside, and has kept his Equipage. (Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette)
18 November 1762
On Thursday Evening last died in Newgate, of the Bruises he received, Shan, who lately stood in the Pillory in Cheapside. (Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette)
18 November 1762
The Account that Shan was dead of the Bruises he received in the Pillory, is not true. (Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette)
The ballad is printed on a single sheet of paper, at the top of which is an illustration showing the molly standing in the pillory, surrounded by a mob preparing to throw rubbish at him. The women have speech-balloons with the following words: "Flogg him." "Here's a fair Mark." "Cut it off." "Shave him close." A woman with a basket of pears says "Take This Buggume Pear." The molly is depicted as saying: "I am now in the Hole, indeed come all in my Friends." He is referring to the uppermost hole in the pillory through which he pokes his head, but there is of course a pun upon the lowermost "hole," and, later in the poem, a pun upon "backward," i.e. the backside or buttocks. Every quatrain ends with the emphasized word "Right," which may be a topical pun upon someone's name (i.e. Wright). I don't know if it's a direct influence, but the Epilogue to Arthur Murphy's play All in the Wrong, which opened at Drury Lane on 15 June 1761, has refrain ending "... all in the wrong" except for the last repeat of the refrain, which changes to: "And our note we will change to 'You're all in the right.'"
Rictor Norton
This is not the THING:
OR
MOLLY EXALTED.
- I.
- Ye Reversers of Nature, each dear little Creature,
- Of soft and effeminate sight,
- See above what your fate is, and 'ere it too late is,
- Oh, learn to be—all in the Right.
- Tol de rol.
- II.
- On the FAIR of our Isle see the Graces all smile,
- All our Cares in this Life to requite;
- But such Wretches as You, Nature's Laws wou'd undo,
- For you're backward—and not in the Right.
- Tol de rol.
- III.
- Can't Beauty's soft Eye, which with Phoebus may vie,
- Can't her rosy Lips yield ye Delight?
- No:—they all afford sweets, which each Man of Sense meets,
- But not You,—for you're not in the Right.
- Tol de rol.
- IV.
- Where's the tender Connection, the Love and Protection,
- Which proceed from the conjugal Rite?
- Did you once but know this, sure you'd ne'er do amiss,
- But wou'd always be—all in the Right.
- Tol de rol.
- V.
- The Sov'reign of All, who created this Ball,
- Ordain'd that each Sex should unite;
- Ordain'd the soft Kiss, and more permanent Bliss,
- That All might be—all in the Right.
- Tol de rol.
- VI.
- But a Race so detested, of Honour divested,
- The Daughters of Britain invite,
- Whom they leave in the Lurch, to well flog 'em with Birch;
- Shou'd they slay 'em they're—all in the Right.
- Tol de rol.
- VII.
- Press ye Sailors, persist, come ye Soldiers, inlist,
- By Land or by Sea make 'em fight,
- And then let France and Spain, call their Men home again,
- And send out their Wives—to be Right.
- Tol de rol.
- VIII.
- Now tho' many good men, have so frolicksome been,
- Our Pity and Mirth to excite,
- Yet may these worthy Souls have the uppermost Holes
- In the Pillory;—all is but Right.
- Tol de rol. &c.
To be had at the Bee-Hive, Strand, and at all the Print and Pamphlet Shops in Great Britain and Ireland.
CITATION: If you cite this Web page, please use the following citation:
Rictor Norton (Ed.), "Molly Exalted, 1762", Homosexuality in Eighteenth-Century England: A Sourcebook. 7 February 2002; updated 26 June 2008, 21 July 2019, 1 July 2021 <http://rictornorton.co.uk/eighteen/exalted.htm>.