Sex and Sexuality in Tudor England

by Carol McGrath

Overview

Praise for Sex and Sexuality in Tudor England:

"...fascinating book explores the VERY unsavoury history of sex in Tudor England" - Daily Mail

"I thoroughly enjoyed Sex and Sexuality in Tudor England. A terrific, informative read for the armchair historian. A fascinating read, packed with juicy details." - Elizabeth Chadwick

The Tudor period has long gripped our imaginations. Because we have consumed so many costume dramas on TV and film, read so many histories, factual or romanticized, we think we know how this society operated. We know they ‘did’ romance but how did they do sex?

In this affectionate, informative and fascinating look at sex and sexuality in Tudor times, author Carol McGrath peeks beneath the bedsheets of late fifteenth- and early sixteenth-century England to offer a genuine understanding of the romantic and sexual habits of our Tudor ancestors.

Find out the truth about ‘swiving’, ‘bawds’, ‘shaking the sheets’ and ‘the deed of darkness'. Discover the infamous indiscretions and scandals, feast day rituals, the Southwark Stews, and even city streets whose names indicated their use for sexual pleasure. Explore Tudor fashion: the codpiece, slashed hose and doublets, women’s layered dressing with partlets, overgowns and stomachers laced tightly in place. What was the Church view on morality, witchcraft and the female body? On which days could married couples indulge in sex and why? How were same sex relationships perceived? How common was adultery? How did they deal with contraception and how did Tudors attempt to cure venereal disease? And how did people bend and ignore all these rules?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781526769183
Publisher:	Pen and Sword
Publication date:	04/27/2022
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	418,571
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x (d)

About the Author

Following a first degree in English and History, Carol McGrath completed an MA in Creative Writing from The Seamus Heaney Centre, Queens University Belfast, followed by an MPhil in English from University of London. The Handfasted Wife was shortlisted for the Romantic novel of the Year. The Woman in the Shadows, a best-selling historical novel about Elizabeth Cromwell, wife of Henry VIII’s statesman Thomas Cromwell, was republished by Headline in 2020. She is writes Historical non-fiction and fiction. Find Carol on her web-site www.carolcmcgrath.co.uk.

Table of Contents

Introduction ix

Chapter 1 The Church, the Lady and Sexuality 1

Chapter 2 Tudor Marriage and Matters Sexual 10

Chapter 3 Medical Practices and Beliefs Associated with Childbirth and Contraception 29

A Summary of Tudor Childbirth Beliefs 40

Chapter 4 Attracting the Opposite Sex 45

Chapter 5 Dress to Impress 54

Tudor Dance and Music 64

Chapter 6 Courtly Romance and Poetry 70

Chapter 7 Noli me tangere, for Caesar's I am Court Mistresses 90

Chapter 8 A Visit to a Brothel and Illicit Sex Issues 94

Aphrodisiacs and Love Potions 104

Chapter 9 Sex and Witchcraft 108

Chapter 10 Renaissance Art and Sex 114

Chapter 11 The Commoner, Villages, Towns and Sex 123

Chapter 12 Naughty Vocabulary during the Tudor Era 133

Conclusion 140

Endnotes 143

Bibliography 153