James and John: A True Story of Prejudice and Murder (Paperback) - Chris Bryant

This 'staggering' ( TLS ), 'must-read' (Keir Starmer) book from the Labour minister and Sunday TImes bestselling author Chris Bryant resurrects the lives of the last two men who were hanged in England for being gay.

*A BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week*

Newgate Prison, 1835. James Pratt and John Smith. Both were convicted of homosexuality - 'an unnatural offence'. Both would be hanged at the gallows. And yet the 1830s was a time of great reform, when capital punishment was in decline. Of the jailed men alongside them, why were James and John alone not spared?

Labour MP and bestselling author Chris Bryant delves deep into the public archives, scouring poor law records, workhouse registers, prisoner calendars and private correspondence to recreate the lives of two men whose names are known to history - but whose story has been lost, until now.

'An eye-opening portrait of Victorian injustice and hypocrisy' The Times
'With its courtroom denouement and Dickensian setting, TV commissioners should take note' New Statesman
'Carefully observed, rich in detail, imaginative, compassionate and angry' Rory Stewart
'An intricately detailed portrait of Regency England, roving from Newgate and the Old Bailey to servants' quarters' Financial Times

About the Author

Chris Bryant is an acclaimed historian of Parliament, an expert on parliamentary procedure and a Sunday Times-bestselling author. He has been the MP for the Rhondda since 2001 and is currently Minister of State in the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.