Buggery Act

English history

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July 19, 2026

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The Buggery Act, passed in England in 1533, criminalized sodomy, making it a felony punishable by death. This legislation was championed by Thomas Cromwell as part of Henry VIII's strategy to diminish the authority of ecclesiastical courts and seize church property. The term "buggery" itself is defined as sodomy and was first used in 1533. This act marked the first anti-homosexual law enacted in England.12

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VIII, England passed the Buggery Act, which made sexual relations between men a criminal offense punishable by death. In England and Great Britain, sodomy remained a capital offense punishable by hanging until 1861. Two decades later, in 1885, Parliament passed an amendment, sponsored by Henry Du Pré Labouchere, that…
Read More
VIII, England passed the Buggery Act, which made sexual relations between men a criminal offense punishable by death. In England and Great Britain, sodomy remained a capital offense punishable by hanging until 1861. Two decades later, in 1885, Parliament passed an amendment, sponsored by Henry Du Pré Labouchere, that…
Read More