Given that it is now that month of the year when corporations decide to aggressively market rainbow coloured coffee mugs etc. in an effort to appeal to LGBT folks, I thought it would be interesting to have a look at how medieval society handled those with sexual preferences or gender identities that would be described as LGBT+ today. While it would be easy to just rattle off some examples of historical figures, I thought it would be more informative to dive into some of the sources we have to work with and what they tell us. So, every Saturday of the month, that's what I'm going to do.

Week 1: "Calling [Himself] Eleanor" - The Interrogation of John Rykener

To start with we have one of the most interesting and revealing medieval sources when it comes to sexuality and gender: the interrogation records of John/Eleanor Rykener. The Rykener case has attracted the attention of historians for many decades, and the name of John/Eleanor Rykener is starting to become quite well known. They're even mentioned in a BBC piece recently. But what does the actual record tell us?

It opens with:

"On 11 December, 18 Richard II, were brought in the presence of John Fressh, Mayor, and the Alderman of the City of London John Britby of the county of York and John Rykener, calling [himself] Eleanor, having been detected in woman's clothing, who were found last Sunday night between the hours of 8 and 9 by certain officials of the city lying by a certain stall in Soper's Lane committing that detestable, unmentionable, and ignominious vice. In a separate examination held before the Mayor and Aldermen about the occurrence, John Britby confessed that he was passing through..."

So we know that on 11 December in the 18th year of Richard II's reign (1394) that two people identified as John Britby (a Yorkshireman) and John Rykener were committing detestable vice in Soper's Lane in the early evening. The "detestable vice" is almost certainly sodomy. We also know that the Mayor of London was present at the questioning, which was not normal in the slightest. Rykener's case attracted the attention of the highest authorities of the city. Part of this may be down to the peculiar nature of the case, but the date also suggests it may have been partly because of local politics. That year the city had been having a major quarrel with Richard II, who thought the city was doing a poor job of managing itself (though really his issue was that the city was tax dodging) and revoked its charter. London only just got the charter back when Rykener was arrested, and with the king watching London very closely it makes sense that the mayor would be more involved in legal matters such as this. But still, it's unusual for the mayor to actually be present during questioning. So we know that Rykener's arrest was a big deal to the people in charge of London.

The record then relates that:

"John Rykener, brought here in woman's clothing and questioned about this matter, acknowledged to have done everything just as John Britby had confessed. Rykener was also asked who had taught him to exercise this vice, and for how long and in what places and with what persons, masculine or feminine, had committed that libidinous and unspeakable act. [He] swore willingly on [his] soul that a certain Anna, the whore of a former servant of Sir Thomas Blount, first taught him to practise this detestable vice in the manner of a woman. [He] further said that a certain Elizabeth Brouderer first dressed him in women's clothing..."

Here we can see that the questioners are starting to get a bit sidetracked. They start by asking Rykener about who taught them to engage in sex work, which ties into the city's concern with justice and sin that had them spooked at that particular moment in the city's history. They wanted to crack a prostitution ring, and perhaps thought they'd scored a breakthrough by arresting a sex worker caught in the act. The mayor asked Rykener to tell him everything, and he's going to learn everything. Rykener gives them (apparently willingly) their life story, starting with the women's clothing and sex work. Also, at this point we have to start adding in pronouns where the original Latin has left them ambiguous. In English, we have to use auxiliary pronouns to show what a verb is referring to. We can't just say 'ran' we have to say 'he/she/they/it/that etc. ran'. Latin doesn't require that, and it's interesting that, at points, the scribe leaves it a little ambiguous. It's clear that the scribe regards Rykener to be male, so historians have generally just put in [he], but it's interesting that the scribe sometimes chooses not to clarify. Likewise, it's quite rare for the scribe to refer to Rykener as John (though he does occasionally and throughout the document), instead preferring to use the surname as I do. The scribe is confident that Rykener should be written of as a man, but not 100% sure at this moment.

Rykener continues with a long list of people they've slept with, including one case where Rykener stole two gowns from Phillip, the rector of Theydon Garnon, and then "said that [Rykener] was the wife of a certain man and that if Phillip wished to ask for them back he would make his husband bring suit against him" so it's fair to say that Rykener was having an interesting life. As the list continues we get to more general stuff about Rykener's life:

"...staying at Oxford, and there in women's clothing and calling himself Eleanor, worked as an embroideress; and there in the marsh three unsuspecting scholars - named Sir William Foxlee, another Sir John, and the third Sir Walter - practised the abominable vice with him often. John Rykener further confessed that... [he] came to Burford in Oxfordshire and there dwelt with a certain John Clerk at the Swan in the capacity of tapster for the next six weeks, during which time two Franciscans... and six foreign men committed the above-said vice with him, of whom one gave Rykener twelve pence, one twenty pence, and one two shillings."

Now we get to the part that is perhaps most interesting. When living in Oxford, Rykener seems to have lived entirely as a woman. They had a woman's job, woman's clothing, and went by a woman's name. This has led some historians, and journalists who didn't bother to read the full document, to regard John/Eleanor as a transgender woman. Of course, there's no denying that Rykener did indeed live as a woman for an indeterminate amount of time while living in Oxford. And also she had a lot of sex, which seems to have paid remarkably well.

u/afty posted a letter on r/RMS_Titanic this week from passenger Juliette Laroche to her father. I realized that she had, unknowingly, potentially left us enough clues to figure out exactly who, what, where, when, and how she was writing about. I did a little combing through passenger lists, some deductions, a few educated guesses and realized that LaRoche had left us just enough information to piece together not just her experience, but the experience of those around her whom she did not know. I'd like to share it here for anyone interested. It's a small answer to the many questions surrounding the movements of the lost and the day to day life aboard.

The Letter:

Dear Papa, I just learned that we will stop shortly. I am taking advantage of this fact to write you a few lines and give you news of us. We embarked on the Titanic last evening at 7:00 p.m. Oh, if only you could see this monster! Our tug looked like a fly next to it, and the interior could not be more comfortable. We have two bunks in our cabin, and the little girls are laying on a sofa turned into a bed, one at the head, the other at the foot, with a plank in the front so they will not fall. They are as well, if not better, than in their bed. The ship started up while we were dining, and we could not believe it was moving: it announcing breakfast; those made Louise laugh.

Right now, they are walking on the covered deck with Joseph. Louise is in her small car, and Simone is pushing her. They have already made acquaintances: since Paris, we have traveled with a gentleman and a lady and their little boy, who is the same age as Louise. I believe they are the only French on board. So, we sit at the same table and like this we can chat.

Simone amused me earlier: she was playing with an English girl who had lent her a doll. My Simone was having great conversation, but the little girl could not understand anything. People are very nice on board. Yesterday, they were both running after a gentleman who had given them chocolates.

This morning I tried to count all the children on the boat. In second class only, I am sure that there are more than twenty. There is a small family with four children, they remind me of my Uncle’s. The youngest looks very much like fat Marcelle. I am writing to you from the reading room, and an orchestra is playing next to me: one violin, two cellos, and one piano.

I have not felt any sea sickness yet. I hope it will remain thus. The ocean is beautiful, and the weather is magnificent. If only you could see how big the ship is. One can hardly find his or her cabin in the succession of hallways.

I am going to stop because I think we will stop over soon, and I would not like to miss the mail service. Thank you again dear papa for all your kindness. Please receive the best kisses from your daughter who loves you. Little Simone and Louise send big kisses to their good grandfather. After getting dressed this morning, they wanted to see you.

My post:

With a little investigative digging, we have enough info here to make an educated guess as to who Mrs. Laroche is referencing!

She references at least one night asleep, breakfast, and at the end-

I am going to stop because I think we will stop over soon, and I would not like to miss the mail service.

She's writing this sailing from Cherborough to Queenstown in the late morning of April 11th. We have photos of the mail being hauled on and out of Titanic during her return home to Ireland. Mrs. LaRoche's letter is among them!

we have traveled with a gentleman and a lady and their little boy, who is the same age as Louise. I believe they are the only French on board.

While there were plenty of French passengers in second class, there seems to be only one family that fits this description. Albert and Antoine Mallet with their toddler Andre- who was the same age as Louise. I think the only other French children in second class would have been the Navratil boys.

Simone amused me earlier: she was playing with an English girl who had lent her a doll.

This is probably one of two girls, Miss Phyliss Quick or Miss Constance Miriam. We know it's not Marion Becker- roughly the same age but American. It could be Eva Hart or Marjorie Collyer but they were older- almost 10. It's likely Simone is playing with fellow toddlers, and the only two English toddlers in second class were Quick and Miriam.

This morning I tried to count all the children on the boat. In second class only, I am sure that there are more than twenty. There is a small family with four children, they remind me of my Uncle’s. The youngest looks very much like fat Marcelle.

Some interesting phrasing here. It would certainly be possible to "count all the children on the boat" depending on how you defined children. By ticket, that is under 15, we have 129. But who knows who Mrs. Laroche was counting?

Either way, we know exactly where she would have seen them. There were no families with four children in first or second class and there were no shared public areas. This means the family in question must have been a third class family. We can make a pretty good guess then that she was on the second class promenade overlooking the aft well deck and the poop ie:the third class public spaces. I'd even further venture that the family in question was on the poop as I believe the aft well deck was covered and may have obscured her view. Either way- we only have three possibilities, the Skoog's, the Lefebvre's, or the Pallson's.

She uses Marcelle as opposed to Marcel, so we could assume she's talking about a little girl. She's also able to specify it's the youngest- which tells us there was an obvious age difference. The youngest Pallson was a little boy, Gosta, so that leaves us Ida Lefebvre or Margit Skoog. We don't have a picture of Ida. Damn!

But! We do know that Ida was traveling with her mother and three siblings- NOT her father, who was already in the US awaiting their arrival. We could guess that Mrs. LaRoche may have used the word "mother", but she instead says that she saw "a family"- which insinuates (at least to my eyes and ears) that she's seeing two parents and four children.

If so, that leaves only the Skoog's and little Margit, who we DO have a photo of. Surprise! Margit is a chubby little toddler.

So, with these clues we can make a pretty educated guess that Mrs. LaRoche is watching the Skoog family play on the poop deck as she overlooks from the second class promenade. This may not be particularly interesting but these few clues added to a letter give us an insight to the last days of Margit Skoog, who would celebrate her 2nd birthday on April 14th and die later that night.

I am writing to you from the reading room, and an orchestra is playing next to me: one violin, two cellos, and one piano.

This one is torture because we are so close to knowing exactly who this is! The pianist is Herbert Taylor. The violinist is either Hartley or Hume and the mystery- and the reason I bring this up- is the cellist. Titanic had three, and one of them was Roger Bricoux. Why Roger? Because if it was, Mrs. LaRoche is writing that she thinks she's made friends with the the only other French second class passengers while listening to Bricoux, who was both French and a second class passenger!

I don't know enough about how the musicians were assigned so it stops there for me (maybe others would be able to help), but my overall point is that from this letter we get a beautiful moment of time- not just for Mrs. LaRoche and her family but for several others who were only in her periphery but live through this letter, and tell us a little more of their stories.