John
Rykener (ca. 1395) |
John Rykener,
known also as Johannes Richer and Eleanor, was a 14th-century
transvestite
prostitute working mainly in London (near Cheapside), but also active
in Oxford
He was
arrested in 1395 for cross-dressing
The records
have survived, the only surviving legal records from that age which
mentions
same-sex intercourse.
During his
interrogation (ondervraging), Rykener claimed to have had many clients
including priests, monks and nuns; he said that he preferred priests
because they
paid better than others. He revealed that one Franciscan friar had
given him a
gold ring, and that a Carmelite friar and six foreigners, of whom one
gave
Rykener twelve pence, one twenty pence, and one two shillings.
A
fictionalized version of John/Eleanor Rykener appears as a prominent
character
within Bruce Holsinger's recent historical novel, A Burnable
Book, set
in London in 1385 during the time of Richard II (1377-1399)
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