James Pratt and John Smith
James Pratt (1805–1835), also known as John Pratt, and John Smith (1795–1835) were two London men who, in November 1835, became the last two to be executed for sodomy in England. Pratt and Smith were arrested in August of that year after being spied on through a keyhole allegedly having carnal knowledge of each other in a room rented by William Bonill a friend or acquaintance of one of the men, or possibly both. Bonill, although not present when the men were spied on, was nevertheless transported to Australia as an accessory to Pratt and Smith's alleged crime, where he died.
An execution outside Newgate Prison in London, early 19th century
Sodomy, also called buggery in British English, generally refers to either anal sex between people, or any sexual activity between a human and another animal (bestiality). It may also mean any non-procreative sexual activity. Originally, the term sodomy, which is derived from the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Book of Genesis, was commonly restricted to homosexual anal sex. Sodomy laws in many countries criminalized the behavior. In the Western world, many of these laws have been overturned or are routinely not enforced. A person who practices sodomy is sometimes referred to as a sodomite, a pejorative term.
François Elluin, Sodomites provoking the wrath of God, from Le Pot-Pourri de Loth, 1781
The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, John Martin, 1852
Dante and Virgil interview the sodomites, from Guido da Pisa [it]'s commentary on the Commedia, c. 1345
Monks accused of sodomy burned at the stake, Ghent 1578