Guest Post: Shame the Devil by Donna Scott

Shame the Devil by Donna Scott

England, 1643. The Civil War has created a great divide between those who support King Charles and those who would rather see his head on the block. Young Scot Colin Blackburne finds himself caught in the middle when he witnesses Parliamentarians murder his mother because of his father’s allegiance to the king. As further punishment, the family is sent to Yorkshire as indentured servants. Mistreated by his master and tormented by a Parliamentarian soldier, Colin vows to take up arms for the king and seek vengeance against the men who killed his mother. The only bright spot in his life is his unexpected, and forbidden, friendship with his master’s daughter, Emma Hardcastle. With her father constantly away on campaign and her mother plagued by madness, Emma is drawn to Colin and his brother, Roddy. She introduces them to her troubled neighbor Alston Egerton, who has a clandestine relationship with Stephen Kitts, the soldier out for Colin’s blood. As they all become entangled in a twisted web of love, jealousy, desire, and betrayal, the war rages on around them. Resentful at being forced into servitude and forbidden from being with the woman he loves, Colin puts his plan for vengeance into motion, though it will have disastrous consequences for all of them. Secrets are revealed and relationships are torn apart. With the country teetering on the brink of ruin, Emma fights to survive, Alston is forced to confront his demons, and Colin must decide whether his burning desire to fight for justice is worth sacrificing a future with the woman he loves.

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Praise for Shame the Devil

“Scott’s writing is magnificent…The intricately woven secrets and lies against the backdrop of an unprecedented dethroning of the monarchy make Shame the Devil a page-turning experience. Historical fiction and romance fans should not miss out on this book. Highly recommended.” -Chanticleer International Book Reviews “The references to the situation happening in England during the time of the Civil War are interesting to read about…The struggle between the Parliamentarians and Royalists is fascinating to follow and thought-provoking…and you will follow some lovely characters throughout the book.” -Reedsy Reviews “Scott’s…gentle manipulation of the material [is] appealing and easy to follow, even for those unfamiliar with the details of the English Civil War…I appreciate how Scott used the history to frame the dramatic events of her story…I enjoyed Colin, Roddy, and Emma well-enough, but I was genuinely attached to Alston…I was captivated by his arc and thought his story the most dynamically compelling. Stephen, repugnant though he is, also deserves a shout out as a fabulously layered antagonist.” –Historical Fiction Reader

The Buggery Act and Homosexuality in the 17^th Century

In Shame the Devil, Alston suffers horribly.  As a young boy, he is confronted with feelings that are deemed unnatural and sinful.  His Puritan upbringing insists that everything he thinks, feels, and knows about himself is the product of evil.  However, once he meets the man who will guide him into a life he has only known as forbidden, he surrenders his fears and uncertainty and engages in a relationship that finally offers him the love he so desperately desires.  But in the 17^th century, this is a dangerous game to play.

Today, we’d simply say that Alston is homosexual but in the 1600s, he would be called a sodomite.  The term homosexuality wasn’t coined until 1869, and related terms such as gay and queer are fairly modern, both arriving into the English lexicon in the mid to late 20^th century.  Sodomite, which has Biblical references to Sodom and Gomorrah, had less to do with a person’s sexuality or gender role and more to do with his behavior.  Although the term sodomite was most commonly used for male/male relationships prior to the late 19^th century, it was also used to describe anyone who engaged in non-procreational sexual behavior, whether male or female. 

In England, the Buggery Act of 1533, which was passed by Parliament during King Henry VIII’s reign, proclaimed homosexual activity—or sodomy—between men as a capital offense.  Naturally, due to the highly religious nature of the times, the fate of a perpetrator of sodomy or buggery was not especially pleasant.  The Act states that convicted offenders should “suffer such pains of death and losses and penalties of their goods, chattels, debts, lands, tenements, and hereditaments, as felons do according to the Common Laws of this Realm”.  These punishments seem perfectly in line with Henry’s well-known interest in confiscating land and other possessions for his own benefit.  Of course, losing one’s property was the least of the offenders’ problems.  If convicted, death by hanging was a much greater concern, forcing men to be especially discreet.

Of course, if one happened to be a king with such proclivities, this necessary discretion was almost impossible, considering the number of courtiers and servants who were continually present.  That begs the question, with so many eyewitnesses, was a king more in danger of suffering the punishment decreed than a commoner?  In the early 17^th century, scurrilous gossip about the bisexual habits of King James I of England abounded in his court, yet he remained untouched by the laws codified in the Buggery Act.  There were plenty of accounts of the king kissing and caressing his favourites but, somehow, he survived the accusations.  To the contrary, had that amount of evidence been presented at the Old Bailey against a commoner, he would have undoubtedly been accused and convicted of the crime of sodomy and, ultimately, executed.  Hypocritically, James continued until his death to impose harsh punishments against all subjects who participated in sodomy. 

In the 17^th century, there are only a few recorded instances of criminal trials, but scholars agree that this might be due to the fact that out of self-preservation, homosexuals had become adept at hiding their personal relationships and sexual behaviors from the rest of society, knowing the punishment was death.

             Interestingly, lesbianism, or sex between women, was not considered illegal at the time.  There are very few recorded legal cases of lesbian activity, however some cases identifying women cross-dressing as men were recorded in the 1700s and later.  Women were subjected to the Buggery Act only if their non-procreational sexual participation was with a man.

             In essence, it came down to this:  In the 17^th century, a homosexual man, like Alston, did everything he could to disguise his lifestyle for fear of the noose.

About the Author

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Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, September 14 Review at Passages to the Past Tuesday, September 15 Interview at Novels Alive Review at Rajiv’s Reviews Review at Gwendalyn’s Books Wednesday, September 16 Guest Post at Book Bustle Thursday, September 17 Excerpt at Historical Fiction with Spirit Friday, September 18 Guest Post at Coffee and Ink Monday, September 21 Review at Books and Zebras Excerpt at A Darn Good Read Tuesday, September 22 Interview at Passages to the Past

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour, we are giving away 3 paperback copies of Shame the Devil by Donna Scott! To enter, please use the Gleam form below. The giveaway is open to US residents only and ends on September 22nd. You must be 18 or older to enter. Shame the Devil https://widget.gleamjs.io/e.js