Burg B R
J Homosex. 1980;6(1-2):69-78.
A study of contemporary handbooks for justices of the peace, sworn depositions, and other judicial records shows that in early Stuart England people were relatively tolerant of homosexuality. Sodomy was a minor felony, but more than homosexual activity was required to prosecute an offender. Persons accused of religious heresy, political offenses, or violating social-class distinctions also might be charged with sodomy, as illustrated by the cases of Lord Audley, Earl of Castlehaven and John Atherton, Bishop of Waterford and Lismore. Although the Puritans expanded the list of sexual acts proscribed as vices, even they did not react to it with the extreme horror characteristic of the Victorian era and the present day.
一项对当代治安法官手册、宣誓证词及其他司法记录的研究表明，在斯图亚特王朝早期的英格兰，人们对同性恋相对宽容。鸡奸是一项轻罪，但起诉犯罪者需要的不仅仅是同性恋行为。被指控犯有宗教异端、政治罪行或违反社会阶层差异的人也可能被指控犯有鸡奸罪，奥德利勋爵、卡斯尔黑文伯爵以及沃特福德和利斯莫尔主教约翰·阿瑟顿的案件就说明了这一点。尽管清教徒扩大了被列为罪恶的性行为清单，但即便如此，他们也没有表现出维多利亚时代及当今时代特有的那种极端恐惧。
