133:, when there was a meeting place for every interest, including poetry, philosophy and politics, Wharton's Hellfire Club was, according to Blackett-Ord, a satirical "gentleman's club" which was known to ridicule religion, catching onto the contemporary trend in England of blasphemy. The club was more a joke, meant to shock the outside world, than a serious attack on religion or morality. The supposed president of this club was the Devil, although the members themselves did not apparently worship demons or the Devil, but called themselves devils. Wharton's club admitted men and women as equals, unlike other clubs of the time. The club met on Sundays at a number of different locations around London. The Greyhound Tavern was one of the meeting places used regularly, but because women were not to be seen in taverns, the meetings were also held at members' houses and at Wharton's riding club.
29:
476:) founded the Phoenix Society (later known as the Phoenix Common Room), but it was only in 1786 that the small gathering of friends asserted themselves as a recognised institution. The Phoenix was established in honour of Sir Francis, who died in 1781, as a symbolic rising from the ashes of Dashwood's earlier institution. To this day, the dining society abides by many of its predecessor's tenets. Its motto
77:. Such clubs, rumour had it, served as the meeting places of "persons of quality" who wished to take part in what were socially perceived as immoral acts, and the members were often involved in politics. Neither the activities nor membership of the clubs are easy to ascertain. The clubs allegedly had distant ties to an elite society known only as "The Order of the Second Circle".
351:
lasting a week or more in June or
September. The members addressed each other as "Brothers" and the leader, which changed regularly, as "Abbot". During meetings members supposedly wore ritual clothing: white trousers, jacket and cap, while the "Abbot" wore a red ensemble of the same style. Legends of
420:
was published. It contained stories easily identified with
Medmenham, one in which Lord Sandwich was ridiculed as having mistaken a monkey for the Devil. This book sparked the association between the Medmenham Monks and the Hellfire Club. By this time, many of the Friars were either dead or too far
488:
and refers to the practice of establishing the continuity of the society through a process of constant renewal of its graduate and undergraduate members, but also refers to the alchemical kabbalistic process that a life snatched via sacrifice is a life given back via a spirit at the command of its
347:, the Duke of Queensberry, the Earl of Bute, Lord Melcombe, Sir William Stanhope, K.B, Sir John Dashwood-King, bart., Sir Francis Delaval, K.B., Sir John Vanluttan, kt., Henry Vansittart, afterwards Governor of Bengal, (fn. 13) and Paul Whitehead the poet". Meetings occurred twice a month, with an
411:
was discovered set up on the press of a printer whom Wilkes had almost certainly used. The work was almost certainly principally written by Thomas Potter, and from internal evidence can be dated to around 1755. It was scurrilous, blasphemous, libellous, and bawdy, though not pornographic – still
148:) put forward a Bill "against 'horrid impieties'" (or immorality), aimed at the Hellfire Club. Wharton's political opposition used his membership as a way to pit him against his political allies, thus removing him from Parliament. After his Club was disbanded, Wharton became a
102:
88:
and a handful of other high-society friends. The most notorious club associated with the name was established in
England by Francis Dashwood, and met irregularly from around 1749 to around 1760, and possibly up until 1766. The term was closely associated with
424:
Paul
Whitehead had been the Secretary and Steward of the Order at Medmenham. When he died in 1774, as his will specified, his heart was placed in an urn at West Wycombe. It was sometimes taken out to show to visitors, but was stolen in 1829.
140:
ceremonies and partaking of meals featuring such dishes as "Holy Ghost Pie", "Breast of Venus", and "Devil's Loin", while drinking "Hell Fire Punch". Members of the club supposedly came to meetings dressed as characters from the Bible.
319:
that were laid in against the festivals of this new church, sufficiently informed the neighbourhood of the complexion of those hermits." Dashwood's garden at West
Wycombe contained numerous statues and shrines to different gods;
198:, he dressed up as the King of Sweden, a great enemy of Russia. The membership of Sir Francis's club was initially limited to twelve but soon increased. Of the original twelve, some are regularly identified: Dashwood,
372:
appointed
Dashwood his Chancellor of the Exchequer, despite Dashwood being widely held to be incapable of understanding "a bar bill of five figures". (Dashwood resigned the post the next year, having raised a
295:
was placed above a doorway in stained glass. It is thought that
William Hogarth may have executed murals for this building; none, however, survive. Eventually, the meetings were moved out of the abbey into a
230:, though much later, under the pseudonym John of Aylesbury. As there are no records left (these having been burned in 1774), many of these members are just assumed or linked by letters sent to each other.
1246:
93:, established in 1764. Other groups described as Hellfire Clubs were set up throughout the 18th century. Most of these arose in Ireland after Wharton's had been dissolved.
360:
for prostitutes) referred to as "Nuns". Dashwood's Club meetings often included mock rituals, items of a pornographic nature, much drinking, wenching and banqueting.
238:
Sir
Francis's club was never originally known as a Hellfire Club; it was given this name much later. His club in fact used a number of other names, such as the
356:
and Satan or demon worship have subsequently become attached to the club, beginning in the late
Nineteenth Century. Rumours saw female "guests" (a
118:
and was a prominent politician with two separate lives: the first as a "man of letters" and the second as "a drunkard, a rioter, an infidel and a
1271:
412:
unquestionably illegal under the laws of the time, and the
Government subsequently used it to drive Wilkes into exile. Between 1760 and 1765
168:
Inn throughout the 1730s. Dashwood founded the Order of the Knights of St Francis in 1746, originally meeting at the George & Vulture.
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122:". The members of Wharton's club are largely unknown. Mark Blackett-Ord assumes that members included Wharton's immediate friends: the
622:
269:
161:
70:
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On moving into Medmenham Abbey, Dashwood had numerous expensive works done on the building. It was rebuilt by the architect
862:
268:, 1752; a much larger meeting, it was something of a failure and no large-scale meetings were held there again. In 1751,
111:
85:
303:
Records indicate that the members performed "obscene parodies of religious rites" according to one source. According to
144:
Wharton's club came to an end in 1721 when George I, under the influence of Wharton's political enemies (in particular,
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211:
47:
1189:
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459:) was paying a royal visit to Scotland, he bequeathed the club a snuff box filled with his mistresses' pubic hair.
226:, although hardly a gentleman, has been associated with the club after painting Dashwood as a Franciscan Friar and
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20:
489:
master. The Phoenix Common Room's continuous history was reported in 1954 as a matter of note to the college.
126:, cousin; the Earl of Lichfield; and Sir Ed. O'Brien. Aside from these names, other members are not revealed.
1086:
Gatrell, Vic, City of Laughter: Sex and Satire in Eighteenth-Century London, Walker and Company, 2006, pg 313
369:
455:. Honorary membership was extended to the Prince of Wales in 1783. 39 years later, while the Prince (by now
878:
Infamous rake (and Chancellor of the Exchequer), Sir Francis Dashwood was the founder of the Hellfire Club
300:. They were decorated again with mythological themes, phallic symbols and other items of a sexual nature.
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and the Earl of Sandwich are alleged to have been members of a Hellfire Club that met at the
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8:
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was formed in the 1730s, which survived for a century and spawned additional branches in
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Francis Dashwood was well known for his pranks: for example, while in the Royal Court in
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214:. The list of supposed members is immense; among the more probable candidates are
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404:
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The downfall of Dashwood's Club was more drawn-out and complicated. In 1762, the
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were the deities to whom they almost publicly sacrificed; and the nymphs and the
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264:
223:
137:
41:
33:
1205:
Willens, Daniel. "Sex, Politics, and Religion in Eighteenth-Century England" in
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away for the club to continue as it did before. Medmenham was finished by 1766.
1247:
John Wilkes: Parliament & The Hellfire Club – UK Parliament Living Heritage
987:
Parishes: Medmenham Pages 84–89 A History of the County of Buckingham: Volume 3
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in which the Friars met are now a tourist site known as the "Hell Fire Caves".
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378:
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407:(possibly set up by Sandwich, who wanted to get rid of Wilkes), a version of
262:. The first meeting at Sir Francis's family home in West Wycombe was held on
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66:
863:"High politics and Hellfire: William Hogarth's portrait of Francis Dashwood"
482:'when one is torn away another succeeds' is from the sixth book of Virgil's
1097:
A Century of the Phoenix Common Room, Brasenose College, Oxford, 1786–1886,
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273:
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1128:
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227:
149:
90:
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Medmenham Abbey – Home of the Notorious Secret Society ‘Hellfire Club’
1110:
A History of the County of Oxford: Volume 3: The University of Oxford
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and Ireland in the 18th Century. The name most commonly refers to
967:
The Thames Path: National Trail from London to the river's source
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329:
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In 1781, Dashwood's nephew Joseph Alderson (an undergraduate at
621:"The Monks of Medmenham Abbey" (the Hell-Fire Club, founded by
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484:
321:
277:
81:
506:, fictional gentleman's club in the Sherlock Holmes universe
136:
According to at least one source, their activities included
101:
40:. The Bible has been replaced by a copy of the erotic novel
343:
A Parish history from 1925 stated that members included "
1074:"Hell-fire Caves United Kingdom | the Temple Trail"
522:, 18th century meeting place of the Irish Hell Fire Club
1159:
The Hell-Fire Clubs: Sex, Satanism and Secret Societies
1135:, Vol 3, Issue 1, Spring 2004. Retrieved 24 March 2009.
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against the King in the notorious issue No. 45 of his
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152:, and in 1722 he became the Grand Master of England.
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from the late 1750s, parodying Renaissance images of
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377:which caused near-riots). Dashwood now sat in the
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516:, in which meetings of Dashwood's club took place
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298:series of tunnels and caves in West Wycombe Hill
248:The Order of the Friars of St Francis of Wycombe
80:The first official Hellfire Club was founded in
1140:The Hell-Fire Clubs: A History of Anti-Morality
763:. Gloucestershire: Sutton Publishing. pp.
759:The Hell-Fire Clubs: A History of Anti-Morality
625:) of which he became the secretary and steward.
403:in early 1763. During a search authorised by a
307:, the members' "practice was rigorously pagan:
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155:
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57:was a term used to describe several exclusive
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389:died. Then there was the attempted arrest of
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75:Order of the Friars of St. Francis of Wycombe
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599:
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443:, a likeminded sex and drinking club called
250:, and later, after moving their meetings to
1150:. Windsor Forest, Berks.: The Kensal Press.
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563:
561:
477:
1242:The Lives & Times of the Hellfire Club
715:
678:
582:
549:Hellfire Holidays: Damnation, Members Only
1222:The Hellfire Club Archives at Blather.net
1142:. Great Britain: Sutton Publishing, 2005.
1099:records edited by F. Madan, Oxford, 1888.
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222:, a fabulously corpulent man in his 60s;
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856:
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179:), a philosophy of life associated with
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27:
908:City of Blood, Cities of the Underworld
813:
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607:. The Twickenham Museum. Archived from
46:, and the profile of Dashwood's friend
1272:Secret societies in the United Kingdom
1254:
748:
555:2009-12-15, accessed 18 December 2009.
414:Chrysal, or the Adventures of a Guinea
860:
847:
206:, Francis Duffield, Edward Thompson,
1163:. New Haven: Yale University Press.
1154:
808:
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463:Hellfire Clubs in contemporary life
86:Philip Wharton, 1st Duke of Wharton
13:
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212:John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich
14:
1283:
1215:
287:in the style of the 18th-century
280:from a friend, Francis Duffield.
16:Exclusive clubs for society rakes
861:Simon, Robin (3 November 2008).
244:Order of Knights of West Wycombe
240:Brotherhood of St. Francis of Wy
32:Portrait of Francis Dashwood by
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1267:Clubs and societies in England
910:– History Channel 2 (H2), 2008
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21:Hellfire Club (disambiguation)
1:
1237:History of the Hell-Fire Club
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381:after taking up the title of
332:and the previously mentioned
1227:Secrets of the Hellfire Club
479:uno avulso non deficit alter
234:Meetings and club activities
156:Sir Francis Dashwood's clubs
7:
1146:Blackett-Ord, Mark (1982).
492:
10:
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364:Decline of Dashwood's Club
345:Frederick, Prince of Wales
291:. At this time, the motto
129:At the time of the London
43:Elegantiae Latini sermonis
18:
474:Brasenose College, Oxford
1202:. London: Robson, 2000.
1182:The Hellfire Conspiracy
755:Ashe, Geoffrey (2000).
106:Philip, Duke of Wharton
700:Blackett-Ord pp. 44-6.
478:
293:Fais ce que tu voudras
183:'s fictional abbey at
173:Fais ce que tu voudras
108:
97:Duke of Wharton's club
51:
1155:Lord, Evelyn (2008).
1129:Looking into the Word
1114:British-history.ac.uk
1112:(1954), pp. 207–219.
1108:'Brasenose College',
220:George Bubb Dodington
104:
31:
1200:The Hell-Fire Friars
1184:. Touchstone, 2007.
1127:Alamantra, Frater. "
499:The Beggar's Benison
445:The Beggar's Benison
416:by the Irish author
124:Earl of Hillsborough
50:peers from the halo.
19:For other uses, see
1232:The Hell-Fire Clubs
790:"The Hellfire Club"
736:Blackett-Ord p. 70.
712:Blackett-Ord p. 44.
666:Blackett-Ord p. 43.
654:Blackett-Ord p. 70.
579:Blackett-Ord p. 46.
387:the previous holder
260:Friars of Medmenham
171:The club motto was
114:was made a duke by
1148:The Hell-Fire Duke
796:on 10 October 2009
430:West Wycombe Caves
409:The Essay on Woman
383:Baron Le Despencer
254:, they became the
187:and later used by
166:George and Vulture
109:
52:
553:Tonyperrottet.com
418:Charles Johnstone
216:Benjamin Bates II
200:Robert Vansittart
181:François Rabelais
177:Do what thou wilt
61:for high-society
38:Francis of Assisi
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252:Medmenham Abbey
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1211:, Summer 1992.
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613:. Retrieved
609:the original
591:Ashe p. 111.
544:
536:
535:
514:West Wycombe
483:
471:
434:
427:
423:
413:
408:
398:
375:tax on cider
370:Earl of Bute
367:
354:Black Masses
342:
302:
292:
282:
263:
259:
255:
247:
243:
239:
237:
193:
184:
172:
170:
159:
143:
135:
128:
112:Lord Wharton
110:
84:in 1718, by
79:
74:
54:
53:
42:
25:
1063:Ashe p. 167
1054:Ashe p. 177
1045:Ashe p. 158
1036:Ashe p. 157
1024:Ashe p. 155
1015:Ashe p. 133
997:Ashe p. 125
977:Ashe p. 114
937:Ashe p. 112
919:Ashe p. 121
898:Ashe p. 120
844:Ashe p. 113
835:Ashe p. 115
745:Ashe p. 62.
724:Ashe p. 49.
691:Ashe p. 48.
675:Ashe p. 46.
645:Ashe p. 52.
567:Ashe p. 48.
391:John Wilkes
228:John Wilkes
1256:Categories
1006:Ashe p 125
946:Ashe p.118
928:Ashe p.111
872:11 January
800:10 January
615:11 January
532:References
437:Anstruther
1095:See also
826:Alamantra
453:Edinburgh
358:euphemism
317:hogsheads
272:, leased
150:Freemason
493:See also
441:Scotland
338:Dionysus
270:Dashwood
116:George I
91:Brooks's
889:Coppens
449:Glasgow
330:Priapus
309:Bacchus
276:on the
185:Thélème
1208:Gnosis
1188:
1167:
1131:" in
771:
485:Aeneid
385:after
322:Daphne
278:Thames
82:London
817:Ashe.
537:Notes
334:Venus
326:Flora
313:Venus
256:Monks
63:rakes
59:clubs
1186:ISBN
1165:ISBN
874:2010
802:2010
769:ISBN
617:2010
451:and
428:The
393:for
336:and
324:and
311:and
210:and
160:Sir
120:rake
435:In
349:AGM
258:or
73:'s
1258::
1198:.
1180:.
1029:^
876:.
865:.
849:^
810:^
767:.
765:65
729:^
717:^
705:^
680:^
659:^
619:.
596:^
584:^
572:^
560:^
551:,
439:,
340:.
328:,
246:,
242:,
218:,
202:,
191:.
1192:.
1173:.
1076:.
804:.
777:.
175:(
23:.
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