deepredroom: The Hellfire Club was a name for several exclusive clubs for high society rakes establi
deepredroom: The Hellfire Club was a name for several exclusive clubs for high society rakes established in Britain and Ireland in the 18th century, and was more formally or cautiously known as the Order of the Friars of St. Francis of Wycombe.[1] These clubs were rumoured to be the meeting places of “persons of quality”[2] who wished to take part in immoral acts, and the members were often very involved in politics. Neither the activities nor membership of the club are easy to ascertain. - According to a number of sources their activities included mock religious ceremonies and partaking in meals containing dishes like Holy Ghost Pie, Breast of Venus, and Devil’s Loin, while drinking Hell-fire punch.[5][19] Members of the Club supposedly came to meetings dressed as characters from the Bible.[19] - the motto Fait ce que voudras was placed above a doorway in stained glass.[7] It is thought that William Hogarth may have executed murals for this building; none, however, survive. Underneath the Abbey, Dashwood had a series of caves carved out from an existing one. It was decorated again with mythological themes, phallic symbols and other items of a sexual nature. According to Horace Walpole, the members’ “practice was rigorously pagan: Bacchus and Venus were the deities to whom they almost publicly sacrificed; and the nymphs and the hogsheads that were laid in against the festivals of this new church, sufficiently informed the neighborhood of the complexion of those hermits.” Dashwood’s garden at West Wycombe contained numerous statues and shrines to different gods; Daphne and Flora, Priapus and the previously mentioned Venus and Dionysus.[33] Meetings occurred twice a month, with an AGM lasting a week or more in June or September.[34] 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.[35] Like Wharton’s Club, rumours of Black Masses, orgies and Satan or demon worship were well circulated during the time the Club was around. Other clubs, especially in Ireland and Scotland, were rumoured to take part in far more dubious activities. Rumours saw female “guests” (a euphemism for prostitutes) referred to as “Nuns”. Dashwood’s Club meetings often included mock rituals, items of a pornographic nature, much drinking, wenching and banqueting.[36] And on the above building in Dublin: Originally there was a cairn with a prehistoric passage grave on the summit. Stones from the cairn were taken and used in the construction of Mount Pelier lodge. Shortly after completion, a storm blew the roof off. Local superstition attributed this incident to the work of the Devil, a punishment for interfering with the cairn. Since this time, Montpelier Hill has become associated with numerous paranormal events. This reputation was further enhanced when members of the Irish Hell Fire Club, which was active in the years 1735 to 1741, began using Mount Pelier lodge as a meeting place. Numerous lurid stories of wild behaviour and debauchery as well as occult practices and demonic manifestations have become part of the local folklore. The original name of the lodge has been displaced and the building is generally known as the Hell Fire Club. When the lodge was damaged by fire, the members of the Hell Fire Club relocated down the hill to the nearby Stewards House for a brief period. This building also has a reputation for being haunted, most notably by a massive black cat. All from Wikipedia. -- source link