Francis Dashwood, 15th Baron le Despencer
Encyclopedia
Francis Dashwood, 15th Baron le Despencer (December 1708 – 11 December 1781) was an English
rake
and politician
, Chancellor of the Exchequer
(1762–1763) and founder of the Hellfire Club
.
, and educated at Eton College
where he became associated with William Pitt the Elder
. He was orphaned in 1724 at the age of 16. In 1726 he went on a Grand Tour
of Europe
becoming one of the first Britons to include Russia
on his itinerary.
He was too young to have been a member of the very first Hellfire Club
founded by the Duke of Wharton in 1719 and disbanded in 1721 but he and the Earl of Sandwich
are alleged to have been members of a Hellfire Club that met at the George and Vulture
Inn throughout the 1730s.
In 1732 he formed a dining club
called the Society of Dilettanti with around 40 charter members (some of whom may have been members of Wharton’s original club) who had returned from the Grand Tour with a greater appreciation of classical art. William Hogarth
drew Sir Francis Dashwood at his Devotions for dilettante Viscount Boyne
.
for New Romney
and subsequently abandoning his earlier Jacobite
sympathies he joined the court of Frederick, Prince of Wales
and sponsored alleged spy-master Lord Melcombe
’s membership of the Dilettanti.
In 1744 he and fellow Dilettante the Earl of Sandwich founded the short-lived Divan Club
for those who had visited the Ottoman Empire
to share their experiences, but this club was disbanded two years later.
In 1747 he introduced a poor-relief bill that recommended commissioning public works
, such as the caves he later had excavated at West Wycombe Park
, to combat unemployment, but it failed to pass.
in the style of the 18th century Gothic revival, at this time, the motto Fait ce que voudras was placed above a doorway in stained glass, and it is thought that Hogarth may have executed murals for this building; none, however, survive.
The first meeting of the group known facetiously as Brotherhood of St. Francis of Wycombe, Order of Knights of West Wycombe was held at Sir Francis' family home in West Wycombe
on Walpurgis Night
in 1752.
According to the 1779 book Nocturnal Revels
, on the Grand Tour he had visited various religious seminaries, "founded, as it were, in direct contradiction to Nature and Reason; on his return to England, [he] thought that a burlesque
Institution in the name of St Francis, would mark the absurdity of such Societies; and in lieu of the austerities and abstemiousness there practised, substitute convivial gaiety, unrestrained hilarity, and social felicity."
The initial meeting was something of a failure and the club subsequently moved their meetings to Medmenham Abbey (about 6 miles from West Wycombe) where they called themselves the Monks of Medmenham.
For his activities in the Hellfire Club, he was in his day widely regarded as being involved in devil worship.
in 1761 and Chancellor of the Exchequer
in 1762 but was forced to resign the following year after announcing an unpopular budget and subsequently served as Master of the Great Wardrobe After leaving that post, the Barony of le Despencer
was called out of abeyance for him (in right of his mother Mary, eldest daughter of 4th Earl of Westmorland).
From 1765 until his death he served as joint Postmaster General. During this time he met and befriended Benjamin Franklin
, his opposite number in the North American colonies, and agreeing that church services were too long, the two produced an anonymous Abridgement of the Book of Common Prayer in 1773.
He also served as an honorary vice president of London's charitable Foundling Hospital
from 1777 until his death.
, married four times, his second wife was Mary, the eldest daughter of Vere Fane, 4th Earl of Westmorland
, Baron Le Despencer and Burghersh. Francis and Mary had two children a son Francis and a daughter Rachael. Sir Francis also had two surviving daughters from his first marriage and two daughters and two sons from his third. So Francis Dashwood had a sister Rachael, and six half siblings.
When the 7th Earl of Westmorland died childless, the Earldom of Westmorland
passed to Thomas Fane
a direct male descendent of the 1st Earl. The title of Baron le Despencer, passed through Mary to Francis.
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England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
rake
Rake (character)
A rake, short for rakehell, is a historic term applied to a man who is habituated to immoral conduct, frequently a heartless womanizer. Often a rake was a man who wasted his fortune on gambling, wine, women and song, incurring lavish debts in the process...
and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
(1762–1763) and founder of the Hellfire Club
Hellfire Club
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"...
.
Early life
He was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, and educated at Eton College
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
where he became associated with William Pitt the Elder
William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham
William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham PC was a British Whig statesman who led Britain during the Seven Years' War...
. He was orphaned in 1724 at the age of 16. In 1726 he went on a Grand Tour
Grand Tour
The Grand Tour was the traditional trip of Europe undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means. The custom flourished from about 1660 until the advent of large-scale rail transit in the 1840s, and was associated with a standard itinerary. It served as an educational rite of passage...
of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
becoming one of the first Britons to include Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
on his itinerary.
He was too young to have been a member of the very first Hellfire Club
Hellfire Club
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"...
founded by the Duke of Wharton in 1719 and disbanded in 1721 but he and the Earl of Sandwich
John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich
John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, PC, FRS was a British statesman who succeeded his grandfather, Edward Montagu, 3rd Earl of Sandwich, as the Earl of Sandwich in 1729, at the age of ten...
are alleged to have been members of a Hellfire Club that met at the George and Vulture
George and Vulture
The George and Vulture was built in 1746 as a public house in Castle Court, near Lombard Street, City of London. There has been an inn on the site since 1268....
Inn throughout the 1730s.
In 1732 he formed a dining club
Dining club
A dining club is a social group, usually requiring membership , which meets for dinners and discussion on a regular basis. They may also often have guest speakers...
called the Society of Dilettanti with around 40 charter members (some of whom may have been members of Wharton’s original club) who had returned from the Grand Tour with a greater appreciation of classical art. William Hogarth
William Hogarth
William Hogarth was an English painter, printmaker, pictorial satirist, social critic and editorial cartoonist who has been credited with pioneering western sequential art. His work ranged from realistic portraiture to comic strip-like series of pictures called "modern moral subjects"...
drew Sir Francis Dashwood at his Devotions for dilettante Viscount Boyne
Viscount Boyne
Viscount Boyne, in the province of Leinster, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1717 for the Scottish military commander Gustavus Hamilton, 1st Baron Hamilton of Stackallan. He had already been created Baron Hamilton of Stackallan, in the County of Meath in 1715, also in the...
.
Marriage
On 19 December 1745, he married Lady Sarah Ellys (née Gould) (d. 19 January 1769), the widow of Sir Richard Ellys, 2nd Baronet.Early political career
In 1741 he was elected Member of ParliamentMember of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for New Romney
New Romney (UK Parliament constituency)
New Romney was a parliamentary constituency in Kent, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1371 until 1832, when it was abolished by the Great Reform Act....
and subsequently abandoning his earlier Jacobite
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
sympathies he joined the court of Frederick, Prince of Wales
Frederick, Prince of Wales
Frederick, Prince of Wales was a member of the House of Hanover and therefore of the Hanoverian and later British Royal Family, the eldest son of George II and father of George III, as well as the great-grandfather of Queen Victoria...
and sponsored alleged spy-master Lord Melcombe
George Dodington, 1st Baron Melcombe
George Bubb Dodington, 1st Baron Melcombe PC was an English politician and nobleman.Christened simply George Bubb, he acquired the surname Dodington around the time his uncle George Dodington died in 1720 and left him his estate...
’s membership of the Dilettanti.
In 1744 he and fellow Dilettante the Earl of Sandwich founded the short-lived Divan Club
Divan Club
The Divan Club was a short-lived dining club in 18th century England, with membership open to gentlemen who had visited the Ottoman Empire. The club took its name from the Turkish "divan"....
for those who had visited the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
to share their experiences, but this club was disbanded two years later.
In 1747 he introduced a poor-relief bill that recommended commissioning public works
Public works
Public works are a broad category of projects, financed and constructed by the government, for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community...
, such as the caves he later had excavated at West Wycombe Park
West Wycombe Park
West Wycombe Park is a country house near the village of West Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, built between 1740 and 1800. It was conceived as a pleasure palace for the 18th century libertine and dilettante Sir Francis Dashwood, 2nd Baronet. The house is a long rectangle with four façades that...
, to combat unemployment, but it failed to pass.
The Hellfire Club
Dashwood leased Medmenham Abbey on the Thames from his friend, Francis Duffield in 1751 and had it rebuilt by the architect Nicholas RevettNicholas Revett
Nicholas Revett was a Suffolk gentleman and amateur architect and artist.He is best known for his famous work with James Stuart documenting the ruins of ancient Athens. Its illustrations compose 5 folio volumes and include 368 etched and engraved plates, plans and maps drawn at scale...
in the style of the 18th century Gothic revival, at this time, the motto Fait ce que voudras was placed above a doorway in stained glass, and it is thought that Hogarth may have executed murals for this building; none, however, survive.
The first meeting of the group known facetiously as Brotherhood of St. Francis of Wycombe, Order of Knights of West Wycombe was held at Sir Francis' family home in West Wycombe
West Wycombe
West Wycombe is a small village situated along the A40 road, due three miles west of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England.The historic village is largely a National Trust property and receives a large annual influx of tourists - being the site of West Wycombe Park, West Wycombe Caves and the...
on Walpurgis Night
Walpurgis Night
Walpurgis Night is a traditional spring festival on 30 April or 1 May in large parts of Central and Northern Europe. It is often celebrated with dancing and with bonfires. It is exactly six months from All Hallows' Eve.-Name:...
in 1752.
According to the 1779 book Nocturnal Revels
Nocturnal Revels
Nocturnal Revels is a 1779 two-volume book about prostitution in 18th-century London.The title page introduces the book as "the history of King's-Place and other modern nunneries", written by a "monk of the Order of St Francis"...
, on the Grand Tour he had visited various religious seminaries, "founded, as it were, in direct contradiction to Nature and Reason; on his return to England, [he] thought that a burlesque
Burlesque
Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects...
Institution in the name of St Francis, would mark the absurdity of such Societies; and in lieu of the austerities and abstemiousness there practised, substitute convivial gaiety, unrestrained hilarity, and social felicity."
The initial meeting was something of a failure and the club subsequently moved their meetings to Medmenham Abbey (about 6 miles from West Wycombe) where they called themselves the Monks of Medmenham.
For his activities in the Hellfire Club, he was in his day widely regarded as being involved in devil worship.
Later political career
He was appointed Treasurer of the ChamberTreasurer of the Chamber
The Treasurer of the Chamber was a position in the British royal household, separated in 1485 from that of the Master of the Jewel Office, situated within the Privy Chamber department of the Lord Steward...
in 1761 and Chancellor of the Exchequer
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The Chancellor of the Exchequer is the title held by the British Cabinet minister who is responsible for all economic and financial matters. Often simply called the Chancellor, the office-holder controls HM Treasury and plays a role akin to the posts of Minister of Finance or Secretary of the...
in 1762 but was forced to resign the following year after announcing an unpopular budget and subsequently served as Master of the Great Wardrobe After leaving that post, the Barony of le Despencer
Baron le Despencer
The title Baron le Despencer has been created several times by writ in the Peerage of England.-Creation:The first creation was in 1295, when Hugh the elder Despenser was summoned to the Model Parliament. He was the eldest son of the sometime Justiciar Hugh le Despenser , who was summoned in 1264 to...
was called out of abeyance for him (in right of his mother Mary, eldest daughter of 4th Earl of Westmorland).
From 1765 until his death he served as joint Postmaster General. During this time he met and befriended Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
, his opposite number in the North American colonies, and agreeing that church services were too long, the two produced an anonymous Abridgement of the Book of Common Prayer in 1773.
He also served as an honorary vice president of London's charitable Foundling Hospital
Foundling Hospital
The Foundling Hospital in London, England was founded in 1741 by the philanthropic sea captain Thomas Coram. It was a children's home established for the "education and maintenance of exposed and deserted young children." The word "hospital" was used in a more general sense than it is today, simply...
from 1777 until his death.
Family
Francis Dashwood's father, Sir Francis Dashwood, 1st BaronetSir Francis Dashwood, 1st Baronet
Sir Francis Dashwood, 1st Baronet was a British merchant.A son of Francis Dashwood, Alderman of London, he and his brother Samuel Dashwood early joined their father's business and became leading silk importers. They were also members of the British East India Company and the Worshipful Company of...
, married four times, his second wife was Mary, the eldest daughter of Vere Fane, 4th Earl of Westmorland
Vere Fane, 4th Earl of Westmorland
Vere Fane, 4th Earl of Westmorland KB , known as Sir Vere Fane from 1661 to 1691, was a British peer and Member of Parliament for Peterborough and Kent.He was Lord Lieutenant of Kent...
, Baron Le Despencer and Burghersh. Francis and Mary had two children a son Francis and a daughter Rachael. Sir Francis also had two surviving daughters from his first marriage and two daughters and two sons from his third. So Francis Dashwood had a sister Rachael, and six half siblings.
When the 7th Earl of Westmorland died childless, the Earldom of Westmorland
Earl of Westmorland
Earl of Westmorland is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of England. The title was first created in 1397 for Ralph Neville. It was forfeited in 1571 by Charles Neville, 6th Earl of Westmorland for leading the Rising of the North. It was revived in 1624 in favour of Sir Francis...
passed to Thomas Fane
Thomas Fane, 8th Earl of Westmorland
Thomas Fane, 8th Earl of Westmorland , MP for Lyme Regis and a lord commissioner of trade. Thomas Fane was the second son of Henry Fane of Brympton d'Evercy in Somerset and Anne sister and coheir of John Scrope, children of Thomas Scrope, a Bristol merchant. Anne was a granddaughter of Colonel...
a direct male descendent of the 1st Earl. The title of Baron le Despencer, passed through Mary to Francis.
Portrayal in popular culture
Literature
Francis Dashwood has appeared in literary works by the following authors:- Charles Brockden BrownCharles Brockden BrownCharles Brockden Brown , an American novelist, historian, and editor of the Early National period, is generally regarded by scholars as the most ambitious and accomplished US novelist before James Fenimore Cooper...
in his 1798 novel WielandWieland (novel)Wieland: or, The Transformation: An American Tale, usually simply called Wieland, is the first major work by Charles Brockden Brown. First published in 1798, it distinguishes the true beginning of his career as a writer. Wieland is the first - and most famous - American Gothic novel. It has often...
describes the character Carwin as "specious seducer Dashwood."http://books.google.com/books?id=JZj06GGRZCMC&pg=PA141&lpg=PA141&dq=%22specious+seducer+dashwood%22&source=web&ots=tZEjDBpz4O&sig=fJmHI8IAmf2LUnz1csEPdhvURKU&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=1&ct=result - Robert Anton WilsonRobert Anton WilsonRobert Anton Wilson , known to friends as "Bob", was an American author and polymath who became at various times a novelist, philosopher, psychologist, essayist, editor, playwright, poet, futurist, civil libertarian and self-described agnostic mystic...
in his 1975 The Illuminatus! TrilogyThe Illuminatus! TrilogyThe Illuminatus! Trilogy is a series of three novels written by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson first published in 1975. The trilogy is a satirical, postmodern, science fiction-influenced adventure story; a drug-, sex-, and magick-laden trek through a number of conspiracy theories, both...
and 1980-81 Schrödinger's Cat TrilogySchrödinger's Cat trilogyThe Schrödinger's Cat Trilogy is a trilogy of novels by Robert Anton Wilson consisting of The Universe Next Door, The Trick Top Hat, and The Homing Pigeons, each illustrating a different interpretation of quantum physics...
. - James HerbertJames HerbertJames Herbert, OBE is a best-selling English horror writer who originally worked as the art director of an advertising agency. He is a full-time writer who also designs his own book covers and publicity.-Family:...
in the 1994 novel The Ghosts of Sleath. - Eddie CampbellEddie CampbellEddie Campbell is a Scottish comics artist and cartoonist who now lives in Australia. Probably best known as the illustrator and publisher of From Hell , Campbell is also the creator of the semi-autobiographical Alec stories collected in Alec: The Years Have Pants, and Bacchus , a wry adventure...
in the 1994 four-issue story arc Warped Notions for the comic book HellblazerHellblazerHellblazer is a contemporary horror comic book series, originally published by DC Comics, and subsequently by the Vertigo imprint since March 1993, the month the imprint was introduced, where it remains to this day...
. - Kathy ReichsKathy ReichsKathleen Joan Toelle "Kathy" Reichs is an American crime writer, forensic anthropologist and academic . She is a professor of anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, but is currently on indefinite leave...
in the 2001 Novel Fatal VoyageFatal VoyageFatal Voyage is the fourth book from the author Kathy Reichs in the Temperance Brennan series.-Plot:A plane crashes high in the mountains of North Carolina.But a severed foot is discovered a good distance from the main crash site......
. - Carrie Bebris in her 2005 Regency novelRegency novelRegency novels are either:* Fiction actually written during the Regency era - The works of Jane Austen, Sir Walter Scott, Susan Ferrier, and Maria Edgeworth would fall into this category.* Later fiction set within the Regency era...
Suspense and Sensibility. - Mike Carey in the 2006 four-issue story arc Reasons to Be Cheerful for the comic book HellblazerHellblazerHellblazer is a contemporary horror comic book series, originally published by DC Comics, and subsequently by the Vertigo imprint since March 1993, the month the imprint was introduced, where it remains to this day...
. - Kage BakerKage BakerKage Baker was an American science fiction and fantasy writer.- Biography :Baker was born in Hollywood, California and lived there and in Pismo Beach most of her life. Before becoming a professional writer she spent many years in theater, including teaching Elizabethan English as a second language...
in her 2007 short story "Hellfire at Twilight". - Tom KnoxTom KnoxTom Knox is an American businessman and politician. He was second in the Democratic nomination for Mayor of Philadelphia on May 15, 2007. He is notable for his pledge to spend up to fifteen million dollars of his own money in the race. After considering a run in 2008 for state treasurer, Knox...
in the 2009 novel The Genesis Secret. - Diana GabaldonDiana GabaldonDiana J. Gabaldon is an American author of Mexican-American and English ancestry. Gabaldon is the author of the Outlander Series. Her books they contain elements of romantic fiction, historical fiction, mystery, adventure, and science fiction.-Early life and science career:Diana J. Gabaldon was...
in her 1998 short story Lord John and the Hellfire Club. The story was originally published in Past Poisons: An Ellis Peters Memorial Anthology of Historic Crime, edited by Maxim JakubowskiMaxim JakubowskiMaxim Jakubowski is a crime, erotic, and science fiction writer and critic.Jakubowski was born in England to Russian-British and Polish parents, but raised in France. Jakubowski has also lived in Italy and has travelled extensively...
. Because of the character Lord John's popularity, Gabaldon reworked the story to be included with a set of Lord John novellas, in total being published as Lord John and the Hand of Devils.
Music
- Received a name check from Vivian StanshallVivian StanshallVivian Stanshall was an English singer-songwriter, painter, musician, author, poet and wit, best known for his work with the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, for his surreal exploration of the British upper classes in Sir Henry at Rawlinson End, and for narrating Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells.-The great...
at the end of side two of the original recording of Mike OldfieldMike OldfieldMichael Gordon Oldfield is an English multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music, New Age, and more recently, dance. His music is often elaborate and complex in nature...
's Tubular BellsTubular BellsTubular Bells is the debut record album of English musician Mike Oldfield, released in 1973. It was the first album released by Virgin Records and an early cornerstone of the company's success...
, as found in the Mike Oldfield Boxed collection (Virgin Records - CDBOX1). - The Inkubus SukkubusInkubus SukkubusInkubus Sukkubus are a British goth and pagan band formed in 1989 by Candia Ridley, Tony McKormack, and Adam Henderson.-History:Inkubus Sukkubus are a British goth and pagan band who have been releasing albums and touring since their formation as Incubus Succubus in 1989.-Incubus Succubus:Before...
song 'Hell-Fire' from the album Vampyre EroticaVampyre EroticaVampyre Erotica is the fifth album by British Goth rockers Inkubus Sukkubus, their fourth full-length studio album. It contains 12 original songs and a cover of "Paint It Black" by The Rolling Stones....
mentions him, the motto Do What Thou Will, and Breast of Venus.
Film and TV
- Appears in the anime Le Chevalier D'EonLe Chevalier D'Eonis a 24-episode anime TV series produced by Production I.G based on an original story by Tow Ubukata. The anime originally aired in Japan on WOWOW from August 19, 2006 to February 2, 2007. The story has also been adapted into a manga series written by Tow Ubukata and illustrated by Kiriko Yumeji,...
as the leader of a powerful cult - the Revolutionary Order - based in Medmenham Abbey, MedmenhamMedmenhamMedmenham is a village and civil parish in the Wycombe district of Buckinghamshire, England. It is on the River Thames, about three and a half miles southwest of Marlow and three miles east of Henley-on-Thames....
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, that seeks to manipulate Europeon powers using magical powers latent in the biblical Book of Psalms.
See also
- Dashwood BaronetsDashwood BaronetsThere have been two Baronetcies created for members of the Dashwood family, one in the Baronetage of England and one in the Baronetage of Great Britain...
- Baron le DespencerBaron le DespencerThe title Baron le Despencer has been created several times by writ in the Peerage of England.-Creation:The first creation was in 1295, when Hugh the elder Despenser was summoned to the Model Parliament. He was the eldest son of the sometime Justiciar Hugh le Despenser , who was summoned in 1264 to...
- West Wycombe CavesWest Wycombe CavesWest Wycombe Caves are a network of man-made chalk and flint caverns which extend one quarter of a mile underground, situated above the village of West Wycombe, at the southern edge of the Chiltern Hills near High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, Southeast England.They were excavated between 1748 and...
- West Wycombe ParkWest Wycombe ParkWest Wycombe Park is a country house near the village of West Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, built between 1740 and 1800. It was conceived as a pleasure palace for the 18th century libertine and dilettante Sir Francis Dashwood, 2nd Baronet. The house is a long rectangle with four façades that...
Biography
- Sir Francis Dashwood (1708- 1781) by George Knowles at controverscial.com
The Hellfire Club
- The Hell-Fire Clubs from the Grand Lodge of British Columbia and Yukon
- The 'Hell Fire Club' by Marjie Bloy, Ph.D. at The Victorian Web
- The Hellfire Club by Mike HowardMike HowardMichael Frederic Howard was a Major League Baseball player for the New York Mets.Howard broke into the big leagues at age 23, making his debut on September 12, 1981...
at Talking Stick - Francis Dashwood of the English Hellfire Club
- The Lives & Times of the Hell-Fire Club
Other
- High politics and Hellfire: William Hogarth’s portrait of Francis Dashwood by Robin SimonRobin SimonFor the art historian and critic Robin Simon, editor of , see Robin JH SimonRobin Simon For the art historian and critic Robin Simon, editor of , see Robin JH SimonRobin Simon For the art historian and critic Robin Simon, editor of , see Robin JH SimonRobin Simon (born Robert Simon 12 July 1956,...
editor of The British Art Journal - Photographs of Dashwood's tunnels in West Wycombe
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