Tag Archives: George I
A Dangerous Liaison: The Murder of Count Philip Christoph von Königsmarck
Posted by Miss_Jessel in General, History
assasination, Count Philip Christoph von Königsmarck, George I, Georgian, Hanover, imprisonment, Lady Bette, Mr Thynn, Murder, Sophia Dorothea of Celle
A Scandalous Family
The Dashing Philip Christoph von Königsmarck. Residenzmuseum Celle 20160708.
The Swedish Count Philip Christoph von Königsmarck was born on the 4 March 1665. The Königsmarcks were of Brandenburgian extraction with an intriguing history of their own. Philip's grandfather was Field Marshal Hans Christoff von Königsmarck who is best remembered for the part he played in the unsuccessful Battle of Prague in 1648[1]; his elder sister Maria Aurora later became the mistress to Augustus II the Strong of Poland; his other sister Amalia Wilhelmina was a 'noted dilettante painter'[2], amateur actress and poet and; his brother Karl Johann became notorious as the architect behind the assassination of Thomas Thynn, the husband of his alleged lover Lady Elizabeth Percy in 1682.
At the court of Charles II
Evidence from the period reveals that by the age of 16 Philip Christoph was well-established at the court of Charles II. The court of Charles II infamous as a centre of hedonism, decadence and promiscuity, a place where "court life…often turned on the intrigues of lovers and the machinations of mistresses" and "favour depended more on a ready jest and brazen effrontery than on talent or political ability"[3] must have been a fascinating place to grow up in. Philip who was described as dashing, charming and handsome would have fitted in perfectly and it is easy to surmise that he must have been extremely popular with the ladies of the court. His acceptance into the inner court circles meant that he had gained the favour of the king and would be one of the first to hear any pertinent gossip and political news.
Charles II Dancing at a Ball at Court, c. 1660, Hieronymus Janssens, RCIN 00525.
The assassination of Mr Thynn
On the 12 February 1682 Thomas Thynn was killed whilst riding in his carriage along Pall Mall. His assailants Christopher Vratz, John Stern and Charles George Borosky were soon after arrested along with Karl Johann von Königsmarck who was believed to have orchestrated the murder. Königsmarck was assumed to be the lover of the wealthy heiress Lady Elizabeth (Bette) Percy who had been forced by her family into marrying Thynn – a man she considered odious. At the time of the murder Lady Bette had escaped to Holland and was living in The Hague. It was generally believed that Königsmarck was seeking to free Bette from her marriage and then claim her for his wife.
Thomas Thynne. Image source unknown.
The evidence suggests that Philip must have been aware of his brother's intentions. The two shared a friend and aide in Frederick Hanson who also acted as Philip's guardian whilst he was in England. Hanson ran errands for Karl including checking daily for news about the ship on which Borosky was travelling, purchasing a sword for Borosky and even finding out for the Count about the legal implications of killing Thynn in a dual[4]. At his brother's trial Philip confessed that Karl had returned secretly to London ten days before the murder as well as confirming that a bill of exchange for one thousand pistols had been sent to England. Although when questioned he supported his brother's claim that the money was for the purchase of horses for the siege of Strasburg he also admitted that only one had been bought so far[5]. It will never be clear if Philip played any active role in Thynn's murder but it is also really hard to believe that he was not covering for his brother.
A fateful meeting
The beautiful Sophie Dorothea, Princess of Hannover by Henry Gascard. Image source Wikipedia.
The scandal of the murder, trial and subsequent suspicious disappearance of his brother might have been the reason behind Philip leaving England shortly afterwards. It may have been that feelings were running high against the Königsmarck brothers and it was advised that Philip would be better off out of harm's way. In any event Thynn's murder was a turning point in Philip's life leading to his first meeting with the 16-year-old Sophia Dorothea of Celle.
It is not surprising that they were attracted to each other, Philip was handsome and Sophia was beautiful with thick dark hair, an ivory complexion, an attractive figure and a flirtatious, charming and vivacious manner[6]. They had little reason to believe that their brief and innocent flirtation would have such far-reaching consequences for both their futures.
A tempestuous marriage
George I, Elector of Hanover. Image source Wikipedia.
About five years later, Philip and Sophia were reunited. In the interim Philip had made a name for himself as a soldier and Sophia had married her cousin George Louis, heir to the Principality of Lüneburg.
Sophia's marriage was extremely unhappy. On being told whom she was going to marry she reportedly screamed "I will not marry a pig snout"[7], threw his miniature across the room and fainted. He was equally unimpressed by his future bride. He considered it an insult to marry a woman who had been born out-of-wedlock. Sophia's background was complicated.
Her father, George William had fallen in love with his mistress the beautiful Eleonore d'Esmier d'Olbreuse despite being promised in marriage to Princess Sophia, daughter of the Palatine King of Bohemia. Determined not to marry Princess Sophia and refusing to give up Eleonore he agreed to renounce his claim to the Duchy of Hanover and hand it over to his ambitious younger brother Ernest Augustus. In return George William promised never to marry, meaning that any children he had would be illegitimate and would therefore have no claim to the Duchy. For a time, George William adhered to the agreement but in the end increasingly concerned about his daughter, Sophia's legal status he decided to try to remedy the situation and in 1666 (a year after Sophia's birth) he declared that his morganatic marriage to Eleonore was in fact legal and recognised by the church and law of the land. This announcement alarmed the rest of his family but as no male offspring was forthcoming, the marriage and Sophia's legitimisation were accepted[8].
The Glamorous Eléonore d'Olbreuse, Image source Residenzmuseum Celle.
The situation was further complicated by the fact that Princess Sophia had been in love with George William. The anger she felt at being thrown over affected her feelings and behaviour towards her niece, Sophia Dorothea, despite the fact that she did not actually like her own son. She famously said about him "George Ludwig, the most pigheaded, stubborn boy who ever lived, and who has round his brains such a thick crust that I defy any man or woman ever to discover what is in them."[9] George Louis seemed to go out-of-the-way to make Sophia Dorothea's life miserable. He constantly berated her for her lack of etiquette and breeding, was physically abusive and flaunted his extremely ugly mistress, Melusine von der Schulenburg in her face.
It was in this hostile environment that a lonely and unhappy Sophia Dorothea was reunited with her former admirer Philip Christoph von Königsmarck on the 1 March 1688.
A love affair
The Meeting. Jean-Honore Fragonard. Frick Collection NY.
The renewal of the relationship seems at first to have been facilitated by Sophia's brothers-in-law who appear unlike their brother to be fond of their sister-in-law. They saw that Philip's visits cheered her up and so helped to arrange their meetings.
It was only in 1690 after Philip returned from fighting in the Peloponnese in the service of Ernest Augustus, Elector of Hanover that the relationship seems to have intensified. In order to separate them, Philip was sent to join the Hanoverian Army in their war against Louis XIV, probably on the orders of Sophia's father-in-law. Any request for leave was constantly turned down leaving no opportunity for Philip to return and see Sophia. In the end in desperation Philip left without permission and made his way to Hanover. He was absent for six days and on his return he was punished and exiled[10].
On hearing of his wife's supposed affair, alleged indecent behaviour and the forbidden visit of Philip, George Louis flew into a violent frenzy. Confronting her they argued with Sophia retaliating by insulting him over his mistress. Seething with anger he grabbed at Sophia hitting her until she was covered in bruises and tearing at her hair pulling it out by the roots. She only survived because their servants finally managed to drag him off her.
'Hell has no fury like a woman scorned'
-William Congreve
With Philip banished, Sophia's position became even more precarious. Treated as a prisoner, she was constantly watched, probably by her lady-in-waiting, the scheming, petty and unpleasant Countess Clara von Platen who was at the time the mistress of Elector Ernest Augustus. Unfortunately Clara had also had a brief affair with Philip and was deeply jealous of Sophia[11].
The vindictive Countess Clara von Platen. Image source Wikimedia.
In June 1694, Philip received a message to come and meet with Sophia at Leineschloss Castle. The note Philip assumed had come from Sophia but it could just as well have been written by Clara on behalf of the Elector and George Louis.
What happened over the night of the 1/2 July 1694 is not known but one version is that Philip was prevented from leaving, trapped and attacked after having seen Sophia. Despite being outnumbered and fighting valiantly he was inevitably overpowered. As he lay dying Clara got her chance for one last act of humiliation and revenge by grinding her heel into his mouth[12]. She then arranged for his body to be deposed of. His final resting place is unknown to this day; his body could have been thrown into the River Leine[13] or as some claim hidden in either the palace latrines or under the corridor floorboards and then covered in lime.
Assassins. Image Source: The Draftsman's Contract. 1982. Dir Peter Greenaway.
On discovering that her brother was missing his sister Maria Aurora asked Elector Frederick Augustus I to help find Philip and if dead to help with any inheritance issues[14]. She sounds a bit cold and no records remain to indicate that she kicked up much of a fuss. Maybe she found out what had happened and decided it was in her best interest to stay quiet. There is an unlikely rumour that George Louis boasted about the murder as well as the more plausible rumour that two of the murderers eventually confessed to their crime.
The Princess of Ahlden
Ahlden Castle in Celle (c1654). Image source Wikimedia.
The day after the murder, George Louis accused Sophia of malicious desertion – giving credence to the argument that she had intended to leave with Philip. Whether or not she had planned to leave is unknown. If the note Philip received was from her then it is possibly that Sophia had asked him for his help; if the note was from Clara then any decision to leave would have been made by Sophia on the spur of the moment but it is also equally likely that Sophia was never going to leave and that the letter had been forged in order to give legitimacy to George Louis next move.
Sophie Dorothea and her children. Image source Wikimedia.
Sophia was sent to Ahlden Castle in Celle where she remained a prisoner for the next thirty years. Forbidden from seeing her two children and her father and with her marriage dissolved she spent the rest of life in isolation until her death on the 13 November 1726. All traces of her were removed from Hanover. It was as if George Louis was trying to erase Sophia from existence. On her death George refused to allow any sign of mourning, appropriated all her property which she had left to her children and kept her body for six months in a casket in the cellar of Ahlden refusing to allow her to be buried[15].
She did get a sort of posthumous revenge. While she lay dying, bedridden and in extreme pain she sent a letter to George, now George I of England cursing him. Terrified, he remembered a warning given to him by a gypsy i.e. that he would die within a year if he did anything to cause the death of his wife. Strangely enough he did die seven months later during a trip back to his beloved Hanover, four weeks after he had finally agreed to Sophia being buried at Stadtkirche alongside her parents.
A platonic relationship or torrid affair?
The Lovers. Image source Antiques Atlas website.
The numerous love letters held now in the archive at the University of Lund have often been cited as being definitive proof of the passionate love affair of Philip and Sophia. The authenticity of this collection of letters is now being questioned with some experts believing they were forged in order to blacken Sophia's name[16]. If the letters are fakes then a shadow of doubt could be cast on the question of the nature of their relationship. Were they lovers or did they share a deep and close platonic friendship? Did Sophia commit adultery or did their relationship remain unconsummated? Sophia, herself was surprisingly evasive on the subject. When given the chance to be reinstated as the wife of George I of England (as he later became) she answered "If what I am accused of is true, I am unworthy of his bed, and if it is false he is unworthy of mine"[17].
History's great romance
Nobody who knows me would ever accuse me of being a romantic but I do hope that Sophia did have a loving relationship with Philip as she deserved some happiness after being married to George I. As Philip's remains have never been discovered, the last few moments of his life will always be shrouded in mystery. Whether true or not the relationship between Philip and Sophia is seen as one of history's great love stories with Count Philip Christoph von Königsmarck memory living on in folklore as a tragic romantic figure who risked everything for love.
Tragic lover, Sophia Dorothea. Image source The Peerage website.
Tragic lover, Philip. Image source The Peerage website.
[1] Hans Christoff von Königsmarck: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Christoff_von_K%C3%B6nigsmarck
[2] Amalia Königsmarck: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amalia_K%C3%B6nigsmarck
[3] Lord Rochester and the Court of Charles II: http://www.historytoday.com/john-redwood/lord-rochester-and-court-charles-ii
[4] Nigel Pickford: Lady Bette and the Murder of Mr Thynn, 170
[5] Ibid, 223
[6] Sophia Dorothea http://historyhoydens.blogspot.co.uk/2009/06/marriage-made-in-hanover-or-in-hell.html
[7] Sophia Dorothea of Celle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophia_Dorothea_of_Celle
[8] George William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_William,_Duke_of_Brunswick-L%C3%BCneburg
[10] Sophia Dorothea of Celle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophia_Dorothea_of_Celle
[11] Who Murdered Konigsmarck?: http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/3763620-who-murdered-konigsmarck
[12] ibid
[13] Philip Christoph von Königsmarck: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Christoph_von_K%C3%B6nigsmarck
[14] Maria Aurora von Königsmarck: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Aurora_von_K%C3%B6nigsmarck Königsmarck
[15] Sophia Dorothea (1666-1726): http://www.explore-parliament.net/nssMovies/04/0465/0465_.htm
Philipp Christoph, Count Of Konigsmark: http://www.theodora.com/encyclopedia/k/philipp_christoph_count_of_konigsmark.html
Clara Elisabeth von Platen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clara_Elisabeth_von_Platen
Sophia Dorothea (1666-1726): http://www.explore-parliament.net/nssMovies/04/0465/0465_.htm
Hans Christoff von Königsmarck: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Christoff_von_K%C3%B6nigsmarck
Amalia Königsmarck: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amalia_K%C3%B6nigsmarck
Lord Rochester and the Court of Charles II: http://www.historytoday.com/john-redwood/lord-rochester-and-court-charles-ii
George William, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_William,_Duke_of_Brunswick-L%C3%BCneburg
Sophia Dorothea http://historyhoydens.blogspot.co.uk/2009/06/marriage-made-in-hanover-or-in-hell.html
Maria Aurora von Königsmarck: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Aurora_von_K%C3%B6nigsmarck
Sophia Dorothea of Celle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophia_Dorothea_of_Celle
Nigel Pickford: Lady Bette and the Murder of Mr Thynn, 2014
A Whiff of Brimstone: the Original Hell-fire Club
Posted by Lenora in Bizarre, General, History
Bishop Wake, blasphemy, Duke of Wharton, eighteenth century history, England, George I, Georgian clubs, hell fire, Hell-fire Club, hellfire, jacobites, Lucy Loftus, Philip, satanism, secret societies
London 1721: The King uncovers Satanism in High Society
On the 28 April 1721 the London Gazette reported on the Governments attempts to quash the nefarious activities of a group of young persons, both men and women, drawn from the cream of society, whose outrageously irreligious behaviour was thought to be causing moral anarchy and endangering the very fabric of society. Although not named directly, the main target of the King and the government's legislation was the notorious Hell-Fire Club.
His Majesty have received Information, which gives great Reason to suspect that there have lately been and still are, in and about the Cities of London and Westminster, certain scandalous Clubs or Societies of young Persons who meet together, and in the most impious and blasphemous Manner insult the most sacred Principles of Holy Religion, affront Almighty God himself, and corrupt the Minds and Morals of one another;
London Gazette, 28th April 1721
A Tabloid Drama unfolds
As soon as the activities of the Clubs became public knowledge, moral panic and prurient interest walked hand in hand and the flames of public interest were fanned enthusiastically by the press. The early eighteenth century was a time of coffee houses and clubs where newspapers were widely circulated, read and re-read, often read out loud to those who could not themselves read. The news that there was a blasphemous secret society or club, right in the heart of London's high society was a sensation. People clammered for details of the clubs membership and activities. It was even rumoured that one of the Queen's Ladies in Waiting was a member – leading King George I to order an investigation of his own household.
The Club was alleged to have met in Westminster, Conduit Street and Somerset House and the illustration below published in 1721 in a pamphlet entitled 'The Hellfire Club: kept by a society of Blasphemers' shows an imagined meeting of the Somerset House Hellfire club.
'The diabolical maskquerade, or the dragons-feast as acted by the Hell-Fire-Club, at Somerset House in the Strand'. 1721 © Trustees of the British Museum
According to Appleby's Journal, reporting after the club had come to public attention, the Hellfire club comprised about 40 persons of whom, scandalously, 15 were ladies of quality. Appleby's also reported that members routinely dressed up as Biblical characters, took the names of patriarchs and sought to mock Christianity. They imbibed 'Hellfire punch' and dined on Holy Ghost Pie (an imitation host made with angelic root), Devils Loins and Breast of Venus. It was also claimed that if a member died they became the club's 'Ambassador in Hell'. One can almost imagine Appleby's Journal as the 'Daily Mail' of its day – with stolidly respectable readers being at once shocked, outraged and titillated by these antics.
A Touch of Brimstone, Avengers, 1966, produced by Brian Clemens and Julian Wintle
From Blasphemy to Satanism
The most damning accusation levelled at the Hellfire club was of mocking the Trinity: nibbling on Holy Ghost Pie while dressed as a patriarch and fornicating with the Lady Hellfire was pretty much guaranteed to get the Establishment frothing at the mouth…. Mists Weekly Journal from 20th February 1720 referred to the Hellfire club as having:
"transcendent Malignity: deriding the forms of Religion as a Trifle. By a natural Progression they turn to Substance; with Lucifer they fly at Divinity" concluding that "Ladies shield their faces because of the whiff of brimstone when they pass" (Lord p52)
Baphomet, Public Domain image via Wikimedia
Actual reliable evidence about the activities of the club is extremely scarce, as Evelyn Lord points out in her book 'The Hell-Fire Clubs: Sex, Satanism and Secret Societies'. Most of the alleged activities reported above appeared in Journals well after the club's existence was exposed. And, even in their lurid and oh so very tabloid accounts, evidence of actual Devil Worship seems limited to toasting the devil and generally misbehaving. So why then, did the Hell-fire club(s) gain a reputation for Satanic practices?
The answer seems to lie in the mind of Bishop Wake the Bishop helped to draft the Bill against the Hell-fire club(s). His main aim was to uphold Anglican Orthodoxy and the settlement of 1688 against the rise of Jacobitism and the perceived Catholic threat following the failed Jacobite uprising in 1715. He considered that anyone denying the Trinity must ipso-facto be in league with the Devil. Hence the Hell-fire Club's activities fell by default into the category of not only blasphemy, but effectively Satanism as well.
But was there more to the suppression of the Hell-fire club than upholding the state religion and protecting the morals of the nation? It would seem so…
The man behind the Diabolical Maskquerade
Philip, The 1st Duke of Wharton, public domain image via Wikipedia
Enter Philip, Duke of Wharton. Brilliant, charming, charismatic, rebellious, debauched, rake-hell and libertine extraordinaire. The dyspeptic Alexander Pope described him as: "The scorn and wonder of our days" (Cruikshank p390)
Philip was born in 1698 the grandson of a Puritan (!), son of the author of the Lillibularo and Lucy Loftus (a lady whose beauty had been the toast of the famous Kit Cat Club).
Philip was given a vigorous education, ranging from maths to metaphysics, the classics to Shakespeare. He also excelled at languages and was a talented mimic. Destined for a fast-track career as a statesman, his family were horrified when at 17 he eloped with the daughter of a penniless Major-General. It was rumoured that his father was so distraught that the marriage could not be annulled that he died only weeks later. No doubt a sad event, but one that left the wild-child heir free of paternal control.
In order to reign in the wayward heir, he was packed off by his trustees on a Grand Tour of the continent. Not the usual fun places like France and Italy where a good time could definitely be had; but to the austerely protestant Holland, Hanover and Geneva. However this dull itinerary did not suit the wayward Duke, he ditched his tutors in Geneva in 1716 and headed directly for the epi-centre of sophistication and the heart of the Jacobite court in exile – Paris. Here an anecdote relating to his meeting with a Jacobite exile named Gwynne, living in a Parisian garret, which reveals his already outrageous personality:
"Philip said he hoped the stairs didn't lead up to heaven, because if they did he would go down again, and invite Gwynne to join him in Hell, where he was to be the Devil's lord of the bed-chamber" (Ashe p52)
After various other brushes with the Jacobite court in exile, including a meeting with the Old Pretender himself, Philip returned via Ireland to England.
Perhaps concerned by this prominent figure's Jacobite exploits, George I gave Philip a Dukedom in 1718. If he hoped it would cement his loyalty, George was wrong. Taking up his role as statesman Wharton soon became a vociferous critic of Robert Walpole, the de-facto Prime Minister of England and representative of Whig party interests. In his opposition to Walpole and the Whig parties hold over politics Geoffrey Ashe, in his book 'The Hell-Fire Clubs', credits Philip with political importance as being the first to see opposition to the Whig 'stranglehold' on eighteenth century politics and patronage as crucial.
Lady Mary Wortley Montagu by Jonathan Richardson the Younger public domain , via Wikimedia
Given his unconventional and rebellious nature it is unsurprising that Philip was the founding member and creator of the original Hell-fire club. As noted above Clubs were all the rage in the very sociable eighteenth century – and not all of them were as respectable as the Kit Cat Club. In 1712 the Mohocks, a gang of gentlemen, terrorised London with their violent antics; and Daniel Defoe wrote of "a pagan circle, near Old Charing, where God was owned, sworn by, imprecated, blasphemed, and denied all in one breath". (Lord p47).
Wharton appears to have started the Hell-fire Club at sometime in 1720. Evelyn Lord notes that his son died at about the same time, Wharton had left his wife and began associating with the unpleasantly nick-named 'Rape Master General': Colonel Charteris. Perhaps the two of them dreamt up the Hellfire Club as the ultimate rebellion against the solidly mercantile respectability promoted by Georgian Society.
Members were said to include Viscount Hillsborough and Sir Edmund O'Brien. It was rumoured the famous Lady Mary Wortley Montagu was also a member. Evelyn Lord comments that Lady Mary first met and became friends with Wharton when he was living in Twickenham in 1722 – a year after the club folded. Lady Mary appears to have written about a later club called the Schemers ( an orgiastic club set up by Lord Hillsborough) and this reference has become conflated with that of the Hellfire club. Her evident friendship with the scandalous duke added fuel to the fire and her name became linked to the Hellfire club. (Lord p58).
Sedition and Secret Societies
The reasons that the Government feared clubs such as the Hell-fire club was that they could be hot-beds of sedition. England in the first quarter of the eighteenth century wasn't the bucolic fantasy of Fielding's Tom Jones. Ever since the Glorious Revolution of 1688, when the protestant William of Orange had supplanted the Catholic James II, the Anglican's had been edgy.
The Old Pretender Lands in Scotland, 1715. Public Domain via Wikimedia
The Government needed a tame clergy but not one with pretensions to Catholic style priestly interventions with the divine. Hence the Convocation of the Church of England (who favoured this view) was suspended in 1717. The remaining clergy became pluralistic 'yes-men'. Nevertheless maintaining the illusion of their moral authority was still important to the Establishment – especially after the failed Jacobite rebellion of 1715. Add to this the disastrous South Sea Bubble Speculation that bankrupted everyone from Dukes to housemaids and the stability of early Georgian Society comes seriously into question. Many people genuinely believed that the nation was being punished by God – so in the popular mind having a society of blaspheming Devil Worshipper's at large in the capital might have been seen as a symptom of the declining morals of the nation and further anger God.
Neither could the government risk having possibly seditious secret societies such as the Hell-fire Club, run by a suspected Jacobite sympathiser, remain unchecked as they felt it could risk political instability and moral anarchy. Add to this the personal enmity between Wharton and Walpole (who was the prime mover behind the Act) and it becomes clear that the Hell-fire Club's days were numbered.
Spawn of Hell-fire
The Club, which had run for less than a year, was finished by 1721. Banned by an Act of Parliament – although nobody was ever prosecuted. The Duke of Wharton eventually left England and died in debt at the age of only 33 after a characteristically eventful exile. He was eventually immortalised in fiction as the anti-hero Lovelace in Samuel Richardson's novel 'Clarissa Harlowe'.
The Hellfire club however, did not disappear from memory. As well as the Grub Street Hacks who did much to create its infamy, many respectable persons wrote of it in their memoirs: Mrs Delaney, William Whiston and others. And it spawned many other Hellfire groups – particularly in Ireland (Wharton had spent some time in Ireland – even charming the notoriously misanthropic Dean Swift, of Gulliver's Travels fame). Many of those Irish clubs had much more claim to a Satanic reputation than Wharton's club of blasphemers.
One final legacy left by the original Hellfire Club was that Wharton, in his will bequeathed what was left of his estate to the Lord Treasurer, one George Doddington. 'Bubb' Doddington would later become infamous due to his association with perhaps the most famous Hell-fire club of all: The Monks of Medmenham. But that is a tale for another day!
Ashe, Geoffrey, 2005, The Hell-Fire Clubs, Sutton
Cruikshank, Dan, 2010, The Secret History of Georgian London, Windmill
Lord, Evelyn, The Hell-Fire Clubs: Sex, Satanism and Secret Societies, 2008, Yale