During the 18th century, a new form of British male began to populate high society – the ‘rake’. This term came to define aristocratic gentlemen who were purely engaged in the pursuit of pleasure with little respect for the law or traditional morality. A number of clubs and secret societies were founded that allowed their members to indulge their debauched tastes, but none were more notorious than the Hellfire clubs. They combined an 18th century trend of affronting societal notions of morality through acts of blasphemy with excessive drinking and sexual deviancy. The shocking stories of these clubs scandalised British society. As time has passed the Hellfire clubs’ secretive nature has resulted in a vast amount of folklore surrounding them. Indeed, the relatively powerful positions of many of their members has given birth to popular legends of the Hellfire clubs as malevolent and sinister organisations.
“The meetings involved mockery of religious ceremonies, with the members dining on dishes such as ‘Holy Ghost Pie’
