Francis Dashwood, 11th Baron le Despencer
Francis Dashwood, 11th Baron le Despencer (December 1708 in London ; † December 11, 1781 ) was a British politician (1762–1763 Chancellor of the Exchequer ), best known as a libertine and founder of the Hellfire Club .
He was born in London and educated at Eton College (since then he has been associated with William Pitt the Elder ). He became an orphan at the age of 16 and completed his Grand Tour in 1726 (an educational trip through Europe that was mandatory for young aristocrats at the time). In 1732 he was a co-founder of the Society of Dilettanti .
Dashwood founded the Hellfire Club after 1740 . This had its seat from 1755 in the Abbey of Medmenham near West Wycombe in Buckinghamshire , which Dashwood acquired in a ruined state for this purpose and rebuilt. The club's purpose was sexual debauchery, and rumor has it that satanic rites were practiced. As a proper name, the club was called the Order of the Knights of St. Francis (Knight Order of Saint Francis by) and imitated Catholic monastic orders. Dashwood claimed the title of abbot and the other members were called brothers .
According to the book Nocturnal Revels (a book about prostitution in England) published in 1779 , he had attended various seminaries on his Grand Tour, which he believed were founded in direct contradiction to nature and reason; on his return to England, thought (he) that some farcical institution in the name of St. Francis would mark the absurdity of such societies; and instead of the strictness and abstinence there, emphasis was placed on common happiness, uninhibited exuberance and common happiness [...] .
Soon Hellfire Clubs were founded based on this model (albeit unauthorized) in several other places .
Dashwood in politics
In his later political career he was Postmaster General (in this function he corresponded, among other things, with his then North American counterpart Benjamin Franklin , from whom a visit to Dashwood's property is documented) and for a short time Chancellor of the Exchequer. He was also Honorary Vice President of the Foundling Hospital in London.
Dashwood held the following public offices:
- from 1761 to 1762 Treasurer of the Chamber
- 1762 to 1763 Chancellor of the Exchequer ( Chancellor of the Exchequer of Great Britain ), a high government official.
- from 1763 to 1765 Master of the Great Wardrobe at the British Court ( Royal Household ).
Dashwood in literature
In the Illuminatus! - Trilogy of Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson appears to Dashwood as one of the five leaders of the Illuminati .
The name Francis Dashwood is also used by Wilson in his trilogy Schrödinger's Cat , there he is the head of an orgasm research center .
The story of the Hellfire Club with Francis Dashwood processed the forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs in her Dr. Brennan series in the volume Durch Mark und Bein .
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| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Dashwood, Francis, 11th Baron le Despencer |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | December 1708 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | London |
| DATE OF DEATH | December 11, 1781 |
| Place of death | London |