Post by debugger on Oct 25, 2020 21:51:45 GMT
The Calves' Head Club were one of London's most controversial secret societies, emerging in London in the second half of the 17th Century and dedicated to mocking the execution of Charles I. Members were said to gather on 30 January every year, the same day the former king was beheaded in 1649. Their name came from the barbaric practice at each meeting of decapitating and eat a calf, which members treated as a stand in for Charles. Also on the table was a boar - representing the public - and a cod - representing Charles' son Charles II. A satirical drawing from a 1707 book The Secret History of the Calve's Head Club shows these objects, along with an image of the devil - looking particularly sneaky - standing at the door of the club.
The last major documented incident involving a version of the society occurred in early 1734, when a group of men calling themselves members went on a drinking spree in Suffolk Street in the West End. They caused havoc, built a bonfire nearby and eventually were confronted by an angry mob.
The last major documented incident involving a version of the society occurred in early 1734, when a group of men calling themselves members went on a drinking spree in Suffolk Street in the West End. They caused havoc, built a bonfire nearby and eventually were confronted by an angry mob.
