The Pub in Literature: England's Altered State
CLUBS
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UNDER CONSTRUCTION
All material below taken from John Timbs, Club Life of London, with Anecdotes of the Clubs, Coffee-Houses and Taverns of the Metropolis during the 17th, 18th, and 19th Centuries. 2 volumes. London: Richard Bentley, 1866.
Apollo The Devil Tavern/St Dunstan's Tavern, Temple Bar. Jonson. References in Ben Jonson's Staple of News (1625) and The Devil is an Asse (1616). (From Timbs) 'The principal room [of the Devil Tavern] was called "the Oracle of Apollo," a large room evidently built apart from the tavern; and from Prior's and Charles Montagu's Hind and Panther Transversed it is shown to have been an upper apartment, on on the first story [sic]:-
Above the door was the bust of Apollo; and the following verses, "the Welcome," were inscribed in gold letters upon a black board, and "placed over the door at the entrance into the Apollo:
Beneath these verses was the name of the author, thus inscribed - "O Rare Ben Jonson," a poshumous tribute from his grave in Westminster Abbey.' Another piece of Jonsonia records a story whereby the taverner offered to forego Jonson's reckoning if he could tell him what would please God, what would please the devil, and what would please the taverner:
Brothers One of Swift's clubs. Tory. Met on a Thursday at the Thatched House Tavern, St. James's Street. Swift's rules of 1713 state: 'The end of our Club is to advance conversation and friendship, and to reward learning without interest of recommendation. We take in none but mem of wit, or men of interest; and if we go on as we began, no other Club in this town will be worth talking of.' Arran, Dupplin, Masham, Ormond, Bathurst, Harcourt, Orrery, Jack Hill; Bolingbroke. There were continuing problems with expenses, and the club moved to the Star and Garter, Pall Mall, because the Thatched House was too dear. Swift's Journal to Stella talks of the Club a great deal. Broke up 1713. Calves' Head Most likely a fictitious club whose origins lie with Ned Ward's tract The Secret History of the Calves' Head Club; or the Republican unmasked, rather than with Milton, as Ward proposes. The tract itself went through nine editions, the last being 1716. The Club allegedly met every 30 January to celebrate Charles I's beheading. The dish of calves' heads represented the King's head and his supporters. The possibility that such a club may have existed any time from Milton to the 1730s was lent credence because undoubtedly there were some celebrations of the beheading, but probably nothing more than high jinks. For most commentators the fact that Ward's hoax remains successful to this day is an extra cause to vilify the Grub-street hack. Timbs concludes: 'there is no more reason for believing in the existence of a Calves' Head Club in 1734-5 than there is for believing it exists in 1864.' City Club Met in the Queen's Arms Paternoster Row/St Paul's Churchyard in the eighteenth century. Members included David Garrick, Dr. Johnson and James Clutterback (city merchant who provided finance for Garrick). Civil 1672-(at least as late as 1860s). Originally met at the Old Ship Tavern, Water-lane. When knocked down moved to the New Corn Exchange Tavern, Mark Lane. Club of Kings See King Club. Green Ribbon Club See King's Head Club. King Club Reign of Charles II (?), 'all the members of which were called "King." Charles himself was an honorary member.' Also known as Club of Kings. King's Head Club King's Head Tavern, Inner Temple Gate. Designed by Shaftesbury to promote extreme Protestant behaviour. Incited mob behaviour, on which days were worn a green ribbon in the hats, leading them to be known as the The Green Ribbon Club as well. They wore 'silk armour' and had a pocket weapon for street engagments called a 'Protestant Flail.' Discussed at length by Roger North, who also credits the 'Pope-burning procession of the 17th of November, 1680' with giving us the term 'mob': [here] 'the Rabble first changed their title, and were called the Mob in the assemblies of this Club. It was their Beast of Burthen, and called first, mobile vulgus, but fell naturally into the contraction of one syllable, and ever since is become proper English.' (quoted in Timbs, I.37). Mermaid Bread-street/Friday-street. Destroyed in the Great Fire. 'This famous Club was held at the Mermaid Tavern, which was long said to have stood in Friday-street, Cheapside; but Ben Jonson has, in his own verse, settled it in Bread-street:
October Named after 'October ale' which was drunk in large quantities there. A Tory club in the time of Anne, meeting at the Bell Tavern, King Street, Westminster. A letter in Swift's Journal to Stella talks of its extreme attitude toward the Whigs, and his Advice humbly offered to the Members of the October Club attempted to 'soften' the approach. Those who thought the anti-Whig stance not strong enough seceded and formed the March Club, 'more Jacobite and rampant in its hatred of the Whigs, than the Society from which it branched' (Timbs, I.18). Rota Political Club (Republican), Turk's Head, New Palace Yard. Aubrey. 1659 to Retoration, when its members were under threat. 'The Club derived its name from a plan, which it was its design to promote, for changing a certain number of Membrs of Parliament annually by rotation. Sir William Petty was one of its members. Round the table, "in a room every evening as full as it could be crammed," says Aubrey, sat Milton and Marvell, Cyriac Skinner, harrington, Nevill, and their friends, discussing abstract political questions.' (Timbs, I.15). Pepys there January 1660. / "But Sidrophel, as full of tricks/ As Rota-men of politics' (Hudibras, Part ii, Canto 3). Saturday Met on this day. One of Swift's clubs. Original members included himself, Lord Rivers, Lord Keeper and Lord Bolingbroke. Swift disliked it when it expanded, taking in 'Ormond, Anglesey, Lord Steward, Dartmouth, and other rabble'. Scriblerus A literary club formed by Swift in 1714 with Oxford, St. John, Arbuthnot, Pope, Parnell, Atterbury, Congreve, Robert Harley, and Gay. The name is derived from Martinus Scriblerus, the name of their fictional hack. The animosity between Bolingbroke and Oxford led to its dissolution. Street Clubs Timbs talks of clubs formed within a street, mainly because venturing further afield was a dangerous preoccupation. Treason Time of the Revolution. Rose Tavern, Covent Garden. Decision to desert (Lieut-Col Langstone's Regiment) taken here, Sunday, Nov. 1688, which they did. Wednesday Friday-street, Cheapside, 'at which, in 1695, certain conferences took place under the direction of William Pterson, which ultimately led to the establishment of the Bank of England', but no evidence to back it up. Woods Mentioned by Pepys, 26 July, 1660, and an early use of the word 'clubbing', as currently understood (well, 1860s!). World, The In Pall Mall. Lord Stanhope (later Lord Chesterfield), Lord Herbert.
Misc Sir Walter Raleigh's Friday-street/ (more properly) Bread-street (the same) Club usually regarded as the earliest, but Timbs finds a Club called 'La Court de bone Compagnie' in which Occleve was a member, 'and probably Chaucer.' Occleve has two ballads relating to it. From Aubrey (no real date) 'We now use the word clubbe for a sodality in a taverne.' Johnson - 'an assembly of good fellows, meeting under certain conditions' Todd - 'an association of persons subjected to particular rules' A type of middle-class club called 'One of a Trade' No. 9 of The Spectator is an article on Clubs by Addison.
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